NSIA Joins Letter to House Oversight Committee Urging Action – Not Divisiveness – on Columbia Basin Salmon

On September 13th, the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association joined 31 other fishing and conservation organizations to call on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations to put aside partisan politics and misinformation to take much-needed action to save Columbia-Snake Basin salmon and the hundreds of Northwest communities that depend on healthy salmon and rivers. 

The Columbia River Basin, and in particular the Snake River, was once one of the most productive river systems in the world for salmon. Today, all remaining salmon on the Snake River face extinction, and the four dams on the Lower Snake River are a leading cause of their decline. Study after study indicates that removing these dams – and replacing their services –  is the most effective single step towards restoring these populations – though of course additional actions will be needed to restore habitat and compensate for the impacts of climate change. 

We need a durable path forward to salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest that ensures a clean energy future, supports local and regional economies, and restores ecosystem function. Focusing on facts and solutions over fear and division will propel us toward a comprehensive and durable solution that restores abundant and healthy salmon populations while replacing the services currently provided by the four Lower Snake River dams.