Clock Ticking on Salmon Litigation Affecting Upper Columbia

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Published: Wednesday, 06 July 2022 20:04

The clock is ticking on an end of July deadline to reach a stay extension on litigation challenging the Columbia River System Operations 2020 Environmental Impact Statement and Biological Opinion for salmon and steelhead.

While Snake River salmon runs garner most of the media’s attention, the Spokane Tribe of Indians and Coeur d’Alene Tribe are also parties to the litigation. They joined the case in 2021 with a focus on Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams cutting off access to salmon, steelhead and lamprey in the upper Columbia River. By blocking this access, 40% of the previously occupied anadromous habitat in the Columbia River Basin was lost.

Therefore, contends the Spokane Tribe, “… the salmon restoration effort within the Columbia River Basin will only succeed when there are healthy and harvestable populations of anadromous fish above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams.” To date, federal agencies have declined to fund tribal efforts to reintroduce salmon above Chief Joe and Grand Coulee.

In June, a federal mediator indicated an extension of the deadline is being sought while plaintiffs and defendants can continue to negotiate in good faith. Whether the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene tribes will be supportive of an extension is not known. Stay tuned.