Average salmon and steelhead counts in the Columbia River Basin over the last decade are still well below officials’ goal of 5 million fish per year.
From 2014 to 2023, just 2.3 million salmon and steelhead made the same journey. That’s an improvement from the 1990s when that average fell to 1.3 million fish due to dams, predation and other environmental factors.
A coho salmon makes its way up Cedar Creek on its way to the Sandy fish hatchery in this April 2022 file photo.
Rick Swart / Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Both are still stark declines from estimates in the mid-1800s. Back then, officials believe between 10-16 million salmon and steelhead returned to the Columbia River Basin annually.
Kate Self, a fish and wildlife scientist with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, said during the group’s December meeting that part of the uptick is from boosting juvenile fish survival rates.
“It’s still a really hard journey to move downstream as a baby fish, but it is slightly maybe less dangerous than it was in 1986. Lots of work to be done,” Self said.
At least 77% of young fish died before making it to the ocean in 1986. Now, Self said it’s at about 50% due to safer dam infrastructure and sometimes trucking them downstream.
The council, which is made up of states, tribes and federal partners, now wants to focus on increasing salmon and steelhead numbers making their way further upstream – including into Idaho.
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