Human technology has been able to sustain animal species throughout history through managed farming, and the fish hatchery system is well capable of providing the ongoing sustainability of salmon, as noted in a previous post.
Expending additional money on waterways to increase the salmon runs while a major flood risk still has not been addressed is foolish public policy and one hopes that public leadership realizes that.
Sacramento is still the most at-risk for a major flood of any large river city in the country.
This Bee article looks at salmon restoration.
An excerpt.
“The American River once hosted thousands of steelhead migrating upstream from the ocean in three separate runs. Today it's down to just two runs of a few hundred fish.
“The Sacramento was the only river in western North America with four salmon runs. They numbered in the millions – so numerous that American Indians and settlers could catch a salmon dinner with their bare hands. Now one run is gone, and two are endangered. The fourth could join them soon.
“Restoring a fragment of that spectacle to the Central Valley is the goal of rules proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The service wants, among other things, restoration of winter- and spring-run salmon above Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River, and steelhead above Folsom Dam on the American River.
“Combined, the fish transit order is considered the biggest of its kind in U.S. history.
“Making it happen presents huge financial and engineering challenges. Costs could exceed $1 billion at a minimum – more than 10 times the original construction cost of both dams.”
