The recovery of Idaho's anadromous fish is one of the most difficult issues facing Idaho and the Northwest. The salmon seem to defy every attempt at easy solutions. As Governor, I will continue the work I started in the Senate to restore these magnificent species. No reasonable suggestion to recover the salmon should be ignored.
Dams are one cause in the decline of the salmon.
However, they are not the sole cause of the decline of the salmon. The fish were already in desperate trouble when the Lower Snake River dams were built. Heavy predation on salmon smolts and adults can be found everywhere. The salmon will be restored to sustainable levels only by addressing each portion of their habitat during each phase of their life cycle. Any plan to recover the salmon must be adaptive and flexible enough to respond to changing conditions.