OPB
September 28, 2012

Federal agencies Friday delivered a mixed report card on their efforts to recover endangered salmon in the Columbia River.

The report was submitted to federal judge Michael Simon in Portland. He is overseeing the legal case involving salmon and dams along the Columbia. The Bonneville Power Administration says this year’s report shows some improvement in returning adult salmon and steelhead numbers. In 2011, 1.5 million adult migrating fish passed the Bonneville Dam. That’s the fourth highest number since 1938.

Part of that improvement was due to more spill as ordered by Judge James Redden, who stepped away from the case last year.

The report also indicates that more work needs to be done to address predators. Birds, sea lions and pikeminnow remain problems for salmon.

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