"But back in the day we dredged all the time and we had tons of fish then, too!" -Many PeopleYup. It makes no sense. I agree.
"But back in the day we dredged all the time and we had tons of fish then, too!" -Many PeopleYup. It makes no sense. I agree.
This is an enormous missed point on dams. What is going downstream (fry of resident fish, logs, gravel, etc...) is just as important to fish as access for returning anadramous spawners.Another aspect of the fish passage issue that is rarely discussed is the downstream passage of resident/fluvial salmonids juveniles on a one-way trip over an anadromous barrier. The life history behaviors of bull trout demand that some juveniles looking for rearing opportunities would migrate downstream. The same is true with the resident rainbows that likely would produce some steelhead. Those steelhead as are the case on the Elwha would be summer steelhead. Those fish would represent both genetic diversity as well as a reservoir (no pun intended) population that would serve as a donor population if there was a major population issue (for example Glacier Peak having a major eruption). Just an example of the population safety net that our native salmonid has developed over time insuring their long-term survival.
Curt