(The Columbian) At the bottom of a compact, lush gorge, a handful of researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey waved electronic wands through the waters of Buck Creek, a tributary of the White Salmon River, and netted as many juvenile fish as they could find. The work is part of a larger study of juvenile fish production in the White Salmon River since the removal of Condit Dam in 2011.
The Condit Dam removal was a $37 million project. To make a small investment to figure out what’s coming back is the common-sense thing to do.” -Margaret Neuman, Executive Director, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group
The study is the first of its kind and supported by a grant from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Unlike the Elwah Dam removal on the Olympic Peninsula, there wasn’t funding set aside to address fish monitoring after the Condit Dam was removed, Neuman said….