By Joseph Bogaard
Special to The Seattle Times
April 2, 2026

Many runs of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead — critical to our economy, culture, environment and way of life — are on the brink of extinction today. Thankfully, a federal judge in Portland just threw them a lifeline, ordering the federal agencies that manage eight dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers to spill more water over the top of those dams to help out-migrating fish get past their lethal turbines.

The court clearly recognized what’s at stake. The judge said in his 47-page decision that salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia Basin have “dwindled to near extinction levels.”

This is no small matter. Wild salmon and steelhead, he wrote, are “one of the foundational symbols of the West, a critical recreational, cultural, and economic driver for Western states, and the beating heart and guaranteed resource protected by treaties with several Native American tribes.”

The decision, handed down Feb. 25, marks a victory for salmon. It’s also a victory for those whose livelihoods are connected to salmon; for tribes who have fought for decades to restore salmon; for endangered resident orca whales that depend on healthy salmon runs; and for all of us who care about our region’s health, vibrancy and future.

Many of us applaud the tribes, the states of Washington and Oregon, and the nongovernmental organizations and their lawyers at Earthjustice who secured these emergency measures.

But let’s be clear: They did so out of necessity.

After years of trying to get federal dam operators to comply with the law (and winning repeatedly in federal court), the tribes, states, and conservation and fishing NGOs agreed to halt long-running litigation in exchange for a far-reaching collaborative agreement to enhance fish habitat and develop clean energy projects. Unfortunately, the Trump administration torpedoed the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement last June, leaving court-ordered emergency measures as the only near-term option to protect these salmon and steelhead stocks from further declines.

Even with this ruling, the effort to recover Columbia Basin salmon populations and the habitat they need to survive is far from complete. Science clearly shows that the only way we can return wild fish to healthy and abundant levels is if we restore the lower Snake River — the largest tributary to the Columbia River — and make other long-term changes to hydro operations. Numerous studies have identified the federal dams and their warm-water reservoirs as the single greatest source of human-caused mortality for these endangered populations.

In an effort to maintain the status quo, defendants in the case — federal agencies, industrial river users and utility companies — raised the bogeyman of higher energy bills for ratepayers if the court ordered higher spill levels. The Bonneville Power Administration, the region’s largest energy supplier, echoed this alarmist rhetoric, claiming the court order will cost it $140 million annually, even though BPA Administrator John Hairston told Congress last year that similar operations would save ratepayers $1 million annually.

In last month’s ruling, the judge called out the defendants’ “disappointing history of avoidance and manipulation instead of sincere efforts at solving the problem and genuinely remediating the harm.” BPA’s rhetoric is more of the same.

In truth, the court’s ruling mandates dam operations nearly identical to ones implemented in 2024 and 2025. Despite BPA claims, these did not diminish reliability or raise rates. Importantly, the court’s recent order also includes offramps — as it did in the past — that allow BPA to modify operations should a risk to power system reliability arise.

Some customers may face higher energy costs due to BPA’s actions — but let’s be clear: It’s not due to increased spill. Energy experts agree that it’s largely tied to BPA’s ill-considered decision to join an Arkansas-based energy trading market. The move is currently scheduled for October 2028 and could increase regional power costs by as much as $221 million annually, according to BPA’s own analysis. As a result, five Northwest groups have filed a legal challenge to BPA’s market choice, arguing it violates federal law.

A smart energy plan is central to our region’s future. And salmon are at the heart of our special way of life. In this critical moment for both salmon and energy, the recent court decision gives our region another opportunity to work together on comprehensive solutions — policies that can safeguard salmon, bolster orcas, uphold tribal treaty rights and develop a more sustainable energy system.

We urge our policymakers and Northwest people to meet this moment. A judge’s ruling has opened the door. It’s imperative we now step through it and work on lasting solutions for salmon, tribes and our communities.

Joseph Bogaard is the executive director of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition in Seattle.

Seattle Times Guest Opinion: Ruling on Columbia, Snake dams was a lifeline for salmon