About CFPFD
Read more about our mission, who we are, and what you can do to help.
Education
Learn more information about the preservation of fish and dams, from barging and transportation to dam statistics.
Resources
See our collection of white papers, graphs, and videos.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide education and factual information regarding the preservation of fish and dams.
We are dedicated to raising awareness and understanding, not only about the four lower Snake River Dams but also the broader context of river ecosystems and their inhabitants.
Helpful Links
Dams
Along with the three Columbia River dams in Portland District, the five Walla Walla District dams provide a safe passage for juvenile salmon to reach the ocean and for returning adults to reach their spawning grounds that is critical to the survival of the species. When the dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers in the Walla Walla District were installed in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s, the importance of fish passage was well understood and all of the lower Snake River and lower Columbia River dams were built with upstream fish passage structures.
Fish Counting
The numbers depicted on the graph were taken from 83 years of fish counts at Bonneville Dam. From 2001/2015, over 25 years after the last Snake River Dam was finished, 8.2 million fish crossed the dam. That's over a 300% increase from previous years. This increase in fish numbers was due to better ocean conditions and improved barging and hatchery capabilities.
Juvenile Fish Transport
The US Army Corps of Engineers has been transporting ESA-listed juvenile fish collected at the Snake River dams via barge or truck since 1977. The current fleet includes eight barges and five specially made transport trucks & trailers. The juvenile fish are released below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.
