Columbia basin salmon have it hard, facing several man-made barriers in their annual, arduous journey to upstream spawning grounds. This situation is one reason for their precipitous decline in numbers in modern times. Millions of dollars have been spent attempting to increase populations, including resort to culling other protected species (sea lions). Pacific Gas and Electric, the local utility company for the Portland metro, is contributing to the efforts to save salmon by improving fish passages around dams and other obstructions. The company reported record returns for the third consecutive year of coho salmon,
Oncorhynchus kisutch at their North Fork Dam on the Clackamus River since record keeping begn in 1958. The 17,000 adult coho have apparently learned a safe route through what must appear to be a bewildering maze of metal troughs and tanks. Salmon swim up a fish ladder into a trap and are sorted hands-free. Only wild salmon are allowed to proceed to their spawning grounds in the upper Clackamas basin. They are distinguishable from hatchery-raised salmon, which have their adipose fin clipped when young.
More juvenile cohos have also returned, as well as 4,770 wild chinook Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. PGE's bypass system allows fish to avoid three dams, contributing to a thriving river system where salmon and steelhead can safely breed. Favorable conditions at sea have also contributed to the resurgence seen at North Fork. Fish have grown more robust and resilient, enabling them to withstand the stress of migration, perhaps due to reduced fishing pressure during the pandemic years.
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