G.A.O. report...Salmon recovery in peril?

[Mojo]

This report may not bode well for future funding....

Feds spend billions on Columbia Basin salmon recovery
08/28/2002

Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Federal agencies have spent more than $3.3 billion in the past two decades to help Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead runs recover - with little conclusive success, the General Accounting Office says.

The report released Monday by the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, raised concerns about the effectiveness of federal spending on recovery efforts and suggested better coordination among agencies was needed.

"Although these actions are generally viewed as resulting in higher numbers of returning adult salmon and steelhead, there is little conclusive evidence to quantify the extent of their effects on returning fish populations," the report said.

The report said nearly half the money was spent in the last five years, most of it by four federal agencies, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which spent $590 million. Most of that money was used to improve the passage of juvenile fish at Columbia Basin dams with elaborate screens and bypass systems, the report said.

The U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service each spent about $100 million on habitat improvements and hatcheries, while the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spent about $62 million, primarily on water and habitat acquisition, the report said.

A taxpayers group called the GAO report alarming.

"There is really no evidence that this massive federal investment has been effective at all," said Autumn Hanna, policy analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog organization. "We are sending billions of dollars down the river with no clear results and no accountability for how these agencies spend our money."

A total of 11 federal agencies, led by the National Marine Fisheries Service, work on Columbia Basin salmon recovery, the report said. Several agencies reported weaknesses in the federal effort, including lack of a unified strategy and funding plan. Better coordination is needed, the report said.
But the GAO may have missed some important issues, said Wendell Wood of the Oregon Natural Resources Council, a conservation group that supports salmon recovery efforts.

"How much is an individual salmon worth? We can ask that question both economically and philosophically," Wood said. "In dealing with the Klamath Basin we want real recovery, not money spent on spinning wheels."

While no species has fully recovered since the federal effort began two decades ago, none has become extinct either, Wood said.

[ 08-29-2002, 07:57 AM: Message edited by: Mojo ]

[Wild Chrome]

Band-Aids don't fix broken bones.

[Mojo]

I agree.

I wonder how much money we spend annually keeping those lower Snake Dams standing. I'v heard maintenance is over 500 Million annually. Add that to the Recovery pot and it gets spendy. I guess we as a nation need to decide if it is that important to have fish.

I vote yes!

[rob allen]

3 great posts in a row imagine that.. I agree wholeheartedly... Also where is all this new BLM land located??

[Pete]

To try to put a positive spin on it, perhaps the report says that barging and failing to properly manage the flow for fish are too expensive. Perhaps the proper cost effective thing to do is manage the river for fish.