Ag Issues team asks 'Splashing success or fish fiasco?'

"Is the reintroduction of salmon into the Upper Columbia Basin a splashing success or a fish fiasco?"

That is the question the Medical Lake High School Future Farmers of America's Agriculture Issues team is posing to businesses, state officials and others for their Forum.

According to the National FFA website, Forums are where an agricultural issues team research the pros and cons of an agricultural issue and present their findings and theories to a panel of judges. Medical Lake's FFA Agriculture Issues team will have a community forum April 11 in the Medical Lake High School auditorium for the public to attend.

During their presentation, which is limited to 15 minutes, the group discussed the history and impact the Grand Coulee Dam had on salmon in the areaafter it was built. They explained that salmon was once a center of cultural exchange between the Columbia River tribes and a mainstay of their diet. After the dam was built, the number of salmon in the Upper Columbia Basin declined and there was little to no communication between the tribes. Habitats were also depleted and other animals left the area after the dam was built.

"The natives of the Upper Columbia had to give up fishing from their lands," Camille Flores, a member of the Agriculture Issues team, said. "The result was the loss of the spiritual connection to the land and the river."

Flores added that the Grand Coulee Dam does not have fish ladders or anything to help the salmon swim upstream from the lower to the upper part of the Columbia River.

The team also presented various pros and cons of reintroducing salmon to the Upper Columbia Basin.

Those on the "pro side" said the tribes on the Upper Columbia Basin have received no mitigation for the loss of salmon and the idea of reintroducing the salmon made sense culturally and ecologically.

The "con side" argued said reintroducing salmon to Upper Columbia Basin was merely cosmetic and illogical. They explained that fish would not likely survive in the ocean's warmer waters, caused by recent weather patterns and El Nino, and make it up the Columbia River to spawn.

The pro side suggested planting the fish above the dam in cooler water to help them survive in warm summers.

"The improvement of water flow and restoring habitat could also help the salmon population like it has helped the dwindling Sockeye population," Mariah Huey said.

Both groups also discussed the economic impact the returning salmon would have on power and electrical expenses. They also examined different methods to help transport the salmon up the river such as a salmon ladder, a salmon cannon to shoot the fish over the dam, a dam bypass channel and a truck and haul method.

The team chose the topic of reintroducing salmon to the Upper Columbia Basin last April after they attended the Lake Roosevelt Forum. Part of the reason was because of the impact the loss of salmon had on local Native American tribes. They also looked at the issue because of the impact Grand Coulee Dam had on the salmon population.

"Salmon is such an impactful commodity in Washington state, especially to the tribes," Agriculture Issues team member Mollee Gray said. "(We figured) if it's that impactful there are going to be a multitude of pros and cons for this project."

Since October, the team conducted research and developed their arguments for the presentation. They placed in the top 3 in both sub-districts and districts and will attend the state convention in May. They have already presented to major companies, local governments and stakeholders for the project, and have gotten responses in favor and against the idea of reintroducing salmon into the Upper Columbia Basin.

Even after showing their presentation to various groups, the team continues to modify their presentation adding a question they didn't think of before or how they word something that "didn't make sense."

"It's constant little fixes at this point," Gray said.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.