Salmon play an enormous role in our region, both as part of indigenous culture and as a keystone species.

Their decline in Idaho, along with other fish like steelhead, pacific lamprey, and white sturgeon, is primarily caused by hydropower production, especially the four Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) that are located between the Tri-cities of Washington and Lewiston, Idaho.

Those dams are operated by the Bonneville Power Administration, a public corporation. BPA is in turn overseen by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The Council’s Fish and Wildlife Programs are amended every five years, and the most recent (2026) draft plan is up for comments. Comments are due March 2nd, 2026.

Talking Points

There are three points that we suggest you request in the final plan:

1. Elevate "spill" over dams through August 31 to help protect out-migrating salmon and steelhead
   
   Why? For migrating fish, traveling over a spillway is safer than traveling through dams (turbines) or around dams (fish passage systems).
   
   
2. Increase river flows and maintain minimum operating pool during migration
   
   Why? Reservoirs are dangerous places for fish. The closer that reservoirs resemble rivers (faster flows, shallower depth, lower temperatures) the better odds are that fish escape predation and migrate successfully.
   
   
3. Incorporate dam breaching into the Council's planning
   
   Ultimately, for Snake River salmon, steelhead, lamprey, and sturgeon, the four Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) must be removed. They are expensive, inefficient, damaging pieces of infrastructure whose benefits to people must be replaced.
   

Please submit your comment today. Taking just a few minutes to make a personalized comment helps show public support for wild salmon recovery in Idaho.

https://projects.nwcouncil.org/program/comment_form

If you would like to learn more, the following documents from longtime fish advocate (and Friends of the Clearwater supporter) Lin Laughy is extremely helpful for learning the details as well as counters to common pro-dam arguments.

This kind of analysis shows the role and effectiveness of FOC and our partners. You have a team with decades of salmon conservation experience that all of us benefit from. Please consider supporting FOC and becoming a member today.

Cost of Keeping the Lower Snake River Dams

Northwest Power Commenting Guide