DON’T GIVE UP FISH FOR PENNIES
Dear
HCN,
In my 40-odd years of fishing for trout,
steelhead and salmon, I have always had reason to smile, even on
bad days. But this year, Idaho fishermen have nothing to be happy
about. We have been sold out for $1.23 per
year.
The National Marine Fisheries Service
newest plan cowers to the false claim that we must choose between
people or fish, and sets a course to finish Idaho’s steelhead and
salmon.
The plan relies mainly on mother nature
and the largesse of Idaho’s water users to compensate for the
massive damage done by the four federal hydropower dams in
Washington state.
It fiddles a bit with
hydropower projects on the Columbia, but ignores the federal dams
and the transport barges on the Lower Snake that are so deadly for
Idaho’s fish. The impact of the federal dams below Lewiston is so
severe that Idaho fishermen might as well blow the money set aside
for Steelhead tags on bubble gum.
Those four dams
– Lower Granite, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Ice Harbor –
produce only $1.23 per year worth of electricity for the average
Idaho Power residential customer. That’s 1/500th of the juice used
by 70 percent of Idaho’s population! And only 1.3 percent of
Washington Water Power’s juice, 0.35 percent of Utah Power’s, and
12.5 percent of BPA’s.
Why is our congressional
delegation, led by Sen. Larry Craig, allowing the feds to do this
to Idaho? Gov. Batt is an intelligent, honorable man, but he is
apparently hearing only from downstream lobbyists. I am angry, and
sad. This year is the last great outmigration of young salmon and
steelhead from Idaho to the Pacific, and it’s a dark time for
fishermen.
It’s a good time to speak out. I am
mailing my $1.23 today in an envelope to join
me.
Tom Stuart
Boise,
Idaho
The writer is a Stanley,
Idaho, businessman and a member of several environmental groups,
including Idaho Rivers United.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Don’t give up fish for pennies.
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