The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association and our allies in the long-running court case against federal operators of the Columbia River hydropower system have filed for an emergency preliminary injunction in US District Court for Oregon asking a judge to, in part, order the spilling of water over eight dams in the Columbia Gorge and lower Snake River to help out young Endangered Species Act-listed salmon and steelhead make their way to ocean next year starting in March.

Spill – which helps keep smolts from going through whirring dam turbines – offers the safest passage and highest rate of survival for the fish. Period.

“The spiraling declines of wild Snake River salmon and steelhead strangle most all fisheries from Canada back to the Snake Basin, especially in-river sport and tribal fisheries,” said our policy director, Liz Hamilton, in a joint press release with other plaintiffs in National Wildlife Federation et al v. National Marine Fisheries Service. “The requested emergency measures will benefit the baby salmon leaving the river next year and provide hope for those whose livelihoods and culture depend on their success. These measures help keep fish in the game while we continue our work with others in the region on a comprehensive solution.”

Our early October court filing received widespread regional and national coverage, including by Portland TV news station KGW, The Oregonian, The Seattle Times, Seattle TV news station KING 5, Washington State Standard, Columbia Basin Bulletin, Northwest Sportsman Magazine, and Politico, among others.

As you may recall from last month's newsletter, we were forced to request the longterm stay on our court case be lifted after the U.S. Government unilaterally pulled out of the hard-won Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement last June, and District Court Judge Michael H. Simon subsequently agreed to unpause proceedings. Hamilton laid out our reasoning in this Oregonian op-ed.