BOISE, Idaho -- Closed fisheries from imperiled fish runs in the Columbia River Basin are prompting calls for action before it's too late.

Steelhead trout numbers in the Columbia and its tributaries could be the lowest since records began in the 1930s. On the Columbia, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued an emergency closure on salmon fishing up to the Bonneville Dam.

Brian Brooks, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, said low salmon and steelhead numbers present an existential crisis for people in the industry.

"Idaho guides and outfitters, if they want to stay in the fishing industry, they have to leave their home," Brooks observed. "They have to go out of Idaho to stay in the industry, and if they don't want to leave their home, then they have to leave the industry."

Brooks applauded Republican Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson for his $33 billion proposal to save endangered species, which includes removing the lower Snake River dams. Other leaders in the region have supported habitat improvements in Congress's infrastructure package, but have not moved to include Simpson's proposal in the package.

Marcia Brownlee, program manager of the Artemis Sportswomen initiative for the National Wildlife Federation, said the region has taken half-measures to save endangered fish for too long.

"We need to do everything in our power to make sure emergency closures do not become permanent closures," Brownlee urged. "And what we've seen this summer has really illustrated that what we're doing now isn't enough. We need to do more."

Brownlee recommended the first step should be removing four lower Snake River dams in southeast Washington.

Earlier in the year, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., praised spring Chinook salmon runs on the Snake River, which were higher than in 2019 and 2020. The members of Congress said it was proof dams and salmon can co-exist.

BANGOR, Maine -- Efforts are under way to restore Atlantic salmon populations in the Gulf of Maine, by removing dams, replacing culverts and restoring streams.

Salmon are what are known as sea-run fish, meaning they live part of their lives in fresh water and part in the ocean.

John Catena, Northeast and Great Lakes region supervisor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, said dams across the region have blocked Atlantic salmon's migration paths from the ocean to the river to spawn.

This year, four local Maine projects are receiving $900,000 in funding from NOAA.

"These kinds of activities are meant to recover them such that we can actually have a sustainable population over time," Catena explained. "This is an iconic species that was important to Native Americans to sport fishermen, and to any number of other groups throughout the region."

Catena noted Atlantic salmon are endangered, with roughly 1,000 in the Gulf of Maine, where there used to be more than 100,000. He added these kinds of projects also benefit species similar to Atlantic salmon, including river herring and American shad, which also have low populations.

Catena pointed out dam-removal projects have implications beyond removing blockages to fish migration, and many present liability issues for local communities.

"They continue to cause other problems," Catena outlined. "They can degrade water quality, increase the water temperatures, exacerbate local flooding. And so these are oftentimes left to dam owners that don't have the means to deal with them."

Catena emphasized federal infrastructure funding also may help improve thousands of dams and culverts throughout Maine. Many are old and degrading former mill structures. A $1 trillion infrastructure bill is in the works in Congress, passed by the Senate and now being debated in the House of Representatives.

BOISE, Idaho -- Rallies are taking place across the Northwest to support salmon, which face dire conditions in the Columbia River Basin.

Saturday, the Rally for the River is calling for action from Congress to save endangered fish species in the region, including removing four lower Snake River dams that impede salmon migration and heat up the river.

Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, said his group recently captured video of the sockeye salmon struggling in the warm waters of the Columbia.

"The heartbreaking video of the sockeye covered in lesions and fungus should sound an alarm," VandenHeuvel asserted. "We need action now from the Northwest delegation."

Water temperatures above 68 degrees can be lethal for salmon, and the Columbia has already been above 70 degrees this year. VandenHeuvel pointed out high temperatures stress salmon metabolism and leave them more susceptible to predation and disease.

He predicted the situation will only get worse unless leaders act to remove the Snake River dams.

Betsy Emery, advocacy and campaign manager for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, said anglers contribute $5 billion per year to the Pacific Northwest's economy, but she fears salmon in the basin are at a tipping point.

"A lot of us who spend time on the river and spend time thinking about these fisheries are really nervous," Emery remarked. "Could this be that catastrophic event that starts pushing some of these runs that we love so much, from a fishing perspective, into a space where they might not be strong enough to fish?"

VandenHeuvel added people are becoming inspired to take action.

"More and more people are getting involved and recognizing how serious and urgent this issue is," VandenHeuvel contended. "For salmon, for the orcas that depend on them, for the people of the Pacific Northwest."

Rallies are planned for Boise, Corvallis, Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Spokane on Saturday.

PORTLAND, Ore. - There are signs this summer could be a bad one for the native salmon of the Northwest.

Already, drought has gripped the region, causing low river flows that could be hard for fish to navigate or spawn in. That's bad news for species already teetering on extinction, especially in the Columbia River Basin.

Betsy Emery, advocacy and campaign manager for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, said a study this year from the Nez Perce Tribe predicted 77% of Snake River Chinook salmon will be nearly extinct in four years if current trends hold.

"Our salmon runs cannot afford one catastrophic event that can really devastate the potential for salmon recovery," she said, "and so far, we're seeing a lot of red flags that indicate we could see a catastrophic event like that this summer."

More than 70% of Oregon is experiencing drought considered "severe" or worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said March and April were among the driest since the 1890s, with many streams at 25% of their typical flow for this time of year.

Emery said wildfire is another concern, which can cause poor water stream quality. While wildfires have the potential to improve quality in the long run, Emery said the endangered fish might not have that much time. She noted that humans can't improve habitat for salmon overnight - and have little control over drought or changing ocean patterns because of climate change.

"The only thing that we have immediate action and control over is the function and existence of the lower Snake River dams," she said. "There's significant science that connects those dams to hot water and devastating mortality for the salmon that are swimming through."

She said the dams are especially harmful for the juvenile salmon that pass through them.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, proposed a plan for the region that included breaching the Snake River dams, but elected leaders in Oregon and Washington have sidelined it. However, Emery said they've kept dam breaching on the table. She added that what's important right now is that leaders identify a clear pathway to salmon recovery.

"The clock is ticking. We do not have time for some sort of lengthy process," she said. "We need an aggressive timeline that provides funding for the bold actions that we need to take."