[Fishlink] ~~>FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 6/7/02<~~

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                     ~~>FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 6/7/02<~~
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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. 05, NO. 23                                        7 JUNE 2002
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"To be a friend of fishermen one must also be a friend 
of fish.".........................Franz Fischler
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This week's issue of Sublegals is available in PDF format on the web at 
www.sublegals.net. We have also pasted the text below for those who 
still wish to read it through your email. In the coming weeks we will be 
posting all past issues as well as a search engine. In addition to this new 
look, we are continuing our Sublegals Fundraiser to support the Institute 
for Fisheries Resources and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's 
Associations in publishing this weekly newsletter free of charge. We 
have recently passed our 100th issue, with very little funding, and are 
looking to our readers to sustain the continuation of this effort. Go to 
www.sublegals.net to donate to this effort. Thank you for your support 
of community fisheries education. 
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IN THIS ISSUE.......

Closure Proposed For Directed Fishery Of Pacific Groundfish 
On Shelf In 2003.  5:23/01.

Mark-Up Of Magnuson Act Reauthorization Set For 26 June 
In House Resources Committee. 5:23/03.

Maine Fish Farm Settles Clean Water Act Suit, Agrees Not 
To Use Transgenic Salmon.  5:23/05.

Biological Opinions to Protect Klamath Fish Rejected by 
Bureau of Reclamation.  5:23/08.

Controversy Brewing Over Tie Between Salt Ponds Purchase 
and SFO Expansion. 5:23/10.

AND MORE......
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     5:23/01. PACIFIC GROUNDFISH FISHERY CLOSURE ON SHELF
PROPOSED FOR 2003, SENATE PASSES INDUSTRY FUNDED
BUYBACK PROGRAM: The Pacific Fishery Management Council's
(PFMC) Ad Hoc Allocation Committee (made up of representatives
from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the four state fishery
agencies) met 3-4 June in Portland, Oregon to develop an alternative for
the full Council to consider for addressing the latest reports on declining
populations of boccacio, yellow-eye and canary rockfish.  The three
rockfish species are taken in the groundfish fishery, mainly on the
continental shelf (10 - 150 fathoms), along with nearly 40 other species
in this complex, by both commercial and recreational fishermen.  There
is also a small incidental take of these fish in non-groundfish fisheries
such as halibut and salmon.  Some eight Pacific rockfish (Sebastes
complex) stocks have been declared as overfished and the three species
above are believed in the worst shape.  The news about the three Pacific
rockfish stocks was revealed two weeks ago at the first hearing on
California's Nearshore Fishery Management Plan; it came on the heels
of severe restrictions being placed on New England's groundfish
fisheries (see Sublegals, 5:22/05).

     When the news broke initially, there were rumors of a total closure of
all fishing on the shelf for 2003. This rumor was dispelled at this week's
Portland meeting, when the group decided on an alternative to submit to
the PFMC for the 2003 season to close only the directed groundfish
fisheries on the shelf.  From Cape Mendocino to the Canadian border,
the Ad Hoc Committee is proposing a closure on directed groundfish
fishing from 25 to 150 fathoms. The closure would not affect mid-water
trawling for Pacific whiting (hake) or the pink shrimp fishery (provided
the gear is modified to allow for release of rockfish).  What take that
would be permitted of the depressed stocks would be limited to a small
incidental catch in the salmon and halibut fisheries.  From Cape
Mendocino south, the directed groundfish closure would be from 10 to
150 fathoms.  If this alternative is accepted by the PFMC, it would force
more fishing in the nearshore areas, particularly the recreational fishery,
and push most of the trawl and longline fleet into the slope fisheries for
deepwater complex species such as blackcod (sablefish), Dover sole and
thornyheads. Fisheries such as Dungeness crab, albacore, swordfish,
anchovies and sardines are not expected to be affected at all, since there
is no interaction of these fisheries with the rockfish stocks of concern.  It
is uncertain whether the squid fisheries may be affected.
                                                                              
                                        

     The full PFMC meets 17-21 June (see 5:23/02 below) to consider the
new data on groundfish stocks and take-up the alternative proposed by
its Ad Hoc Committee.  There will be a meeting Monday evening, prior
to the full Council meeting of the 18th, to review the stock assessments. 
The PFMC is scheduled to adopt its 2003 recommendations (to the U.S.
Department of Commerce) at its 8-13 September meeting in Portland. 
West coast fisheries generated $900 million of income in 2000. Of that,
commercial fisheries generated $426 million in California, $153 million
in Oregon and $77 million in Washington, and recreational fisheries for
the three states added another $246 million, according to the PFMC.

     In the meantime, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Senate approved on 7
June an amendment by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gordon Smith
(R-OR) to the Supplemental Appropriations bill, to reallocate $500,000
from cooperative research funds to provide a one percent government
loan guarantee for a $50 million industry-funded groundfish
vessel/permit buyback bill. A significant reduction in fishing capacity is
believed necessary to reduce pressure on stocks and facilitate rebuilding,
as well as assure what groundfish fishery remains is economically
viable. The PFMC has proposed a 50 percent reduction in fishing
capacity. The question is whether the fishing industry has the
wherewithal to repay such a loan, thus bringing into question the
efficacy of this amendment that must still be reconciled with the House
Supplemental Appropriations bill. "The west coast groundfish fishery is
in no condition to pay back a federal loan for the $50 million or more it
will cost to buy out a significant portion of its capacity," according to
Rod Fujita of Environmental Defense (ED) who has been working on
this issue.

     PCFFA has been pushing for a buyback bill with substantial funding
from the federal government. The rationale for federal funding is,
according to the Federation: 1) the government encouraged and
promoted the buildup in the trawl and longline groundfish fisheries
(without having done any stock assessments), including providing loan
guarantees for new and larger vessel construction; and 2) the
government is providing substantial financial assistance to other U.S.
food producing sectors, including the recent passage of a $90 billion
Farm Bill (see Sublegals, 5:19/06).  California Representative Lois
Capps (D-Santa Barbara) is carrying a buy-back bill in the House of
Representatives. This past week in Washington, DC, PCFFA proposed a
national fishing vessel/permit buyback funding program to cover west
coast and New England groundfish and Alaska crab fisheries.  For more
information, go to: www.pcouncil.org.  For information on the
Wyden-Smith buyback amendment, go to: www.wyden.senate.gov.  To
see the 5 June Seattle Post-Intelligencer report on west coast groundfish,
go to: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/73291_fish05.shtml.   

     5:23/02. PFMC MEETING TO REVIEW GROUNDFISH
MANAGEMENT: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)
will meet 17-21 June in Foster City, California (near San Francisco
International Airport). The agenda includes groundfish management,
which will likely discuss results from the meeting 3-4 June that
addressed a possible shelf closure (see Sublegals 5.23/01). The Council
meeting agenda also includes sections on highly migratory species,
marine reserves (MPAs), and coastal pelagic species. The meeting will
be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 1221 Chess Drive in Foster City.
To view the full agenda, visit the PFMC website at:
http://www.pcouncil.org/events/future.html. The Council also has new
fax and telephone numbers. The phone numbers are (503) 820-2280 or
toll-free at (866) 806-7204. The new fax number is (503) 820-2299. 
    
     5:23/03. HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE SET TO MARK-UP
MEASURE REAUTHORIZING MAGNUSON ACT; BILL INCLUDES
PROCESSOR QUOTAS:  The U.S. House of Representatives'
Resources Committee has scheduled mark-up of its bill reauthorizing
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act, 16
USC 1801 et seq., for 26 June.  The legislation, H.R. 4749, by
Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), was adopted 23 May by the
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife & Oceans.  The bill,
crafted by Subcommittee majority staff, is similar to a draft that was the
subject of a hearing on 2 May where PCFFA Executive Director Zeke
Grader testified (see Sublegals, 5:19/01). There have been no field
hearings on the west coast or any other part of the nation on this
reauthorization legislation.  All nine amendments proposed in
Subcommittee mark-up on the 23rd, both to strengthen Magnuson and
weaken it, were rejected.

    The Gilchrest bill, seen by many as a "straight reauthorization," as
opposed to the measures by Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA) and Billy
Tauzin (R-LA) to strengthen and weaken the federal fisheries act
respectively, is problematic for fishermen and fish conservation in a
number of ways.  Beside language that allows regional councils to avoid
steps aimed at reducing bycatch, the single largest problem for
organizations that represent their commercial fishermen members is the
language giving fish processors, whether or not they own fishing vessels,
a share of quota in any individual fishing quota (IFQ) program.  The
national moratorium on IFQs is set to expire in September 2002. 
PCFFA, which has called for national standards if the IFQ moratorium is
allowed to expire, has vehemently opposed processor quotas, saying
they would make fishermen into "sharecroppers." The Cape Cod Hook
Fishermen's Association states that fishermen would become
"indentured servants" under processor quotas.  More than two dozen
fishing organizations around the nation, including PCFFA, have signed a
letter opposing processor quotas.  Some fishing organizations belonging
to a group called the "Seafood Coalition" being led by the National
Fisheries Institute (NFI) and the West Coast Seafood Processors
Association, that seek to gut fish protections in the Magnuson Act,
however, have signed on to processor quotas. For more information on
the reauthorization, go to: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov; for
additional information on Magnuson reauthorization, go to:
www.conservefish.org.  

    5:23/04.  RFP FOR BALLAST WATER TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO CONTROL AQUATIC
INVASIVES: The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's
(NOAA) National Sea Grant Office, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
(USFWS), and the U.S. Maritime Administration are expected to put out
a request for proposals (RFP) for Ballast Water Technology
Demonstration Projects this week. Available resources expected include
$2.1 million and the opportunity to use certain ships of the U.S.
Maritime Administration as test platforms (though applicants need not
apply to use a Maritime Administration ship). The RFP includes detailed
information on program areas and priorities, eligibility requirements,
closing dates, evaluation factors, selection procedures, filing
instructions for applicants, limitations and conditions on grants, and
other information necessary to writing a successful proposal. A draft
copy of the RFP can be viewed at the National Sea Grant Nonindigenous
Species Research website:
http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org/research/nonindigenous.  

     5:23/05. MAINE FISH FARM SETTLES POLLUTION SUIT,
AGREES NOT TO USE GE FISH:  On 4 June, one of Maine's largest
salmon farms, Heritage Salmon Inc, agreed to a settlement over a Clean
Water Act lawsuit filed 2 years ago (See Sublegals 5:08/09; 1:19/03) by
the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).  A 5 June article in the
Portland Press Herald reported that the settlement requires the company
to abide by stricter environmental rules to prevent water pollution,
escapes and disease, as well as pay $375,000 to help save wild Atlantic
salmon. Wild salmon now exist only in 8 Maine rivers, and are so
depleted there that they are listed under the federal Endangered Species
Act (ESA) (see Sublegals 2:20/05).  The settlement deal could have
implications for Maine's $100 million salmon farming industry, which
has been plagued by pollution problems, escapes and disease (see
Sublegals 5:13/07; 5:08/09; 5:06/06; 5:02/10; 4:20/12; 3:17/06; 2:22/10).
Among other things, the settlement would prevent Heritage Salmon
from breeding European fish strains or genetically engineered (GE)
salmon (see Sublegals 5:18/06; 5:15/09; 5:09/01).  The company is also
prohibited from expanding into Penobscot Bay.  

     PIRG alleged the companies named in the lawsuit violated the
federal Clean Water Act by having no permits for discharging fish
waste, feed laced with antibiotics or raising non-native fish that could
escape into local waters. Maine's two other large salmon farmers,
Atlantic Salmon of Maine and Stolt Sea Farm, have not agreed to settle. 
As a result of the lawsuit, state regulators are formulating new permit
and operating rules to enforce Clean Water Act requirements against
salmon farms.  Federal agencies, under the ESA, are also drawing up
"4(d) Rules" to try to minimize the many adverse impacts of Maine's
salmon farms on wild Atlantic salmon.  Maine's salmon farmers have
been suffering from serious outbreaks of diseases that spread easily to
wild salmon populations.  Similar Clean Water Act suits have been filed
against other salmon farm operation in Maine, and are under
consideration elsewhere. For more of the story see:
http://www.portland.com/news/local/020605fish.shtml.

     5:23/06. ATLANTIC SALMON IN CANADA MAY FACE
EXTINCTION: In a recent report on Canada's east coast wild Atlantic
salmon conservation efforts, the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF)
concluded that several remaining populations of wild Atlantic salmon
along Canada's eastern seaboard are in serious jeopardy to the point that
extinctions are imminent or already occurring.  The ASF report blames
the Canadian government for allowing excessive harvests, and also the
fish farm industry for exposing wild stocks to pollutants and disease that
have depleted wild populations.  The ASF report, "Wild Atlantic Salmon
Report Card," considered seven issues vital to conserving the remaining
wild Atlantic salmon in Canada's and gave its Department of Fisheries
& Oceans (DFO) an overall below average grade on its conservation
efforts to date.

     North American wild Atlantic salmon populations in Canada were
recorded at around 1.75 million adults in the mid-1970's, but hit their
lowest levels at about 450,000 in 1997, a drop of more than 62 percent
in under 25 years.  Numbers remain critically low in most rivers,
according to the report, yet less than half of the Canadian rivers assessed
in the study are currently meeting minimum conservation targets, and
only 25 percent of Eastern Canada's 550 wild Atlantic salmon rivers
have healthy populations.  Maine rivers, meanwhile, met less than 2
percent of their 2001 conservation targets and wild Atlantic salmon in
that state are now listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). 
Canada still has no equivalent to the United States' Endangered Species
Act (see Sublegals, 5:19/09).  For the full report see:
http://www.asf.ca/Communications/2002/salmonreporcard2002/
index.html.

     5:23/07. FRANKENFISH BILL PASSES CALIFORNIA SENATE;
AQUA BOUNTY RUNS INTO TROUBLE IN EUROPE: On 28 May,
the California State Senate passed SB 1525 (Sher) to ban the
introduction of any transgenic fish into state waters (see Sublegals,
5:18/06; 5:15/09; 5:09/01).  The measure will be heard 18 June in the
Assembly's Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee. Aqua Bounty, the
company currently seeking U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
approval to sell its genetically-modified, or transgenic, Atlantic salmon
to net pen operations globally, and an opponent of State Senator Byron
Sher's measure, reported in an IntraFish article that it is running into 
stiff
opposition in Europe to the use or sale of its fish on the continent.  As a
result the company, which expects FDA approval for food safety later
this year, has said it will not target the European market.  A "transgenic"
animal means the genetic manipulation of a particular species by adding
genetic material from another species. Neither the National Marine
Fisheries Service nor the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have given any
indication whether they'll require FDA approval before the fish can be
utilized in fish farms in either open waters or closed systems.  For more
on this issue, go to the IFR website at: www.ifrfish.org. 

     5:23/08.  KLAMATH BIOPS REJECTED BY BUREAU OF
RECLAMATION:  In an unusual act of defiance by one federal agency
against another, on 3 June the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR)
formally rejected the Final Biological Opinions (BiOps) of both the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service (USFWS) over water levels required to be released by the
federal Klamath Irrigation Project to prevent extinction of three species
of fish, all at risk in the continuing Upper Klamath Basin water dispute
(see Sublegals 5:21/03; 5:20/09).  BOR stated in its letters that it
disagreed with the Services' "jeopardy opinions" and rejected the science
they were based on. The Bureau is attempting to rely instead on
criticisms by the National Research Council's (NRC) Klamath
Committee, published in its "Interim Report" in February of this year, of
the science underpinning requirements of additional water flows and
higher lake levels as "inconclusive" (see Sublegals 5:06/01).  However,
given that the 2002 irrigation season was already underway, BOR
decided to comply with these BiOps for this one year only, and once
again adopted only a one-year operations plan, calling for reinitiation of
consultation for 2003 and future years. The practical effect of the BOR's
rejection may be small, however, as both the BiOps called for probable
reconsultation once the final NRC Committee report is issued and the
completion of the "Hardy Phase II Flow Study" early next year. Since the
flow targets called for by NMFS would not have had to be met for
several more years, BOR's rejection of target flows in the NMFS BiOp's,
and its selective adoption of the minimal flows for this single year,
allows the Bureau to revert to flow levels that are essentially the same as
its own proposal. 

      However, even these minimal flows are probably not sufficient,
according to a 24 May letter to NMFS from the California Department
of Fish & Game (DFG), which stated: "[I]t is the opinion of the DFG that
the RPA [reasonable and prudent alternative] contained in the BiOp, if
implemented, will likely cause significant adverse direct and indirect
impacts to SONCC coho salmon and their critical habitat and to coho
and chinook salmon EFH [essential fish habitat].  Since the flows in the
RPA are so similar to those in the proposed action, at least for the first
five years or so ......the net result will likely be a significant delay in
recovery of coho salmon in the Klamath Basin."  The differences
between what NMFS has required in the past and what the Bureau wants
to provide are dramatic.  For instance, instream flows required in year
2001 to be released below Iron Gate Date for 1-15 June were 2100 cubic
feet-second (cfs).  BOR is now only releasing a little less than 1000 cfs,
or less than half the amount that NMFS determined as the "minimum to
prevent extinction" during last years drought, the worst in 72 years.  For
copies of the two Bureau letters, the 2002 Klamath Project Operations
Plan, and for the Final BiOps see: http://www.mp.usbr.gov/kbao.

   5:23/09. KLAMATH RIVER BASIN FISHERIES TASK FORCE
MEETING: The Klamath Basin Task Force will 19-20 June in
Weitchpec, California. The meeting will include a discussion of the
2002 Farm Bill appropriations for Klamath Basin Restoration,
development of recommendations on funding of the 2003 Work Plan of
the Klamath River Basin Conservation Area Restoration Program, and
member updates on Klamath River anadromous fish restoration
activities in 2002 and proposals for 2003. The Meeting will be held at
the Yurok Tribal Office on Highway 96 in Weitchpec. Members of the
public are encouraged to attend and provide recommendations to the
Task Force. For more information contact Laurie Stuart Simons at (530)
842 - 5763.

     5:23/10.  CONTROVERSY OVER POSSIBLE TIES BETWEEN
SALT POND PURCHASE AND SFO EXPANSION; LAWYER
SECRETELY WORKING FOR AIRPORT NEGOTIATING SALT
POND DEAL: Controversy surrounds a recent $100 million plan to
purchase and restore 16,500 acres of salt ponds in San Francisco Bay
and a possible tie to the proposed airport expansion for San Francisco
International (SFO) (see Sublegals, 5:08/15, 4:10/13).  The 2 June San
Francisco Chronicle reported conflicting responses to the question.  U.S.
Senator Diane Feinstein  (D-CA), California Governor Gray Davis and
Resources Secretary Mary Nichols all say the two are not linked.  State
Assemblywoman Carole Migden, however, who carried the bill,
disagrees. "Anyone who is straight will tell you the pond restoration and
the new runways are linked," said Migden.  Three days after Migden's
statement appeared in the Chronicle, state lawmakers announced that a
six-member oversight committee would look at issues surrounding the
purchase.  According to the Chronicle, this will include investigating
possible ties to the airport expansion, among other issues.  Migden's
original bill called the purchase of salt ponds a swap for expanded
runways, but that language was removed before the bill passed.
Converting the salt ponds will be expensive and Migden claims the
airport is one of the only entities able to afford it.  Airport officials 
said
they may donate $200 million if the runways are approved.  On 4 June,
the San Jose Mercury News revealed that John Martin, SFO Director,
offered $10 million last summer toward the purchase of the salt ponds,
an offer that was rejected by Senator Feinstein.  

     The federal and state governments, and three foundations, will share
the costs of the salt pond purchase, though a legally binding contract has
yet to be signed.  On 7 June, the San Jose Mercury-News reported that
Michael Mantell, the attorney who represented the foundations in the
deal, was working at the same time as a consultant to the airport
division seeking the expansion.  Feinstein and Nichols said they did not
know this.  Airport officials claim there is no connection, though they
blacked out parts of Mantell's invoices before passing them to the
Mercury-News.  Critics of the expansion say it would endanger fish
populations including Pacific salmon, herring, oysters, and Dungeness
crabs who use the area as a nursery or spawning ground (see Sublegals
4:26/01). For the San Francisco Chronicle articles go to:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/
archive/2002/06/02/BA86957.DTL,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/
2002/06/06/state1916EDT0201.DTL and
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/
2002/06/06/BA187464.DTL. 

     For the Mercury-News articles go to:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/3419898.htm,
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3396505.htm,
and also go to:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/3411838.htm. 
  
     5:23/11.  CALIFORNIA FISH & GAME COMMISSION MEETING:
The California Fish & Game Commission will meet 20-21 June at the
Lakeland Village Beach & Mountain Resort, 3535 Lake Tahoe Blvd., in
South Lake Tahoe. The meeting will include an update on the state
petition to list coho salmon. Public comments will not be accepted at
this meeting, but will be solicited for the 1 August Commission meeting
in San Luis Obispo. Agenda items also include a Department of Fish &
Game (CDFG) presentation on winter-run chinook salmon, a notice of
the Commission's intent to amend regulations regarding the commercial
herring fishery, and an update on the Marine Life Protection Act
timeline. To see the full agenda visit: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fg_comm/.

   5:23/12.  NMFS TO DECIDE ON CALIFORNIA GREEN
STURGEON LISTING THIS MONTH:  The California green sturgeon
may soon join the ranks of west coast fish species listed under the
federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), with a decision by the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) due sometime in June.  The petition
for listing was filed in June 2001 to protect the remnant sturgeon
population. The petition triggered a status review by NMFS to determine
whether or not the fish should be ESA listed.  Green sturgeon, also
known as the golden sturgeon, once roamed widely throughout the west
coast from the San Francisco Bay Delta to British Columbia, but water
quality and quantity problems have severely impacted the species, and
the petition documented an 88 percent decline in its historic range.  The
fish still spawns in the Trinity River and Klamath River of Northern
California, in the San Francisco Bay Delta and possibly in Oregon's
Rogue River Basin.  The green sturgeon, unlike other sturgeon, spawns
in cold water and gravel habitat similar to what is required for salmon
and steelhead.  Siltation by logging, dewatering of rivers, and
agricultural and land development has largely eliminated many of the
deep holes that they require. Past overfishing may also be a factor in
their declines. The fish live up to 70 years and reach 7.5 feet in length,
sometimes topping 350 pounds. For more information see the
Fishsniffer article at:
http://www.fishsniffer.com/dbachere/050302greensturgeon.html.
  
     5:23/13. ALLISON VOGT SAYS GOOD-BYE TO IFR, NEW
EDITOR FOR SUBLEGALS: Allison Vogt, who has served as editor of
Sublegals for most of the past year, left the Institute for Fisheries
Resources and PCFFA at the end of May to take some time off before
entering graduate school at the University of Georgia in August.  A
native of Kentucky and a Notre Dame University graduate, Allison first
came to the IFR offices as an Americorps Watershed Stewards
volunteer.  She stayed on after her Americorps service to work for IFR,
writing for and editing Sublegals and helping oversee various IFR
projects.  Bright, efficient and personable, both offices will miss her and
wish her well.  And, yes, IFR was her first job offer after grad school. 
Michelle Wallar, meanwhile, has picked up the reins as IFR editor.  So
now, dear readers, send your complaints and corrections, and even an
occasional compliment, to her.

NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Michelle Wallar, Editor at:
ifrfish@pacbell.net or call the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a
source at either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000
(Northwest Office). 
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