January 15, 2014

From the desk of Gilly Lyons

On January 7, a dozen fisheries biologists sent a letter to the Obamaadministration, expressing serious concerns with the scientific content of NOAA Fisheries' draft plan for endangered Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead.

Among the concerns detailed in the letter: the draft plan doesn¹t use the best available science; it relies too heavily on speculative habitat measures with uncertain survival benefits; and it rolls back crucial in-river protections such as spill while dismissing new data that says spilling more water for
salmon could dramatically improve overall survival.

The scientists urge the federal government to strengthen and improve its final salmon plan, which is expected to be released on Jan. 17.

Read the scientists' letter to the Obama administration here.