TikToker Jessie Dickson (@sacramentofoodforest) is sounding the alarm on declining wild salmon populations in California due to dams.
Jessie posits that the inclusion of a ladder for fish is just adding to the problem.
@sacramentofoodforest Salmon populations in California are on the brink of extinction. These amazing fish swim all the way from the Pacific Ocean to to the creeks where they were born to spawn during the salmon run. But sadly dams have destroyed the spawning grounds chinook salmon need to survive. And without salmon native biodiversity will collapse. These salmon should be spawning in the wild, like they always have for millions of years. instead of being stuck on a hatchery fish ladder next to a damn. Save struggling salmon before its late. #salmon #run #water #dam #california #chinooksalmon #extinction #salmonrun #pnw #river #native #wildlife #ecology #sustainability #greenwashing #endangeredspecies #klamath #biodiversity #climateaction #waterislife #animals #wildlifeconservation #nativewildlife #environment #conservation #calltoaction ♬ Last Hope (Over Slowed + Reverb) - Steve Ralph
"This shouldn't be something we see," Jessie says from the top of it, where salmon are densely packed. "All these fishermen are going to be coming here and go, 'Bro, I don't get this s***. The EPA and these environmental scientists don't know s***. Look at all these fish. Why was salmon season canceled? Why are they endangered?' Bro, look at my face: They're f****** hatchery fish. They're not wild fish. Stop the brain rot."
When hatchery fish are released and eventually come back to their artificial spawning ground, it's likely they've mated with wild salmon, which will in turn produce offspring with maladaptive traits, KCAW reported. Hatcheries are breeding grounds for disease, and intermingling with wild salmon could spread it to an already vulnerable population, Michigan Public revealed. This is especially likely in this instance at Nimbus Dam, where both wild and hatchery fish are funneled into the same area.
Dams are a challenge since they play a positive role in generating sustainable, consistent energy to the grid, but they also produce localized ecosystem damage. Dams are only a part of the issue, however. Wild salmon are indeed seeing steep population decline, but sewage, agricultural pollution, sedimentation, chemical runoff from industries, runoff from roads, and low water levels are all contributing factors.
Rising sea temperatures are also twisting migratory patterns in ways that researchers are still assessing. Jessie points out how the decline of wild salmon population is also affecting orca populations, as confirmed by the Guardian.
Dire as the situation may be, there are solutions. Jessie looks to the Klamath River restoration project as an example of rehabilitation projects that work. It was the largest dam removal project in U.S. history and may very well be the solution for continued salmon population health. The federal government has equally conceded the damage these dams can do.
Commenters on the video widely shared the outrage.
"Keep everything natural we're going to lose it!!" says one viewer.
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Definitely 👍 "Thank you Jessie!! I'm an avid fly fisher that's traveled the world and I agree with you 1000%," chimes in another.
"This is beyond sad," laments another.
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