Puget Sound Energy has taken action to improve fish passage systems, with record-breaking benefitThe utility company agreed to install a fish passage six months ago, but so far, there's no agreement to do so, and recreational anglers alike are all stunned by the historic, record-setting run of sockeye salmon on the Baker River in Skagit County. It’s a milestone moment on the Baker that nearly saw the species go extinct in the 80s and early 90s.
Not that long ago the run was in peril, in part because of Puget Sound Energy’s two hydroelectric dams on the Baker, built 100 years ago, that create carbon-free electricity for approximately 1.2 million customers in Washington state. Officials at Puget Sound Energy knew the clock was ticking and formed a team of specialists, including tribal and regulatory stakeholders, to put together an action plan.
“It aligns with our values,” said Aspelund of PSE. “This has been the right thing to do from the get-go.”The Baker River sockeye returns have dramatically increased since the dismal low of 99 fish in 1985. More than 52,000 sockeye came back in 2015, the previous record. This year 31,000 were predicted to return. But the actual number smashed the forecast with 65,000 sockeye coming back to the Baker.
“It was a real positive thing to see this big run this year and a big milestone for our people,” Schuyler said. “I never thought I would make it to the day to see that.”This year, the number of sockeye salmon that returned to the Baker River was more than double the predicted amount.The utility company agreed to install a fish passage six months ago, but so far, there's no agreement to do sothree hydroelectric dams. The project provides approximately 20% of Seattle’s electricity.
“I think it’s a big step, it’s intended to be one,” said Debra Smith in April. “This represents a piece of restorative justice here. What I see us doing here is saying ‘we understand that we have impacted you and this was your land.’ And for this country, that has such a history with Native American people, such an ugly history, I think it’s really important.”