Fish News October 18, 1999

A Coho

The following weekly news summary was compiled by the Congressional Research Service from a variety of information sources.

Cleve Steward Sustainable Fisheries Foundation Tel. 425-670-3584

SALMON ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST
AQUACULTURE AND AQUARIA
- Aquarium Fire.
FRESHWATER FISHERIES

SALMON ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST

Pacific Salmon Treaty.

On Oct. 28, 1999, the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans has scheduled an oversight hearing on the Pacific Salmon Treaty. [personal communication]

CA Water Bond.

On Oct. 7, 1999, CA Governor Gray Davis approved a $1.97 billion water bond that would provide #25 million for salmon protection in coastal watersheds. [Assoc Press]

Salmon Management Evaluation.

On Oct. 6, 1999, American Rivers released two reports: 1) a salmon migration report card, concluding that federal dam managers failed to meet salmon recovery goals for water quality and water temperature in the Snake and Columbia Rivers established in NMFS's Biological Opinions ( http://www.amrivers.org/snakereportcard99.html ).

On the Snake River, spring water quantity targets were not met on 34 days, while summer targets were not met on 47 days; {{and 2) a report on Snake River dam removal and barge navigation http://www.amrivers.org/snakedam-press.html ) discussing the affordability of alternative transportation methods.}} [American Rivers press release, personal communication]

Utility Collections for Salmon.

In October 1999, Salem Electric Cooperative (OR) will become the first Northwest utility to offer customers the opportunity to make a voluntary donation for salmon habitat restoration when they pay their utility bill. Money collected will be matched by the OR Watershed Enhancement Board and deposited to a Pacific Salmon Watershed Fund to benefit spawning habitat improvement in local Salem watersheds. [Portland Oregonian]

BC Salmon Management.

On Oct. 1, 1999, officials of Canada's Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans reported that reductions in funding of BC salmon hatcheries would result in reductions of juvenile releases over the next few years of about 5% for coho salmon and 8% for chinook salmon. Officials stated that releases would not be imposed where conservation is a concern.

On Oct. 7, 1999, the chief of a Vancouver Island aboriginal band declared that the Sept. 17 Canadian Supreme Court decision relating to Maritime bands also permits him to go fishing and sell his salmon catch. Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans officials contested this interpretation. A protest fishery for pink and chum salmon was considered, {{but was canceled due to conservation concerns for coho salmon stocks. The fishery is likely to be rescheduled when the threat to coho salmon diminishes.}} [Assoc Press, Canadian Press]

Umpqua Basin Timber Sale Lawsuit.

On Sept. 30, 1999, U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein ruled that 24 OR timber sales could not proceed until the federal government ensured they would not harm fish protected under the Endangered Species Act, ordering NMFS to reassess these sales. Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund had filed this suit in January 1999. [Assoc Press]

Fraser River Sockeye.

In late September 1999. Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans managers reported possibly "tens of thousands" of Adams River sockeye dying from a presumed kidney parasite. Additional mortalities were noted at Weaver Creek. [Canadian Press]

Condit Dam.

On Sept. 22, 1999, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Gover, and Rebecca Wodder of American Rivers announced the completion of 2 years of negotiations for and signing of a voluntary agreement to remove the 125-foot high Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, WA. The dam will continue operating for 7 years to generate funds to offset dam-removal costs. PacificCorp will begin dam removal in October 2006, at an estimated cost of as much as $17.15 million. Of these costs, $1 million will go toward an enhancement fund for the White Salmon River fishery to be administered by the Yakima Nation and $500,000 will be used to enhance a traditional Indian fishing site at the mouth of the river. [Dept. of the Interior press release, American Rivers press release, Seattle Times]

Tern Predation on Salmon.

On Sept. 22, 1999, the Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC) voted to withhold $642,000 for tern research and control unless federal agencies, by November 1999, agree on a management plan to reduce tern predation on Columbia River salmon to less than 5% (from its current estimate of at least 20%). Near the mouth of the Columbia River, terns colonized Rice Island constructed by the Corps of Engineers from dredge spoil in the 1980s.

On Sept. 23, 1999, the NPPC sent NMFS a letter asking NMFS to develop a management plan to reduce the impact of Caspian terns on Columbia River juvenile salmon and steelhead. [Assoc Press, NPPC Congressional Update]

{OR Salmon Management.

On Sept. 14, 1999, an Independent Multi- disciplinary Scientific Team (IMST) appointed by the OR State Legislature to review scientific issues related to salmon restoration issued a 90-page analysis of the sufficiency of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. The IMST concluded that OR's laws are deficient in several respects, including riparian protection, cumulative impact assessment, and protection on steep slope and other high risk areas. See http://www.oregon-plan.org/reports.html .} [personal communication]

AQUACULTURE AND AQUARIA

Aquarium Fire.

On Oct. 2, 1999, fire caused about $1.4 million in damages to a warehouse leased by the Newport (KY) aquarium, killing 4 fish in quarantine before being exhibited. Cause of the fire is unknown. [Assoc Press]

FRESHWATER FISHERIES

{Round Goby.

In mid-October 1999, teams of state and federal biologists will be sampling the Illinois Waterway System to determine how far the round goby may have spread inland toward the Mississippi River drainage from the Great Lakes.} [Environment News Service]

{{Bull Trout Lawsuit.

On Oct. 14, 1999, a coalition of 4 Pacific Northwest environmental groups filed notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a delayed decision on protecting bull trout along the Pacific coast and in Puget Sound, WA.}} [Assoc Press]

{{Yellowstone Lake Trout.

On Oct. 14, 1999, National Park Service biologists released information indicating about half the invasive lake trout believed in Yellowstone Lake had been captured and removed. About 30,000 lake trout were estimated to have been in the lake in 1996, with about 15,000 removed by control programs. The National Park Service is doubling control program expenditures for the next 4 years.}} [Billings Gazette]

{Atlantic Salmon.

On Oct. 8, 1999, NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a joint biological review confirming that wild Atlantic salmon are in danger of extinction and more protective measures are required, such as controls on water diversion, restrictions on sport fishing, and safeguards at salmon aquaculture operations.} {{In 1998, only 23 wild adult salmon were reported to have returned to 7 ME rivers; only 29 are reported to have returned in 1999.

On Oct. 14, 1999, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt announced that he would propose listing wild ME Atlantic salmon in 7 ME rivers under the Endangered Species Act.

Environmental groups stated they likely will pursue their lawsuit against the federal government unless an emergency listing for salmon is proposed.}} { On Oct. 15, 1999, federal officials are scheduled to make a federal court filing in a case concerning the status of salmon under the Endangered Species Act.} [NMFS press release, Environment! News Service, Defenders of Wildlife press release, Assoc Press, Boston Globe]

Russian Caviar.

On Oct. 4, 1999, Russian officials announced that sturgeon fishing would be curtailed this year and caviar production and export would be reduced by about one-third to prevent the extinction of sturgeon, especially in the Caspian Sea. [Assoc Press]

Freshwater Extinction Study.

A study of extinction rates of freshwater animals by 2 Canadian scientists, published in the October 1999 issue of Conservation Biology, suggests that these animals are becoming extinct at a rate 5 times faster than terrestrial species. [Environment News Service]