Oregon Public Broadcasting

Three regional environmental groups released a report Thursday that says global warming is hurting salmon recovery.

Environmentalists say they hope the information will be seen by the federal judge in charge of the government's salmon plan.

The Sierra Club, Save our Wild Salmon, and the NW Energy Coalition paid for the report.

Jim Martin is the former state chief of fisheries, and the study's co-author. He says the findings support several policy changes.

One is the removal of major blockades between salmon and cold river headwaters. That includes the demolition of four Snake River Dams.

Jim Martin: “Before the four lower Snake river dams were built, Snake salmon were the strongest in the Columbia. Now they are the weakest. These wonderful headwater areas are our aces in the hole - we need to simply use them most strategically.”

Government and businesses say dam removal isn't as surefire a solution as environmentalists claim.

Federal agencies are expected to produce a critical salmon recovery plan by May 5th. That plan would regulate northwest salmon for the next decade.