Under the direction of CSE President Dan Botkin, a blue ribbon panel of scientists was assembled to tackle the salmon issue. What CSE found was that there is a set of common beliefs that form the background to the debate about salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Initially, CSE researchers encountered a major obstacle. Available data were inadequate to provide definitive answers to the questions posed by Oregon Senate Bill 1125. For example, statistically valid counts of salmon exist for only two of the 26 rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean in the study area.
Data sets identifying the number and locations of dams are contradictory.
These are only a few examples of the lack of reliable data available to the team. Despite the dearth of data that was statistically reliable, CSE researchers were able to reach important conclusions. In the report the panel shows how careful analyses of existing data can provide valuable insights. If there was a single major cause of salmon failure, it would be easy to improve the present situation. But, as CSE researchers discovered, the status of salmon today is the result of a complex web of factors.