The “60 Minutes” story (aired June 22) does a disservice to residents of the Pacific Northwest and the nation by continuing to perpetuate misinformation about the status of salmon recovery for the sake of generating controversy.

The original CBS broadcast eight years ago contained inaccuracies and allegations not addressed in the second airing. More important, the story is plainly out of date given the significant progress in salmon recovery.

Citizens and elected officials alike deserve accurate and credible information about the tremendous improvements that have put Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead on a trend to recovery. Here’s the story not told:

West Coast runs are not Columbia River runs

The “60 Minutes” lead-in suggested the West Coast fishing shutdown somehow included Columbia River salmon. It does not. Unlike California stocks, runs of spring Chinook salmon returning to the Columbia are strong this year and we have successful commercial, sport and tribal fishing into Idaho.

Stronger basin fish runs

The most recent 10-year average count of fish at Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River (1998 to 2007) shows a 20-percent increase over the “one million salmon” reported by “60 Minutes” in 2000. That’s an upward trend of 200,000 fish. Sockeye salmon are showing a very strong run in the Columbia River this year with numbers higher than any time since 1955. These figures illustrate Columbia River runs are performing at a time when California stocks are severely depleted.

Dam breaching effects

Any potential benefits from breaching the lower Snake River dams would affect four of the 13 listed stocks in the Columbia River Basin. Breaching would not necessarily recover even those four listed stocks, but would have substantial economic and environmental effects.

The Lower Snake dams produce no carbon emissions and provide enough electricity to power a city about the size of Seattle. Replacing the lost power, according to a 2007 Bonneville Power Administration study, would cost $400 million to $550 million every year. The most likely replacement sources of energy would contribute 3.6 million tons of additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually – well more than the equivalent of a half a million cars.

Improved fish passage

Snake River Spring Chinook juvenile salmon in-river survival today is nearly three times higher than in the mid-to-late 1970s. Today, few fish pass through the turbines; rather, the vast majority of juvenile fish passing the dams are sent over spillways or use systems that bypass the turbines. The adult salmon migration rate and travel times through the river system are similar to levels before the Snake River dams were completed.

Regional support

Recovery of listed fish species throughout the basin depends on a broad-based cooperative approach by federal, state, tribal and other regional interests that consider all phases of the salmon life-cycle. This spring, the federal agencies, a number of tribes and two Northwest states working on salmon recovery signed unprecedented 10-year agreements that include many new actions and funding certainty for fish recovery in the region. In contrast to eight years ago, the Northwest can be proud of these multi-year, multiparty accords that put the focus on recovery strategies, not the courtroom.

Climate change impact

In the intervening eight years since the story first ran, scientists and citizens are increasingly aware and concerned about the effects of climate change on everything from ocean temperature and food supply to the consequences of fossil fuel pollution and habitat degradation.

Salmon recovery costs

While “60 Minutes” labels the expenditures for salmon recovery actions as “government waste,” the indisputable fact is 80 percent of the costs to rebuild salmon runs and improve fish passage past the dams are borne by the ratepayers of the Northwest, not the taxpayers. Costs for fish research, dam modifications and habitat and hatchery improvements come from residential, commercial and industrial users of electricity generated regionally.

The people of the Northwest have worked in good faith with one another for many years to rebuild salmon populations throughout the region. I’d like to think even prime-time shows, like “60 Minutes,” might respect those efforts by building a news story, even a secondhand one, on verifiable information, not inflammatory assertions.

Witt Anderson is the programs director for the Northwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.