Letter: Fisherman kill more salmon than dams
It is nice to hear from a chief scientist of whale research (“Snake River dams have decimated salmon productivity,” TCH, Dec. 25). He knows whales, but does he know anything about dams? The editorial beside his had honest figures that salmon are growing in numbers. What is the gorilla that nobody is talking about? How to increase fish? How do fisherman and Indians affect salmon?
On the White River near Mud Mountain dam, the Indians have a fish trap across the river from the Corps of Engineers trap that moves them above the dam. Several employees see a cat food company come with a truck to collect the pink salmon from the tribe. They do good work with the desirable salmon.
In this area, I have heard stories of how natives put nets in the river by sinking everything so nothing is on the surface, and how they sell fish. I have seen the maze of nets on the river and am amazed how anything can get to McNary Dam. Not saying anything is illegal.
The bottom line to improve numbers is to adjust the thing that kills the most salmon. The facts show that dams kill very few fish compared to fishermen, or the native fisherman.
Walter Hammermeister, Hermiston
This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 3:58 AM with the headline "Letter: Fisherman kill more salmon than dams."