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>
>
> Salmon Control Plan Recognition. On Mar. 16, 1998, the National
>Food Processors Association (NFPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
>(FDA), and the northwest salmon processing industry were presented the
>Hammer Award, given by the office of Vice President Albert Gore, for their
>successful partnership in the Salmon Control Plan. This Plan, a voluntary
>partnership among participants, was established to enhance the safety and
>wholesomeness of salmon products, and resulted in industry compliance with
>FDA regulations years before their effective date. [NFPA press release]
> .
> 1998 Commercial and Sport Salmon Fishery. On Mar. 14, 1998, the
>Pacific Fishery Management Council approved three options for further
>discussion on 1998 commercial and sport salmon fishing regulations. Two of
>the options would limit catches to 16,000 to 25,000 coho salmon and 8,000 to
>12, 000 chinook salmon. The third option would prohibit all salmon harvest.
>After public comment, the Council will select the preferred option at April
>1998
>meetings. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Salmon and Steelhead ESA Listings. On Mar. 13, 1998, NMFS
>announced that steelhead trout will be listed as threatened species in the
>lower Columbia River basin and in CA's Central Valley. NMFS declined to list
>steelhead trout in three other regions -- the OR coast (including the Umpqua
>River), the Klamath Mountains Province (including the Rogue, Klamath, and
>Smith Rivers), and the northern CA coast (including the Mad, Eel, and Mattole
>Rivers) -- and placed them in "candidate species" status. [Assoc Press, Dow
>Jones News, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, NOAA press release]
> .
> Lottery Proceeds for Salmon Habitat Initiative. On Mar. 11, 1998,
>an environmental coalition filed a proposed initiative measure for the
>November
>1998 OR state ballot with the OR Secretary of State's office, that would
>require that 15% of state lottery proceeds (an estimated $45 million) be
>split
>equally between state parks and salmon and other wildlife habitat protection.
>To appear on the ballot, petitioners must acquire about 97,000 signatures by
>July 2, 1998. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Elk Creek Dam. On Mar. 10, 1998, Corps of Engineers officials
>announced that the proposed notching of Elk Creek Dam in the Rogue River
>basin of southern OR has been postponed due to lack of funding. Notching of
>the uncompleted project had been proposed to provide upstream passage for
>adult coho salmon and steelhead trout. [Assoc Press]
> .
> WA Salmon Restoration. On Mar. 10, 1998, the WA House
>concurred unanimously with Senate-passed legislation (HB2496) providing $45
>million to promote recovery of wild salmon populations in WA by identifying
>and rehabilitating salmon habitat. This measure also creates a special
>office
>under the governor to direct and coordinate salmon recovery efforts. The
>House also concurred with Senate amendments to HB2514, to increase public
>input on water allocation decisions. On Mar. 19, 1998, Governor Locke signed
>state legislation creating a five-county board to protect threatened lower
>Columbia River wild steelhead trout in southwest WA. On Mar. 19, 1998, WA
>state officials released a draft plan for protection and recovery of lower
>Columbia River wild steelhead trout. {{On Apr. 1, 1998, WA Governor Gary
>Locke signed a package of seven bills into state law related to salmon,
>including measures creating a Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, a
>framework for salmon habitat restoration, a scientific review panel for
>salmon
>recovery plans, a streamlined permit process for volunteer salmon restoration
>projects, a required marking program to distinguish hatchery chinook salmon,
>and a program for planting salmon eggs in streams where wild salmon have
>disappeared. Together, these measures provide about $36 million for salmon
>protection and restoration activities.}} [Assoc Press]
> .
> Private Landowners and Salmon MOU. On Mar. 5, 1998, WA
>Governor Locke and representatives of 6 federal agencies signed a
>memorandum of understanding to develop a means of providing and promoting
>coordinated access to endangered and threatened salmon recovery
>assistance for private landowners, including state and federal funding for
>habitat rehabilitation on private land. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Independent Scientific Review Panel Reports. On Mar. 4, 1998,
>the Northwest Power Planning Council's Independent Scientific Review Panel
>released a report critical of increased reliance on the practice of
>transporting
>juvenile salmon downstream in trucks and barges. The Panel was especially
>critical of truck transport, describing the practice as based on economics
>rather than on biology. Instead the panel endorsed continued adherence to a
>"spread-the-risk" policy of using both barge transport and increased river
>flows
>to speed juvenile salmon downstream. {In late March 1998, the Independent
>Scientific Review Panel released a draft report on Snake River spring-summer
>chinook salmon, weighing the relative merits of breaching dams and barging
>fish.} [Assoc Press]
> .
> Pacific Salmon Treaty. On Mar. 4, 1998, AK fisheries officials
>announced that the Pacific Salmon Commission's Northern Boundary
>Technical Committee was undertaking a joint U.S.-Canadian study of coho
>salmon, to determine appropriate management for weak Skeena River, BC,
>stocks. On Mar. 9, 1998, Canadian officials announced the appointment of
>Canada's new chief negotiator -- Donald McRae, an international law expert
>and dispute settlement as well as current chair of business and trade law at
>the Univ. of Ottawa. On Mar. 10, 1998, U.S. officials announced the
>appointment of Roberts Owen, an attorney experienced in dispute resolution,
>as chief U.S. negotiator for the Pacific Salmon Treaty. On Mar. 10, 1998, BC
>Premier Glen Clark and WA Governor Gary Locke met and agreed to work
>constructively to achieve an agreement on salmon. In mid-March 1998, the
>Yukon River Panel announced the approval of 29 king (chinook) and chum
>salmon habitat restoration projects for funding in Alaska and Canada's Yukon
>Territory. A total of about $670,000 was provided for AK projects. On Mar.
>19, 1998, President Clinton announced his intent to appoint James Pipkin of
>Bethesda, MD, as U.S. Federal Commission to the Pacific Salmon
>Commission. Mr. Pipkin serves as special negotiator for the Pacific Salmon
>Treaty, and directs the Dept. of the Interior's Office of Policy Analysis.
>On
>Mar. 23, 1998, Canadian Minister of Fisheries David Anderson released a
>report critical of arguments by some U.S. managers that "pasturage" of
>salmon may affect the rights to their harvest. {On Mar. 31, 1998, U.S. and
>Canadian negotiators (six for each nation) began two days of preliminary
>discussions in Washington, DC.} [Assoc Press, Reuters, White House press
>release]
> .
> Oregon Coho Salmon Restoration. On Mar. 4, 1998, the OR Dept. of
>Forestry held a hearing on proposals submitted by NMFS on Feb. 17, 1998,
>with timber industry officials testifying that the proposed changes would
>devastate their operations. [Assoc Press]
> .
>Aquaculture and Aquaria
> .
> Valdez Hatchery Files Chapter 11. On Mar. 23, 1998, the Valdez
>(AK) Fisheries Development Association filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
>protection, in an effort to delay paying a $2.1 million court judgment
>against its
>salmon hatchery over the failed purchase of a seafood processing plant.
>After
>the court judgment, AK officials declared the hatchery in default on state
>loans
>and took nearly all the hatchery's cash -- about $1.2 million. Now the
>processing plant is suing the state and the hatchery, alleging the $1.2
>million
>transfer was fraudulent. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Imported Crawfish Lawsuit. On Mar. 16, 1998, LA state District
>Judge Curtis Calloway denied a request for an injunction against the LA Dept.
>of Agriculture and Forestry for an alleged illegal seizure of more than
>15,000
>pounds of imported tail meat suspected of being of Chinese origin but
>mislabeled, stating that administrative hearings within the Dept. of
>Agriculture
>and Forestry must be concluded before the Court may act. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Maui Ocean Center Opens. On Mar. 13, 1998, the $18 million Maui
>Ocean Center, Maalaea, HI, opened. The privately built center, developed by
>Coral World International, features a 750,000 gallon open ocean tank with
>acrylic tunnel for visitor viewing. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Chilean Salmon. On Mar. 12, 1998, a forum, entitled "Fresh
>Perspectives: A Look at the Salmon Trade Case" and sponsored by the
>Salmon Trade Alliance, was held at the International Boston Seafood Show, to
>discuss the trade dispute between the United States and Chile over fresh
>farmed Atlantic salmon. [Dow Jones News]
> .
> Splendid Salmon Corp. On Mar. 9, 1998, Splendid Salmon Corp.
>announced its plans to open a salmon processing plant and a home meal
>replacement kitchen in Gloucester, MA. Employing about 60 people, the
>facility will add value to salmon farmed in ME and New Brunswick, processing
>as many as 5,000 whole salmon a day and cooking as many as 50,000 fresh
>salmon meals a day. [Splendid Salmon Corp. press release]
> .
> Cormorant Control. On Mar. 4, 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
>Service published a final rule in the Federal Register allowing commercial
>aquaculture operations to take double-crested cormorants without a Federal
>migratory bird permit to protect aquaculture stocks. However, any required
>state permits must be obtained and state regulations must be followed.
>Lethal control activities can occur only after the FWS has certified that an
>aquaculture facility has a cormorant depredation problem and that lethal take
>is necessary to supplement non-lethal harassment. [Fed. Register]
> .
>Freshwater Fisheries
> .
> {{Whirling Disease Research Funding. On Apr. 1, 1998, the National
>Partnership on the Management of Wild and Native Cold Water Fisheries
>(Bozeman, MT) announced the awarding of $320,000 in federal grants to fund
>11 research projects relating to the study of whirling disease at five
>universities
>in MT, CA, OR, and CO.}} [Assoc Press]
> .
> {{Sea Lamprey Control Funds. On Apr. 1, 1998, Canada's Minister of
>Fisheries and Oceans David Anderson announced that Canada will provide
>C$6 million in fiscal year 1998-99 to continue paying its 31% share for sea
>lamprey control programs coordinated with the United States through the
>Great Lakes Fishery Commission.}} [Dow Jones News]
> .
> DDT in MI's Pine River. On Mar. 31, 1998, EPA officials are
>scheduled to request a national review panel to endorse an estimated $30
>million dredging program for MI's Pine River to remove tons of sediments
>heavily contaminated with DDT. DDT concentrations in Pine River fish are
>reported to far exceed federal human health guidelines and be the highest in
>the Great Lakes region, with DDT attributed to a operation of a Velsicol
>Chemical Co. facility more than 25 years ago. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Reciprocal Fishing License. On Mar. 26, 1998, the Lac du Flambeau
>Chippewa band in Wisconsin was scheduled to announce an arrangement
>with the WI Dept. of Natural Resources allowing the Lac du Flambeau band to
>sell tribal fishing licenses that can be used on all off-reservation waters
>in the
>state. Revenues from the sale of tribal licenses must be used on the Lac du
>Flambeau reservation for fishery-related projects. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Zebra Mussel Conference. On Mar. 16-17, 1998, an International
>Zebra Mussel and Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Conference convened in
>Sacramento, CA. [personal communication]
> .
> ESA Listing of Southeast Mussels. On Mar. 16, 1998, the U.S. Fish
>and Wildlife Service published notice that seven species of freshwater
>mussels in the Chattahoochee-Flint-Apalachicola and Ochlockonee River
>systems of GA, FL, and AL were being added to the list of Endangered and
>Threatened Species -- 5 as endangered and 2 as threatened. However, no
>critical habitat was designated. [Fed. Register, Assoc Press]
> .
> Westslope Cutthroat Trout Lawsuit. In mid-March 1998, a coalition of
>five MT/ID conservation groups filed suit in U.S. District Court against the
>U.S.
>Dept. of the Interior, seeking to force listing of the westslope cutthroat
>trout
>under the Endangered Species Act. The groups seek to force the U.S. Fish
>and Wildlife Service to act on a petition filed in May 1997 to list this
>species
>as threatened. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Mississippi River Mussel Harvesting Ban. On Mar. 12, 1998, the IA
>Natural Resource Commission voted 5-1 to ban commercial harvesting of
>washboard mussels from the Mississippi River. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Pfiesteria? {On Mar. 3, 1998, citizens in Stuart, FL, reported seeing
>"thousands" of fish with lesions in the St. Lucie River, with many fish dying
>in
>the River and the adjacent Indian River Lagoon. Water samples from the St.
>Lucie River were reported to contain Cryptoperidiniopsis.} On Mar. 12, 1998,
>scientists with the FL Dept. of Environmental Protection announced that
>microscopic organisms, capable of causing lesions on fish, had been found in
>FL's Indian and St. John's Rivers, drainages in the Chesapeake Bay region,
>and in NC, and were identified as Cryptoperidiniopsis sp. On Mar. 20, 1998,
>the NC state scientific panel to monitor Pfiesteria response met to discuss
>preliminary research findings, including the inconclusive results of study of
>30
>NC residents for health effects after contact with Pfiesteria-like toxins. A
>preliminary report of these findings is to be released in late March, a
>public
>meeting may be held in April, and public comment will be sought. On Mar.
>20, 1998, NC Governor Jim Hunt announced a $2.9 million state plan to
>increase water quality monitoring, conduct more research, and improve
>response to fish kills. On Mar. 23, 1998, the Centers for Disease Control
>and
>Prevention (CDC) announced the awarding of FY1998 funds for cooperative
>agreements relating to Pfiesteria-related illness surveillance and prevention
>research. Approximately $3.2 million was awarded, with MD receiving $1.07
>million, NC receiving $0.96 million, and VA receiving $0.69 million. Other
>state programs receiving funds included DE, FL, and SC. On Mar. 24, 1998,
>EPA officials announced the release of an additional $80,000 apiece to DE
>and MD for Pfiesteria monitoring. [Assoc Press]
> .
> Underwater Camera Ban. On Mar. 11, 1998, the MN Senate voted
>51-9 to approve an amendment banning the use of underwater video cameras
>for fishing, during debate prior to passing an omnibus hunting and fishing
>bill.
>The MN Dept. of Natural Resources urged approval of the underwater camera
>ban, fearing anglers would use such equipment to selectively target trophy
>fish. [Assoc Press]
> .
> FY1999 Budget Hearing. On Mar. 11, 1998, the House Committee on
>Appropriations' Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies held a hearing
>on the proposed FY1999 budget for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
>[personal communication]
> .
>
>
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