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Fish and wildlife
- Five species of Pacific salmon — pink, chum, sockeye, coho and
chinook; and two anadromous trout — steelhead and sea-run cutthroat — are
found in the Columbia River Basin.
- Salmon and steelhead have existed in the river for about 12 million years.
- By the early 20th century, spring and summer runs of Chinook salmon had been
depleted through overharvest and habitat degradation.
- Historic annual runs of salmon and steelhead were believed to have measured
between 11 and 16 million fish. Fish counting at Bonneville Dam began in 1938
when the dam was completed. In the first five years of counting, the salmon and
steelhead runs averaged 597,350 fish per year. Today, the runs number between 1
million and 1.5 million per year. This does not account for runs in Columbia
tributaries downstream of the dam.
- Columbia River Basin resident fish spend their entire life cycle in freshwater
and include warm water species such as bass and walleye, and coldwater species
such as cutthroat trout, bull trout, and kokanee. Hydropower development also
affected a diverse mix of wildlife, including song birds, deer, elk, moose,
turtles, squirrels, rabbits, and many other species. The Council’s program is
intended to mitigate the impact of hydropower on these species, as well as on
anadromous fish such as salmon and steelhead that migrate to the ocean and
return to the river to spawn.
- In 1988, the Council designated 44,000 miles of river reaches in the
basin as "protected areas" where hydroelectric development is
prohibited in order to protect fish and wildlife and their habitat.
Regional power system >
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