Vigil calls for more urgency to save endangered salmon, orca

||| FROM SALISH CURRENT |||

Bundled up in the cold, about 60 people gathered at Maritime Heritage Park on Saturday night (Nov. 20) in Bellingham for a vigil in support of endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

Speakers included environmental advocates and members of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe. The vigil coincided with five similar events across the region commemorating the 30th anniversary of when the Snake River sockeye salmon was added to the Endangered Species List — the first salmon to gain endangered status in the U.S. 

In 2021, just 13 Snake River wild sockeye salmon made it back to spawning grounds in Central Idaho, according to data provided to the Salish Current from the Endangered Species Coalition (ESC) a co-organizer of the event. For comparison, the number of returning Snake River wild sockeye numbered more than 4,500 before the dams were built starting in the late 1950s, according to a Nov. 2 report from the Fish Passage Center and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

In 2021, just 13 Snake River wild sockeye salmon made it back to spawning grounds in Central Idaho

“If they’re going to survive, we need to change the status quo,” said Chris Connolly, Pacific Northwest field representative for the ESC.

Groups are specifically calling for the removal of the four dams on the lower Snake River, a tributary of the Columbia River running through the southeast corner of the state and originating in the Rocky Mountains in Idaho. They argue removing the dams will help restore wild salmon runs and boost the main food source for endangered southern resident orcas. 

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee recently promised to deliver a plan by July 2022 that will consider removal of the four dams and steps to replace the dam’s lost services, such as irrigation, hydropower and transportation, for local communities, according to a news release from the event organizers. 

Alyssa Macy, CEO of the Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters, urged the crowd to keep up the pressure on elected officials on dam removal. 

“As salmon people, we have a common fight to push this thing forward,” she said.

A member of Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon, Macy said salmon fishing on the Columbia River was integral to the trade and family life of her ancestors. She said a popular fishing area, Celilo Falls, disappeared after The Dalles Dam was completed. 

“It feels like grieving and like there is something missing in my heart,” she said. 

READ FULL ARTICLE: salish-current.org/2021/11/22/vigil-calls-for-more-urgency-to-save-endangered-salmon-orcas/