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NOTE: The following information is made available to the Fish-Sci
list by the United States Congressional Research Service (CRS), and
was posted by a co-manager of that mailing list.
SALMON ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST
Corps Draft EIS. In Portland, OR, on Dec. 17, 1999, the Army Corps of
Engineers released its 5-year, $20 million, 4,000-page draft
environmental
impact study of 4 options to change operation of the 4 lower Snake River
dam
to assist salmon recovery. {{The document is reported to include an
advisory recommendation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the
dams be breached. The Corps recommended more study in the belief that
current scientific understanding in inconclusive. A preferred
alternative
would be identified late in 2000. NMFS officials announced a plan to
conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of the all salmon recovery
options.}} [Assoc Press, Seattle Times, American Rivers press release]
Salmon 4(d) Rule. On Dec. 14, 1999, NMFS announced new proposed
regulations
for protecting 14 populations of threatened steelhead trout and salmon
under
Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act, giving state and local
governments significant powers. Regional hearings will be held during
the
60-day public comment period on the proposal. Exempt from these
regulations
would be WA loggers who abide by new state timber harvest regulations,
urban
developers following the Portland Metro guidelines, and OR Dept. of
Transportation crews who follow new road maintenance guidelines. Other
exemptions could be allowed for scientific research, fish hatcheries,
commercial and sport fishing, and habitat restoration that meet NMFS
standards. [Assoc Press, Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
{Salmon Habitat and Mining Lawsuit. On Dec. 13, 1999, U.S. District
Court
Magistrate John P. Cooney ruled that U.S. Forest Service officials
violated
the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan and federal law threatening critical
salmon
and steelhead spawning habitat by allowing mining operations in the
Silver
Creek, OR (Illinois River) drainage without environmental analyses and
approved operations plans. The lawsuit was filed in September 1998 by
the
Siskiyou Regional Education Project.} [Assoc Press]
NPPC Project Funding. On Dec. 7, 1999, the Northwest Power Planning
Council
approved $140 million in funding for almost 300 projects to mitigate
loss of
fish and wildlife habitat. All projects were evaluated by the NPPC's
Independent Scientific Review Panel. The NPPC did award an $8 million
grant
to the Nez Perce Tribe to build a salmon hatchery on the Clearwater
River,
despite the Review Panel's recommendation against this project. [Assoc
Press]
Savage Rapids Dam. On Dec. 6, 1999, the Grants Pass Irrigation District
Board adopted a proposed list of demands, including federal payment of
$27
million for dam removal and associated expenses, as a formal condition
for
agreeing to removal of the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River.
District
patrons are scheduled to vote on this proposal on Jan. 18, 2000. [Assoc
Press]
Canadian Auditor General's Annual Report. On Nov. 30, 1999, Denis
Desautels, Auditor General, delivered his annual report [See chapter 20
at
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/99menu_e.html#sep
]concluding that Pacific salmon fisheries are in trouble, blaming
declines
on overfishing, habitat loss, and less successful spawning. Global
warming, pollution, and poor management are identified as contributing
causes. The Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans was criticized as needing to
improve data that might allow conservation of weaker stocks while still
providing fishing opportunities and needing to improve communications
between managers and stakeholders. [Canadian Press]
FRESHWATER FISHERIES
Dam Removal Report. On Dec. 13, 1999, American Rivers, Friends of the
Earth, and Trout Unlimited are scheduled to release a new report "Dam
Removal Success Stories: Restoring Rivers Through Selective Removal of
Dams
That Don't Make Sense." This report documents 465 U.S. dams that have
been
removed since 1912 and focuses on 25 detailed case studies. [American
Rivers
press release, Assoc Press]
Contaminated Striped Bass. On Dec. 8, 1999, five Manhattan, NY, fish
wholesalers were charged by the U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White with
illegally
selling thousands of pounds of striped bass caught in PCB-contaminated
Hudson River waters under the George Washington Bridge between March
1995
and mid-1998. Four owners and one employee of these companies were
arrested
and arraigned in U.S. magistrate court for violating the Lacey Act. [Los
Angeles Times, Assoc Press]
Dam Removal. On Dec. 1, 1999, U.S. Marines were scheduled to use
explosives
to demolish 12-foot high Rains Mill Dam on the Little River in the Neuse
River drainage, NC, providing migratory fish (alewife, American shad,
hickory shad, Atlantic sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon, and striped bass)
access to 49 miles of habitat. [Environment News Service]
MARINE MAMMALS
{Dolphin-Safe Logo. In late December 1999, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
officials
announced that the Dept. will propose adopting an official dolphin- safe
logo in conjunction with a tuna tracking program to assure consumers
that no
dolphins were injured or killed during tuna harvesting. An interim
final
rule establishing specific requirements for the program is expected to
be
published shortly by NMFS.} [Environment News Service]
{Canadian Sealing. On Dec. 21, 1999, Canadian Fisheries Minister Herb
Dhaliwal announced that the year 2000 harp seal kill quota will remain
at
275,000 animals, saying no information justifies a change from last
year.
The hooded seal kill quota would remain at 10,000 animals. In addition,
a
kill of several hundred grey seals will be allowed in areas other than
Sable
Island.} [Canadian Press]
{Japanese Whaling. On Dec. 20, 1999, Greenpeace activists harassed
Japanese
whalers killing minke whales in the Antarctic. On Dec.21, 1999, the
Japanese factory whaling ship Nisshin Maru collided with the Greenpeace
vessel Arctic Sunrise carrying activists protesting Japan's research
kill of
Antarctic minke whales. There were no reported injuries and damage
appeared
to not be serious. [Reuters, Greenpeace press release, Environment News
Service, personal communication]
Steller Sea Lion Shooting. On Dec. 16, 1999, a Petersburg, AK, man was
charged in U.S. District Court (Anchorage, AK) with shooting and killing
several Steller sea lions near Wrangell, AK, in February 1998.
Arraignment
is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2000. [Assoc Press]
Cook Inlet Beluga Whales. On Dec. 16, 1999, NMFS biologists, speaking
at a
public scoping meeting on drafting an NMFS environmental impact
statement
for managing Cook Inlet beluga whales, reported the results of summer
1999
surveys, indicating that decline in this whale population had ceased and
that the population was stable. The 1999 population estimate was 357
whales, nearly the same as the 1998 estimate of 347 animals. [Anchorage
Daily News]
Whale and Dolphin Transport. As of Dec. 7, 1999, Lufthansa Airlines
adopted
the policy that it will no longer transport whales and dolphins for
aquariums and water parks. This action was taken in response to a
request
from Sea Shepherd Europe that the airline review its policies on
transport
of wild animals after a November 1999 incident wherein 2 dolphins died
in a
Lufthansa cargo machine. [Environment News Service]
Mexican Salt Project. On Nov. 30, 1999, the World Heritage Committee of
UNESCO, meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, unanimously adopted a report [
http://www.savebajawhales.com/documents/worldheritagefinal2.doc ] by an
August 1999 fact-finding mission to Mexico's Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve
and
World Heritage Site on whether the site might be threatened by a
proposed
solar salt evaporation facility. The mission's balanced report was
viewed
as favoring the position of both proponents and opponents of the
project.
The report concludes that the site and whales are not currently in
danger,
but recommends a thorough monitoring of the area so that any impacts of
any
significant changes, such as construction of the proposed facility, can
be
evaluated. [Mitsubishi International Corp. press release, Environment
News
Service, International Fund for Animal Welfare press release]
Norwegian Whaling. On Nov. 26, 1999, Norway's Minister of Fisheries
Peter
Angelsen announced that the minke whale harvest quota for 2000 would be
655,
a reduction from the quota of 753 animals in 1999. The downward
revision
was attributed to improvement of the quota calculation model and revised
whale population assessments. The next hunt is scheduled to begin in
early
May 2000. [High North Alliance News]
Items in this summary are excerpted from a variety of information
sources.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is not responsible for the
accuracy
of the various news items.
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