Ecosystem in the surrounding area. Scientific data demonstrates that hydropower and salmon continue to successfully co-exist in many of our rivers. Further, carbon-free hydroelectric energy has offset countless tons of air emissions and continues to be a climate change solution.

Today, fish ladders allow for upstream passage for spawning adults at many hydropower facilities. To help juvenile salmon make their way out to the ocean, dams incorporate bypass systems, giant slides called spillway weirs, and new fish-friendly turbines. Dam operators work with fish and wildlife officials to implement predation management and different hydropower operations to give salmon the best odds of survival. These measures have helped support increasing returns.

The responsibility of providing mitigation efforts for salmon is taken seriously, and these efforts are helping recovery efforts for salmon populations that are exposed to a variety of threats. Those threats extend far beyond our rivers, as climate change and human activities have led to worsened ocean conditions.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration–or NOAA, for short–have found that sea surface temperature rise has a major negative impact on salmon mortality. In this way, the clean energy produced by hydropower and its support for intermittent renewables like wind and solar can actually benefit salmon by helping fight climate change.