ZaQ,

First, it's important to note that the vast majority of the Columbia/Snake River spring chinook run is of hatchery origin fish that were not dependent on natural spawning grounds and freshwater rearing conditions. The ESA listed native wild spring chinook faired better this year for the same two reasons as their hatchery cousins. The high spring runoff when last year's and this year's runs were migrating down the river sent most of the smolts over the spillways instead of through the turbines. That's a pretty clear indicator of the effect of the mainstem dams of juvenile salmon. Second, ocean conditions improved. Cooler water sent the salmon predators like mackerel back south, the cool water increased ocean upwelling that increased the food supply for salmon, so those smolts that made it to the ocean experienced unusually high survival rates. It won't happen every year, but sending more smolts to the ocean was sure a good start. Sad to say, most of this spring's smolts will migrate through the sushi turbines of the dams.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.