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PRESS RELEASE
Northwest RiverPartners Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Terry Flores, Director
Call: 503-274-7792
Cell: 503-367-9997
tflores@nwriverpartners.org
Sport and commercial ocean fishing off the Oregon and Washington
coasts will be extremely
limited this year. The Pacific Fishery Management Council soon decides
on closure of ocean
salmon fishing from Cape Falcon to San Francisco to protect the non-endangered
Klamath River
Fall Chinook.
Columbia River fishing opportunities are also expected to be further
reduced.
Adult fish returning to the Columbia River, who are at risk of being
harvested, are especially
critical because they carry the seed corn - four to five thousand
eggs per adult pair - to assure
future generations. And, Northwest RiverPartners is especially concerned
about the harvest rates
on Endangered Species Act listed Snake River Fall Chinook that currently
exceeds fifty percent.
A coalition of sport and commercial fishermen has begun fighting
these anticipated actions by
pointing to hydroelectric dams as the culprit - not fishermen. This
coalition is calling for more
spill, more flow, and dam breaching as a solution.
The federal hydro system alone, however, can’t solve the salmon
problem. And, dam breaching
would not solve the problem. What is needed is a comprehensive approach
that includes all issues
affecting salmon - hydropower, habitat, hatcheries and harvest -
if salmon protected under the
Endangered Species Act are to survive and prosper.
This is not a single solution issue. Northwest RiverPartners represents
river users who believe in a
science-based, cost effective approach to salmon recovery. Fish costs
now account for thirty
percent of Bonneville Power Administration’s wholesale power
rates. Regional utility customers
spend over $700 million annually to do their part to protect endangered
salmon.
The federal hydro system clearly affects salmon in their lifecycle.
Major improvements have been
made at the dams. River operations have been modified and salmon
survival past the dams has
steadily improved. We are doing our part and will continue to do
so.
More can and will be done to improve fish passage at the dams, but
we also need to protect as
much clean, renewable hydropower as possible. We especially need
to ensure that current and
future dollars spent are targeted to provide the most benefits for
endangered salmon.
Local communities and fishermen have also made contributions to salmon
recovery. However, a
closer look is warranted today when shutting down commercial and
sport fishing is being
considered on unlisted – non-endangered - salmon stocks.
There are common sense initiatives that can be done in the harvest
arena to significantly benefit
salmon. For example, careful changes in when and how fishing takes
place to target healthy
salmon stocks will reduce unacceptable effects on the specific runs
of listed fish we are working so
hard to protect.
NWRP is committed to working collaboratively with all affected interests.
We would welcome the
opportunity to work with fishing interests to develop more balanced
solutions. It is not a time to
point fingers at one another or draw lines in the sand but a time
to work together.
With a reasoned, scientific approach, Northwest RiverPartners believes
we can protect salmon
runs, the economy of our fishing communities and maintain the many
vital benefits of our
remarkable rivers that we all value so much.
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