Salmon somehow reach our spirit and our imagination. They practically symbolize the Northwest. But it's the economics of salmon that may destroy those dams, and probably many more. The dams restrict the movement of freshwater fish, salamanders, frogs, and aquatic insects. Maybe complaints about the diminished sturgeon habitat get some press, but the salmon is the king of these rivers.
Dams kill salmon.
The Northwest Power Planning Council estimates ten to thirty percent mortality for salmon smolts at every dam they pass. One third of the region's wild salmon originate in the waters above Lewiston. They need to negotiate at least eight dams to tidewater. Each season, more than ninety percent will die as a result of the dams. The Native tribes of the Columbia region are aware of these facts.