Dam!

What did the fish say when he swam into the brick wall?  

Dam.

With one of my favorite jokes out of the way, lets talk about dams. We're finally starting to wake up in this country and realize that altering Mother Nature wasn't such a good idea. I'm a big believer in the movement to remove dams and return river flows to their natural state. In the Western US this movement is gaining momentum rapidly. Recent efforts on the Elwha are an excellent example, and even the once untouchable Snake River dams are now up for discussion.

But then what?

My professional colleagues will know that I'm a big believer in Systems Theory. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Every action has a reaction, and cumulative reactions can sometimes cause unplanned consequences. So, when you take out a dam, what happens next?

Human nature wants to "fix it" by intervening. In this case, that means hatchery fish. But planting with hatchery fish creates its own set of problems - it's basically inbreeding and you lose much of the fish's ability to adapt to the conditions.

The more logical alternative, in my opinion, is better management of the wild population. This is where efforts like gear restrictions, tight creel limits, and other measures begin to make sense. Give the wild fish a fighting chance and you'll see how tough Mother Nature really is.

For more on this topic, here's an excellent video from Dylan Tomine - Patagonia ambassador and legendary fisherman. It's a worthwhile watch.


-Sean-