RUNNING THE GAUNTLET.... "must see" vid

[fishNphysician]

http://video.pbs.org/video/1891112523

[c6 batmobile]

That was pretty good. Its amazing what just removing a **** can do for the salmon. They bounce back pretty good they just need a little help from us getting their obstacles removed.

[bkmail]

Good video, thanks for posting.
BK

[c6 batmobile]

just for reference the word in my post was d a m s. nothing dirty. dont know why it blocked it.

[Bushwhack Jack]

Yeah, I watched it on Sunday on PBS. Nature always has great shows. It is hard to believe that the government is actually having to pay a bounty to fishermen to catch pike minnows in order to prevent salmon fry from getting eaten. It is even harder to believe that the government is actually shipping the salmon fry on barges downriver to the ocean because the salmon can't do it themselves due to the hydroelectric dams. Maybe Alaskans will be smart and learn from the mistakes of others. Pretty pathetic.

[fishNphysician]

Maybe Alaskans will be smart and learn from the mistakes of others. Pretty pathetic.

Precisely why I posted it here.

The industrial worldview in the PNW royally f'd up the greatest salmon superhighway the world has ever seen.

Don't think it can't happen in AK.

A mine here, a dam there, a little in-stream re-routing... what could it possibly hurt? Besides, we can just fix it all with a hatchery, right?

That's exactly what the kingdom of industrial resource extractors would like Joe Q Public to believe.

Don't buy into the insanity!

History is speaking loud and clear.... we just need to listen.

[Gerberman]

I think the worst problem with Columbia Basin Salmon is the Turns and Cormorants at the mouth of the Columbia, Millions of smolt are destroyed every year by these predators, These birds are not native in these number at this location, and I think they should be eliminated from the area. Remove the manmade islands and let the fish have a chance to make it to the ocean. The fish and game barge the lunch to the birds, what a waste, the more smolts barged, the more birds are hatched. Put a few raccoons on each island during nesting season, then trap the rest and get rid of them. Do not try to relocate them, what a pipe dream, they will still eat the smolts. The ODFW thinks that building an Island in Fern Ridge reservoir near Eugene will solve the problem, The dinner table is in the Columbia, and the birds will not leave just because ODFW thinks they can make a better island. Yes the dams contribute to the demise of the salmon, but the birds are doing the most damage. I agree when will Alaska get struck by the dollar bill, forget the fish, and collect the dollars. The same thing could happen in Alaska with the Pike if they are not stopped.

[fishNphysician]

Funny you mention about relocating the birds.

The alternative plan to making them another nesting site further removed from the CR estuary was to relocate the Caspian terns to Willapa Bay and/or Grays Harbor.

Now thems fightin' words right there! NIMBY dammit!

We've got a handful of 'em that show up every spring/summer as it is. I dread the day an actual Caspian tern colony takes hold in Grays Harbor.

As for the cormorants... it's already too late. Dirty bass turds already found us. Giant flocks of several thousand birds apiece are a common sight passing overhead these days.

[tcman]

As for the cormorants... it's already too late. Dirty bass turds already found us. Giant flocks of several thousand birds apiece are a common sight passing overhead these days.

The walleye population in Leech Lake Minnesota was nearly devasted by cormorants. The DNR allowed the killing of these birds and the walleye population has rebounded nicely. Also in Minnesota, bait dealers that have rearing ponds for their minnows are allowed to kill cormorants at will. You're right Doc, dirty bass turds.

[Gerberman]

I think they need to be removed not relocated. Transfer the birds and the problem goes with them. Again the Pike in Alaska are the unseen future problem. Need to get rid of them not catch and release.

[kgpcr]

The walleye population in Leech Lake Minnesota was nearly devasted by cormorants. The DNR allowed the killing of these birds and the walleye population has rebounded nicely. Also in Minnesota, bait dealers that have rearing ponds for their minnows are allowed to kill cormorants at will. You're right Doc, dirty bass turds.

You are spot on. they killed 93% of the cormorants and the walleye rebounded VERY nicely. I think i may have some pics on my computer of the fish they found in their guts and its no wonder the walleye crashed. As for the bird problem its very easily fixed with a shot gun

[Dr.No]

While the cormorants are a problem, I think the point that the video makes is that the damming of the rivers is really inhibiting the outflow of smolt. Main issue (that was only briefly alluded to) is that we would have to come up with alternative sources of energy, whatever they may be, to replace some of the output from those dams...

[kgpcr]

Precisely why I posted it here.

The industrial worldview in the PNW royally f'd up the greatest salmon superhighway the world has ever seen.

Don't think it can't happen in AK.

A mine here, a dam there, a little in-stream re-routing... what could it possibly hurt? Besides, we can just fix it all with a hatchery, right?

That's exactly what the kingdom of industrial resource extractors would like Joe Q Public to believe.

Don't buy into the insanity!

History is speaking loud and clear.... we just need to listen.

Doc
Those words should be written in every who loves salmons hearts. That is exactly how it happens. It happens one small peice at at time. I personaly would like to see every inch of salmon stream protected forever.

[fishNphysician]

I think the worst problem with Columbia Basin Salmon is the Turns and Cormorants at the mouth of the Columbia, Millions of smolt are destroyed every year by these predators, These birds are not native in these number at this location, and I think they should be eliminated from the area.

I think someone heard your request....

Bald eagles to the rescue!

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=364081

[wildog]

Are they thinking of a hydroelectric dam on the Big Su?