Trout Unlimited Chapter 678 McKenzie Upper Willamette put out some info re the state of the Sandy River (while announcing a club event). The facts speak for themselves and beg action.

Call on ODFW to restore Sandy River salmon and steelhead.

The Sandy River flows just 20 miles from downtown Portland and has the potential to be one of the healthiest suburban salmon and steelhead rivers in the world. Over the past decade $75 million has been donated towards Sandy River habitat restoration, yet the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife continues to resist any reductions in their Sandy hatchery programs. This is extremely detrimental to wild fish.

Runs of salmon and steelhead on the Sandy are currently 3-10% of their historic abundance, and continuing to decline year after year. Much of this decline can be linked to an unaccountable hatchery program. In a recent Portland Tribune article, ODFW District Biologist Todd Alsbury said that reducing the Sandy River hatchery program is a last resort.The ODFW has known for decades that hatchery fish reduce the fitness and long term abundance of wild fish, yet they have demonstrated that they are more interested in protecting their hatcheries than in protecting our wild fish. If future generations are to ever glimpse a spawning salmon, this must change.

Sandy River fall chinook, spring chinook, coho and winter steelhead are currently listed under the Endangered Species Act, and chum salmon have gone extinct.

As a supporter of Oregon’s native fish, take action here: http://tu678.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=83b81d79dfb8964f786c6133c&id=0a88b044e7&e=a57a3af76c

This is in my back yard. Ten minutes from my front door. No excuse to not be involved. I just joined the Native Fish Society.