Opinion on 'fish barrier removal' projects

I believe that the particular “fish barrier removal” project occurring just east of the Thurston-Mason county line on Highway 101 is a misguided project, and I will attempt to outline the reasons for this belief.

If one takes a close look at the stream in question, it is extremely unlikely that any salmon will ever visit this tiny stream, let alone attempt to spawn in it. I would be very surprised if any qualified fish biologist could identify any stretch of this “stream” that would qualify as a spawning ground for any fish in the state, let alone the likely candidates to benefit from such actions, like salmon. So, the obvious question becomes: Who identified this project as necessary for the amount of money being spent? The money allocated for two such projects, of which this is the major one, is over $51 million.

My understanding may be misguided, but I recall the reason for such projects was to benefit salmon runs by opening more spawning habitat. If that is the intent, and the expected result of these projects, then why isn’t the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) making adjustments to their salmon run estimates that reflect this increased spawning habitat after such projects are completed? For example, in the huge construction project just west of McCleary on Highway 8 where two large culverts (fish-friendly passageways) were installed, there was apparently no change to spawning habitat numbers which would have raised escapement numbers for salmon in the Chehalis watershed. So another obvious question becomes: if there is no impact on salmon production from such projects, where is the accountability? If this is indeed taxpayer money, shouldn’t there be some analysis that shows how many salmon the taxpayers are getting for this fifty million dollar expenditure?

The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and not necessarily those of  The JOLT's staff or board of directors.  Got something to say about a topic of interest to Thurston County residents? Send it to us and we’ll most likely publish it. See the Contribute your news button at the top of every page.