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A sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho. (Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon / iLCP)

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save wild salmon.

The Pacific Northwest was once home to one of the greatest salmon runs in the world: The Columbia / Snake river system.

But all remaining Snake River salmon are facing extinction because four aging dams stand in their way to reaching their pristine, natal cold water streams in central Idaho and beyond.

Scientists say taking out the dams and restoring the river is the single best thing we can do to save the salmon. Federal agencies are asking to hear from you.

A sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Redfish Lake, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho. (Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon / iLCP)

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save wild salmon.

The Pacific Northwest was once home to one of the greatest salmon runs in the world: The Columbia / Snake river system.

But all remaining Snake River salmon are facing extinction because four aging dams in Washington stand in their way to reaching their pristine, natal cold water streams in central Idaho and beyond.

Scientists say taking out the dams is the single best thing we can do to save the salmon. Federal agencies are now asking to hear from you.

Why this fight is important:
In This Video:
Steve Petitt Retired fisheries biologist; flyfisherman who remembers the river before it was dammed
Julian Matthews Board Member, Nimiipuu Protecting The Environment
Todd True Managing Attorney, Earthjustice
Children of the Nez Perce tribe
Elliott Moffett Nez Perce tribal member;
President, Nimiipuu Protecting The Environment
Rebecca Miles Nez Perce tribal member
Bryan Jones Farmer; his family has farmed their land since 1868
Issue Guide & Resources
The Basics The Columbia/Snake River Dams & Wild Salmon
What You Should Know For Orcas and Salmon, This Dam Plan Is a Disaster
What You Should Know Why Restoration of The Lower Snake River is Necessary to Save Wild Salmon
Feature Story The Long and Winding Swim
From The Frontlines With Shipping on the Decline, Opportunity Rises to Save Salmon
On the Court-ordered NEPA EIS Analysis Selected Official Public Comments From Federal Agencies, Tribes, States, and Nonprofit Organizations
Op-Ed: The New York Times Editorial Board: The Salmon’s Swim for Survival
Op-Ed: Idaho Statesman Editorial Board: Future of Idaho’s Wild Salmon Can’t Be Sacrificed For Any Other Interest
Opinion: The Spokesman-Review We Can Restore Salmon And Have Carbon-free Energy
Media Resources Legal Documents News Releases Previous Case Updates Photos CRSO Project Website
A serpentine tributary of the Snake River in Idaho.
A serpentine tributary of the Snake River waits for the salmon. All Photos © Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon / iLCP
A serpentine tributary of the Snake River in Idaho.
A serpentine tributary of the Snake River. The four Lower Snake River dams impede the migration of adult salmon attempting to return to the thousands of stream miles of clean, cold high elevation tributaries. All Photos © Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon / iLCP
“Wild salmon are the lifeblood of Pacific Northwest rivers. Letting them disappear would be far more than an environmental tragedy. It would be a human and spiritual disaster.”
– Todd TrueManaging Attorney, Northwest Office, Earthjustice
More on Salmon

Agencies’ Draft Columbia Hydro Plan Fails its Mandate to Recover Endangered Salmon

New Analysis Builds Economic Case For Removing Snake River Dams

Bring back our rivers, and we bring back our salmon

Test Your Knowledge: The Salmon Quiz
Why do wild salmon swim to the ocean?
A For the dining opportunities
B Need strenuous activity to mature
C To select their mate
While it may seem that salmons' lives would be much easier if they just stayed put after being born (rather than journeying all the way out to the ocean and then all the way back again), heading to the open waters has some significant advantages. Namely, the food. There's a lot more of it out there.

In the ocean, salmon can find and consume larger quantities of prey (including shrimp, squid, eels—and other fish) than would be available to them in their natal stream. This allows them to grow bigger, faster, and, for the females, to produce more eggs.

Bonus fact: Much like the tour guides at the White House, salmon navigate most of their downstream journey backwards: tail-first.
More on salmon at Running on Empty