Scientific Assessment of Two Dam Removal Alternatives on Chinook Salmon

The Secretary of the Department of the Interior is required to decide if implementation of the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA) and Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA): (1) will advance restoration of the salmonid fisheries of the Klamath Basin; and (2) is in the public interest. There are two alternative management scenarios before the Secretary of the Interior that must be addressed in the Secretarial Determination: (1) Conditions with the lower four dams on the Klamath River in place and ongoing programs under existing laws and regulation, also referred to herein as the “Current Conditions”; and, (2) Removal of the lower four dams on the Klamath River and implementation of KBRA, also referred to herein as the “Proposed Action”.

The Panel reviewed the ongoing Chinook salmon life cycle modeling efforts and concluded that this effort was off to a promising start, but with considerable work yet to be done. If sufficient high quality data are acquired, and the modeling is completed and implemented successfully, such modeling could calculate the probabilities at which the Panel chose not to estimate. The Panel offers specific comments to improve the development and implementation of the life cycle modeling