"There is some natural variation annually in salmon runs. But the overall declines we’ve seen with many of the runs over the decades is closely tied to how we have changed our rivers. Freshwater rivers and streams are extremely important in a salmon’s life. It’s where they spawn and where young fish feed and take shelter for the first part of their lives. As humans have altered the rivers with dams, water withdrawals for farming and other uses, pollution, etc… salmon numbers have dropped." ... See more

Northwest chinook salmon fisheries may eventually be adjusted to ensure there’s enough fish in the ocean for endangered orcas.

"The dams have dramatically altered local ecosystems and inundated communities and valuable bottomland behind the dams ... When Canadian dams are drawn down, water levels fluctuate dramatically, disrupting recreation, fish and wildlife habitat and exposing huge mud flats that can produce dust storms. The construction of Washington’s Grand Coulee Dam prior to the treaty, which Canada did not object to at the time, blocked salmon that once returned to British Columbia rivers, harming Canada’s First Nations. They want fish passage and salmon reintroduction to be considered." ... See more

The way dams and storage reservoirs on the Columbia River and its tributaries are managed could change dramatically in a short five years if negotiators from the United States and