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~~>FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 3/9/01<~~
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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
VOL 3, NO. 10 9 MARCH 2001
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3:10/01. OREGON LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS REDEFINING
NATIVE FISH, PROHIBITING ALL FUTURE DAM REMOVALS: In the
latest effort by Oregon landowners to redefine their way around the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), the industry group known as the Save the
Salmon Coalition has introduced a bill in the Oregon Legislature (HB 3038)
that would officially make all hatchery fish in that state "wild fish" for
purposes of the ESA and the Oregon Salmon Plan. Fish hatcheries under
the bill would also be renamed "salmon enhancement projects" and the bill
would reshape all the state's wildlife goals more toward the use of captive
breeding programs to restore species after they are depleted rather than
habitat protection to prevent depletion in the first place.
The Save the Salmon Coalition membership includes the Oregon
Lands Coalition and Oregonians in Action (sponsors of the recent
Oregon Measure 7 property rights "takings" initiative (see Sublegals,
3:08/13; 2:19/01), the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, Oregon Farm
Bureau, Oregon Realtors and various other "wise use" and industry trade
groups. Their strategy is to redefine hatchery fish as legally equal to
wild fish so that the ESA would no longer apply, and, thus, the land use
practices of Coalition members would no longer come under ESA
scrutiny. This strategy has failed in three major lawsuits brought by the
Pacific Legal Foundation, but now its proponents are increasingly
turning to legislatures to accomplish their goal. However, scientists say
there are significant genetic and behavioral differences, as well as major
differences in survival rates, between hatchery and native fish in most
watersheds. HB 3038 had its first hearing before the Stream Restoration
and Species Recovery Committee on 7 March. For a copy of HB 3038
see the link at:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/01reg/measures/hb3000.dir/hb3038.intro.html
.
Two other similar bills will be heard before that same committee on
13 March (HB 3013 and HB 3014), both of which would also eliminate
distinctions between hatchery fish and wild fish as a matter of law, and
in the process obliterate Oregon's current Wild Fish Policy. Another
bill (HB 3097), being heard 12 March, would make it impossible to
remove any dam or artificial obstruction (apparently including culverts)
in Oregon ever again without approval of both houses of the Legislature.
For additional information on these and other salmon related bills see
the Oregon Legislative Index at: http://www.leg.state.or.us.
3:10/02. CALIFORNIA WATER BOARD THREATENS FISH,
REDUCES YUBA RIVER FLOWS: On 8 March, in an article by Glen
Martin, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the decision by the
California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to reverse
direction, and reduce its own previously adopted instream flow targets
for the Yuba River of Northern California so more water would be
available for hydropower production. The SWRCB decision is at the
cost of some of the state's best remaining wild chinook salmon runs.
The action was partly in response to an Executive Order by Governor
Gray Davis (see Sublegals, 3:07/14) to ignore environmental laws in
favor of more power production and means the river will be warmer and
more hostile to salmon than the same Board voted previously was
acceptable (see Sublegals, 3:06/01;3:01/06; 2:22/07; 2:21/06). "I'm
worried that we're going to wake up on the other side of this so-called
crisis and find that everything we've accomplished in terms of clean air,
clean water, fisheries and wildlife has been sacrificed, " commented
fisheries consultant Bill Kier on the decision. The Yuba River is also
used by the Spring-run chinook, which ARE listed under the federal
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Chinook are sensitive to water
temperature and die when temperatures exceed about 75 degrees F. (24
C.). For the full story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/
chronicle/archive/2001/03/08/MN165242.DTL
3:10/03. BPA HEAD SAYS ALL SALMON FLOWS IN THE
COLUMBIA SHOULD BE SUSPENDED TO MEET POWER
NEEDS: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) acting Director Al
Wright told the Northwest Power Planning Council this week that "all
plans to cut electricity production to help fish" by ensuring adequate
instream flows should be suspended so that BPA can produce more
power, according to the 8 March Oregonian. This sent shock waves
throughout the region as it would mean sacrificing a whole year class of
ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. Salmon advocates said this was
alarmist, unnecessary and that BPA should first try conservation
measures and debt shifting to make its payments rather than keep to
business as usual while sacrificing salmon to potential extinction. For
the full story go to: http://www.oregonlive.com/printer2.ssf?/news/
oregonian/01/03/lc_51crisis08.frame
On 9 March, the Associated Press reported federal dam operators
will spill water at Bonneville Dam over the weekend to help migrating
chinook smolts from Spring Creek Hatchery, but the amount of water
spilled will be only 10 percent of what was released last year. More
than five million tule fall chinook smolts were released Thursday from
the hatchery to begin their downstream migration. The first smolts will
reach Bonneville Saturday night, meaning the dam must provide extra
water for their passage over the spillway. The power value of the spilled
water not going through the turbines was estimated at $2.1 million.
Meanwhile Kaiser Aluminum Company, one of the Northwest's
largest consumers of electricity, continued to take advantage of its
sweetheart contact for low cost BPA power, which has allowed it to
close its operations entirely, lay off its employees and instead resell the
power it would have used on the open market. Kaiser now pays BPA
only $22.50/megawatt-hr., but has been reselling its power on the open
market for up to $550/megawatt-hr -- a 2500% markup. On 23
February, several Members of Congress, led by Representative Bernard
Sanders (I-VT) , sent a letter to President George W. Bush's new Energy
Secretary Spencer Abraham expressing their outrage that this practice is
allowed to continue. Kaiser stands to make an estimated $500 million
in profits just from reselling its unused power while the region considers
sacrificing salmon to meet energy price shortfalls. Several other
aluminum smelters have similarly closed down to remarket their
preferred rate power at a profit, prompting calls for reform of the BPA
Direct Service Industry contracting system and causing many to question
whether the aluminum industry remains viable in the region. See:
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer2.ssf?/business/oregonian/
01/03/fn_11alum11.frame.
3:10/04. OREGON FOREST PRACTICES GET AN "F"
GRADE: The Associated Press (AP) reported on 6 March that several
federal agencies have written the Oregon Board of Forestry their
findings that the current Oregon Forest Practices Act fails to meet Clean
Water Act (CWA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements for
the protection of salmon and other wildlife, and needs to be greatly
improved. The letter, jointly written by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS),
and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), urged faster action
to make those improvements as well as use of the Board's emergency
powers to protect particularly degraded watersheds. NMFS has been
asking for improvements since at least 1997 and even entered into an
agreement with Oregon that those improvements would be made that
Oregon eventually rescinded. In 1999 an independent science review
panel also found the current laws inadequate to protect salmon from
extinction (see: Technical Report 1999-1 at:
http://www.fsl.orst.edu/imst), and in July of 2000 a Board-appointed
advisory committee made more recommendations for changes which
have not yet been enacted. For the full AP story see
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/forest06.shtml .
3:10/05. CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO HYDROPOWER
RELICENSING: Friends of the River (FOR) has published a 16-page
guide to hydropower relicensing in California entitled "Rivers of
Power." This is a citizen's guide to the hydropower process, along with
ideas about the opportunities for river restoration. Included in the
publication is a map of the 61 hydro projects coming up for renewal in
California. Friends of the River is making the guides available to fishing
and conservation organizations. Contact: Charles Casey, Friends of the
River, 915 20th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814; Tel: (916) 442-3155
(Extension 218) or by e-mail to: cecasey at friendsoftheriver.org Their
web site is found at: www.friendsoftheriver.org
3:10/06. STREAM RESTORATION PERMIT WORKSHOP: A
workshop aimed at assisting fishing and other non-governmental
organizations engaged in salmon stream restoration projects with
meeting permit requirements has been scheduled for 27 April starting
0830 HRS at Red Bluff Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson in Red
Bluff, California. The fee is $25 including lunch and materials.
Register by 9 April since space is limited. For more information
contact: Dana Helfer, California CRMP, 801 K Street, Suite 1318,
Sacramento, CA 95814, Tel: (916) 447-7237, or e-mail:
cacrmp at ca.nacdnet.org
3:10/07. LAND-BASED SALMON FARM APPROVED FOR
VANCOUVER ISLAND: The T. Buck Suzuki Foundation and the
Georgia Strait Alliance announced Monday, 5 March, that British
Columbia has approved a land-based salmon farm south of Nanaimo
that should have zero impacts on wild salmon. The land-based farm will
be run by Agrimarine Processing, which operates a fish processing plant
in Campbell River. The farm, which was announced Monday by Ed
Conroy, the provincial Minister of Fisheries, is part of a pilot project
program initiated by the B.C. government to encourage new
environmental fish farm technologies.
The Georgia Strait Alliance and the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental
Foundation have campaigned for years to stop the environmental
impacts caused by open netpen salmon farms and to convert the entire
industry to closed container marine or land-based technologies (see
Sublegals, 3:09/10; 3:01/10). The two groups are calling on the
provincial government to expand the pilot program to allow more closed
container ocean and land-based test sites. Environmental groups are
asking the provincial government to convert all open netpens to closed
container technologies within the next five years.
"Land-based salmon farming is environmentally friendly and stops all
impacts on wild salmon," said David Lane, Executive Director of the T.
Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. "Open netpens are transferring
diseases to wild salmon and escaped farmed fish are starting to colonize
our wild salmon streams. Land-based salmon farming can completely
eliminate these impacts."
In the past, fishing and environmental groups have attacked British
Columbia's aquaculture industry as loosely regulated, especially in the
escape of thousands of farmed fish into the sea from ruptured pens.
Farmed Atlantic salmon can introduce diseases and mutations into
Pacific stocks and have the potential to survive in the wild and compete
against native salmon. For more information contact: David Lane, T.
Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation, #160 111 Victoria Dr.,
Vancouver BC V5L 4C4; Tel: (250) 255-8819, or at:
bucksuzuki at ufawu.org
3:10/08. PACIFIC GRASSROOTS SALMON INITIATIVE
GRANT DEADLINE 16 MARCH: The National Fish & Wildlife
Foundation is accepting proposals for salmon protection and restoration
projects in California and Oregon through its Pacific Grassroots Salmon
Initiative. Areas of funding include on-the-ground restoration that is
supported by science-based plans; improving in-stream flow through the
acquisition of water rights or other means; removing or modifying
barriers to fish passage; and collaborative planning efforts. The request
for proposals (RFP) can be found at: http://www.nfwf.org/PGSI_RFP.htm
3:10/09. NOTICE OF SUIT OVER KLAMATH REFUGE
WATER FILED: On 9 March a group of conservation and bird
protection organizations filed a "60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue" over
potential water shortfalls in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife
Refugees located in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon. In dry water
years the refuges, home to endangered bald eagles and other protected
species, have had water cut off in order to continue supplying farmlands
actually leased within the refuges, resulting in the refuges drying up and
causing increased bird mortalities. The refuge, even though home to
many federally protected species, has a junior state water right. The
groups seek a ruling that the refugees should get higher priority. For the
full story see: http://www.oregonlive.com/printer2.ssf?/news/oregonian/
01/03/nw_61water09.frame.
To the dismay of farmers, refuge managers for the first time in the
history of the refuge last month also issued an Environmental
Assessment offering alternatives that would, if adopted, permit water
cutbacks to commercial agricultural actually within the refuge if water
is not sufficient to keep the refuge itself from drying up (Sublegals
3:05/10). The existence of farms within the refuge has come under
increasing criticism in recent years. Poor water quality in the refuges
also affects water quality and downriver flows used by endangered coho
salmon. For this story see: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2001/
200L-02-05-09.html and scroll down to the article.
3:10/10: SALMON NUTRIENTS CONFERENCE FOR APRIL
IN OREGON: The "International Conference on Restoring Nutrients
to Salmonid Ecosystems" will be held on 24-26 April, 2001 at the Hilton
Conference Center in Eugene, Oregon. The conference is hosted by the
Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and co-sponsored by
many regional AFS chapters and agencies. Its purpose is to capture and
share the latest information on one of the most pressing issues affecting
the recovery of Pacific salmon and their ecosystems. For more
information, go to: http://www.gpafs.org/confnutr or contact Richard
Grost, at: rgrost at compuserve.com .
3:10/11. CALIFORNIA FARMLAND CONSERVANCY
PROGRAM GRANTS AVAILABLE: The California Department of
Conservation's Farmland Conservancy Program provides grants to local
governments and qualified non-profit organizations, such as fishing
groups, for, among other purposes, voluntary acquisition of conservation
easements on agricultural lands, often a useful tool in salmon stream
restoration. The "Request for Grant Applications" details requirements
and guidelines for grant application submission for the fiscal year 2000-
01. Deadline for applications is 30 June 2001 and they should conform
to the format of the Request for Grant Applications at:
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/dlrp/cfcp/grant%20app.htm.
3:10/12. PCFFA RE-ELECTS PARRAVANO PRESIDENT;
HART SELECTED NEW SECRETARY: At its 26 February meeting
in Bodega Bay, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) re-elected Pietro Parravano as
president of the U.S. Pacific coast's largest commercial fishing
organization. Parravano, a commercial fisherman from Half Moon Bay,
has served as head of PCFFA since 1992 when he took-over from the
late Nat Bingham. Parravano is one of two U.S. delegates to the World
Forum of Fish-Harvesters & Fishworkers (WFF) and is a member of the
Pew Oceans Commission.
Also re-elected were Dave Bitts of Eureka as vice-president and Bob
Miller of San Francisco as treasurer. Bitts, is a member of the Klamath
Fisheries Management Council and has served in various offices for his
home port association, the Humboldt Fishermen's Marketing
Association. Miller has also served in various offices for local groups,
the Crab Boat Owners Association and heads up PCFFA's Fishing
Vessel Safety Committee.
Tom Hart, president of the Fishermen's Association of Moss Landing
was elected the new secretary of PCFFA at the 26th meeting held at the
U.C. Bodega Marine Laboratory. He takes over from Barbara Stickel,
who chose to step down after five years in that office.
3:10/13. FINALISTS FOR US MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
COMMITTEE SELECTED: In January, 26 nominees were invited by
the Secretary of Commerce to serve on the new Marine Protected Areas
Advisory Committee. The Committee will help shape national policy
on marine protected areas, an issue of considerable interest to
fishermen. For more information on the current status of the MPA
national initiative and the list of nominees go to: http://www.mpa.gov .
PCFFA has been working on this issue as well, see:
http://www.pcffa.org/mpa3.htm .
3:10/14. NEW REPORT ON HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS:
On 22 February, the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration(NOAA) and the National Science & Technology
Council released "National Assessment of Harmful Algal Blooms in
U.S. Waters." The assessment concludes that the impacts of harmful
algal blooms are increasing nationwide. Requested by Congress in the
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998
(P.L. 105-383), the assessment compiles research and management
expertise on the causes and consequences of harmful algal blooms and
presents recommendations. An electronic copy of the report is available
through NOAA at: http://www.habhrca.noaa.gov. The report is also
available by calling (301) 713-3338 Ext.130; or via e-mail at:
costalocean at cop.noaa.gov
3:10/15. SCIENTISTS, CONSERVATIONISTS VOICE
CONCERN OVER "GASSING" OF WORLD'S OCEANS: Today, 9
March, a group of marine scientists and conservation groups, along with
some 1500 other signatories, sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary,
Spencer Abraham voicing concern that a proposed "ocean
sequestration" option under consideration by the Department of Energy,
seeking to mitigate global warming by injecting large amounts of
liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) into deep oceans, "could have complex,
unforeseen, and far-reaching consequences." (see Sublegals, 3:03/18)
"We are concerned that CO2 ocean sequestration done on a scale
large enough to engineer the world climate, must face significant
scientific uncertainty which confounds our ability to predict outcomes
and creates unreasonable risks," wrote the group. "The worlds' deep
oceans are diverse, fragile, and as yet hardly-understood. To exploit
them as repositories for rapid injections of manmade CO2 might have
complex and cascading consequences, including biological and physical
effects that can only be guessed at, or at best predicted with low levels
of confidence."
The group said "there is a potential due to unexpected ocean mixing
levels that some sequestered CO2 gases might migrate from sea to air,
and not at slow and steady rates - but rather in large punctuated
fashion." The letter to Abraham went on to suggest solutions including
fuel cells, solar and wind power as superior to the "'tailpipe' responses
the put humans and marine ecosystems at risk. For more information,
contact Dr. Rob Wilder at: rob at pacificwhale.org .
3:10/16. NEARSHORE FISHERY MANAGEMENT MEETING:
The California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) will hold a public
meeting on Tuesday, 3 April, in the auditorium of the Elihu Harris State
Building, 1515 Clay Street in Oakland, to receive public comment on
potential management options for the Nearshore Fishery Management
Plan. For more information, contact Maura Leos at: (831) 649-2829 or
e-mail at: Mleos at dfg.ca.gov .
3:10/17. TRAWLERS SOUGHT FOR RESEARCH CONTRACTS:
The Fishery Resource Analysis & Monitoring Division of NMFS is seeking
four charter commercial trawlers to conduct groundfish surveys off the
U.S. Pacific Coast. Each vessel will be chartered for about five weeks,
operating survey fisheries from Cape Flattery, Washington to Morro Bay,
California beginning in Astoria, Oregon and ending in Morro Bay. To
receive the Request for Proposals, fax (206)526-6025 to request to be put
on the Bidders Mailing List for Solicitation 52ABNF100041. For
additional information contact Abram Vinikoor at (206)526-4395 or Teresa
Turk at (206)860-3460.
3:10/18. SALTONSTALL-KENNEDY GRANTS AVAILABLE: The
announcement for the 2002 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program (S-K) was
published in the Federal Register on 7 March and can be found at
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfweb/skhome.html . Copies of the
announcement can also be obtained from Alicia.Jarboe at noaa.gov. These
grants support fisheries research and development in accordance with
research priorities published annually in the announcement.
3:10/19. NEW NATIONAL FISHERIES INFORMATION
SERVICE: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has a new e-
mail information bulletin with information about agency actions, reports
and rule-making (see Sublegals, 3:03/23). The system is described at:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishnews.htm
3:10/20. CORRECTION: The Center for Marine Conservation
(CMC) was mistakenly added to a list of groups opposing SB 1 (see
Sublegals, 3:09/14), allowing oil companies to collapse rigs and leave their
debris as "artificial reefs." CMC is not opposed to the bill, and has stayed
neutral on the issue of "rigs to reefs."
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Natasha Benjamin, Editor at:
ifrfish at aol.com or call the IFR office with the news and a source at either:
(415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000 (Northwest Office).
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