The Great Pacific Northwest Salmon Conundrum

Dr. Robert T. Lackey, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University, analyzes the failure of Pacific Northwest salmon recovery efforts.   Billions have been spent in so-far failed attempts to reverse the decline.  The annual expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars continues, but a sustainable future for wild salmon in this region remains elusive.  Despite documented public support for restoring wild salmon, the long-term prognosis for a sustainable future appears problematic.  Still, an effective, politically viable approach has yet to emerge that will actually restore and sustain most runs of wild salmon in the region.  For wild salmon, restoration options exist that offer both ecological viability and appreciably lower social disruption, but these options also tend to have more modest restoration objectives.