This is a big month for wild salmon advocates. On Sunday, May 1 at 8 PM Eastern, PBS will air a Nature special, , that offers a terrific broad-strokes history of the collapse of the fish in the once-prolific Columbia River basin. A more detailed look at that collapse, due primarily to four dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington, can be found in Steven Hawleys new book, (Beacon Press, $27). Of course, the event that salmon junkies are most keenly anticipating isnt a TV special or a book's publication. On May 9, enviro advocates will take on the Obama administrations plan for salmon recoverywhich doesnt include dam removalin federal court.
Earlier this week , writer and producer of Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, about dams, Obamas much-discussed salmon joke in the State of the Union Address, the administrations commitment to hydropower, and what it will take to save a fish thats become an object of so much contention. was at times fiery, at times wonky, and very informativeat least for me. These guys know their fish facts. Did you know were dumping more than 200 million hatchery-raised salmonwhat Norton calls techno-industrial fishinto the Columbia every year? Or that less than one-half of one percent those fish return? Norton, who works as a river guide when hes not writing or making films (you can read about him steering Patrick Symmes down the Yangtze in this classic 窪蹋勛圖厙 story) was optimistic, saying that were not going back to the era of dams and manipulation, and predicting that well effect one of the greatest environmental restoration projects available in the modern era within 50 years. Hawley warned that it might be too late for wild salmon if by 2025, if were not getting serious about dam removal.
Listen to our conversation in this .
airs Sunday, May 1 at 8 PM eastern on PBS; was recently published by Beacon Press.
Abe Streep