Before european settlers arrived, tens of millions of salmon migrated up the Columbia each year. Settlers used fish wheels, gill nets, and horse-drawn seines to harvest millions of fish annually. Canneries sprang up to package what probably seemed like an inexhaustable resource. Overfishing caused the runs to begin a long decline by the 1920s. Today, a few rotted pilings are the only momentos of the commercial fishing industry in the Gorge.
Salmon faced other challenges. Dambuilding blocked access to spawning grounds for some runs and disrupted migration patterns for others. Logging and road construction degraded habitat. Today, natural predators taking advantage of unnatural conditions in the river are exacting a further toll on the runs. Tomorrow's challenges for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River may come from invasive species and climate change.
Credit should be given to Native Americans, fisheries biologists, conservation groups, and sportfishing organizations who are all working to save and rebuild the Columbia River salmon runs.
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