HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fishery managers will soon begin releasing more than 500,000 steelhead smolts into Puget Sound-area rivers after receiving word from NOAA that the hatcheries where the fish are raised meet federal environmental standards. For the past two years, WDFW has released steelhead from those hatcheries into area lakes to ensure they wouldn't interfere with protected Endangered Species Act (E3A)-listed wild steelhead. That action resulted from a legal agreement with the Wild Fish Conservancy which stipulated WDFW would not release steelhead smolts into area rivers until NOAA determined those hatchery operations comply with federal law. The Wild Fish Conservancy filed a lawsuit in March 2014, claiming Chambers Creek Hatchery programs did not aid in wild fish recovery and in fact adversely affected wild steelhead by causing negative genetic, ecological, and demographic effects. In 2010, NOAA Fisheries Service scientists concluded Chambers Creek steelhead had no role in the recovery of native Puget Sound steelhead. Under ESA rules, WDFW is required to develop hatchery genetic management for each hatchery, which then must be reviewed and approved by NOAA to ensure the proposed programs don't significantly impede recovery of ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. According to Wild Fish Conservancy, the vast majority of WDFW salmon and steelhead hatcheries have been operating without this approval for more than ten years. Kelly Cunningham, deputy assistant director of WDFW's Fish Program said "We are pleased NOAA Fisheries agrees our hatchery plans are scientifically sound. This means that we can again produce fish for harvest in fisheries throughout Puget Sound GÇ¥
Salmon season dispute
It appears the WDFW and the tribes have agreed to disagree over salmon fishing seasons in Puget Sound. The discord is due to this year's forecasted poor return of coho salmon, It is expected about 256,000 coho will return to Puget Sound this year, which is about one-third the size of last year's predicted run. This is the first time the state and tribes have not reached an agreement on salmon fishing seasons while working as co-managers, which began about 30 years ago. In previous years, co-managers were authorized to fish for salmon under a joint federal permit. This year, after lengthy negotiations, state and tribal fishery managers could not reach an agreement on salmon fishing seasons in Puget Sound. WDFW decided to go it alone in securing a federal permit from NOAA Fisheries to hold salmon fisheries in Puget Sound. Tribal fishery managers are expected to do the same thing. Will there be a recreational salmon fishery in Puget Sound this summer? Maybe, but it is uncertain if the department will receive federal authorization in time to implement a salmon fisheries. NOAA isn't noted for making quick decisions. Ron Warren, head of WDFW's fish program, said "This isn't the outcome we had hoped for, but we will do our best to obtain a federal permit as quickly as possible.GÇ¥
Bob Brown lives in Roy and is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be contacted at robertb1285@centurylink.net.
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