[Fishlink] ~~>SUBLEGALS 7Mar03<~~
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~~>SUBLEGALS 7Mar03<~~
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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. 07, NO. 10 7 MARCH 2003
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"The market system does not work by itself, globally or domestically.
Market outcomes are massively influenced by public policies in
education, health, credit and the law.".....Amartya Sen
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IN THIS ISSUE.......
31st Annual Legislative Fisheries Forum Set For 12
March at State Capitol in Sacramento. 7:10/01
FAO Sustainability Program Shows Success in West
African Fishing Communities. 7:10/04
Dungeness Featured in Boston Restaurants; Oregon
Trawler Nabbed For Crab Trap Losses. 7:10/07
U.S. Government Gives Itself a "B" For Salmon
Restoration After Being Flunked by SOS. 7:10/08
Bureau of Reclamation Announces Its First Big Fish
Kill For 2003. 7:10/12
AND MORE......
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7:10/01. OCEANS, SALMON RECOVERY, TRANSGENICS AND
SEAFOOD SAFETY HIGHLIGHT AGENDA FOR CALIFORNIA'S
31ST ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE FISHERIES FORUM: The California
Legislature's Annual Fisheries Forum will be held this year on
Wednesday, 12 March, at the State Capitol Building in Sacramento.
Now in its 31st consecutive year, this year's event will feature
presentations on the work of the Pew Oceans Commission and
ocean-related issues, salmon recovery, habitat restoration and
certification, the trawl and shellfish fisheries, the Fish & Game
Commission's approval of regulations for the commercialization of
genetically-modified fish (transgenic), fisheries research, consumer
issues ranging from seafood health to sustainability, and the Department
of Fish & Game (CDFG) finances in a state facing a $35 billion (US)
budget deficit. Initially established to address issues confronting
northcoast commercial fishermen, the Forum has since expanded to
cover issues statewide concerning commercial and sport fisheries and
fisheries research. Since 1981, it has been hosted by the Legislature's
Joint Committee on Fisheries & Aquaculture. The Joint Committee is
currently chaired by Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka) (see
Sublegals, 7:09/12).
The Fisheries Forum was begun in 1973 by then-Assemblyman Barry
Keene (D-Elk), at the urging of the late Bill Grader, a Fort Bragg fish
processor and Chairman at the time of the first California Citizens
Advisory Committee on Salmon & Steelhead Trout. The early forums
were chaired by Keene and the late State Senator Peter Behr
(R-Tiburon), with issues focusing on foreign fishing and extended
national fisheries jurisdiction, salmon restoration, developing
underutilized fish stocks and protecting fishing facilities along the coast.
Since that time, most of the California's major fisheries legislation has
come out of Forum discussions and PCFFA itself was formally
established at the 1976 Forum. Following Keene's election to the State
Senate, the Joint Committee was established in 1981, with Keene
heading it, until another Northcoast legislator, Assemblyman Dan
Hauser (D-Arcata), took over. Hauser continued as the head of the Joint
Committee, chairing the Forum until he was termed out. His successor
in the Assembly, Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Duncan Mills), inherited the
Chair of the Committee and held it until she left the Assembly at the end
of last year. The Forum's format is unique to the fishing industry in
California; no other industry or profession has a day set aside to discuss
with legislators in a Capitol hearing room the issues facing it. This
year's Forum will be held in Room 4203 of the State Capitol Building,
beginning at 1300 HRS. For more information, contact Mary Morgan,
Consultant to the Joint Committee at (916) 319-3823.
7:10/02. PACIFIC COUNCIL TO MEET IN SACRAMENTO: The
Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) will meet 10 - 14 March
in Sacramento, California. The Council will adopt 2003 salmon
management options for public review at the end of the week, and will
also possibly decide whether to move forward on plans to develop
recommendations for marine reserves in the federal waters in or near the
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. They will also consider
adopting recommendations for early opening dates for fisheries north of
Cape Falcon. Other fisheries to be discussed include Pacific halibut,
highly migratory species, and coastal pelagic species. For more details
and a copy of the agenda visit the PFMC website at:
http://www.pcouncil.org/events/2003/pfmc0303.html.
7:10/03. NOAA CONTRACTS TO DEVELOP TRADITIONAL
FISHERIES KNOWLEDGE PROJECT: The U.S. Department of
Commerce's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
has issued a sole source contract to the Rural School & Community
Trust for the design and implementation of the Traditional Fisheries
Knowledge Pilot Project (TFKPP). According to the NOAA notice, the
"TFKPP is an outreach project that will develop and implement a school
curriculum on fishermen's traditional knowledge of fish, fish habitat, and
other aspects of commercial and recreational fishing, designed for school
aged children (K-12). The project draws on two separate theoretical
traditions. The first is the scientific study of traditional knowledge. The
second is the successful educational model called "place-based learning,"
which works by connecting classroom activities in local schools to their
local communities through innovative curricula that get the students out
of the classroom and into their community, which then becomes the
context for learning. Student-collected traditional knowledge will be
entered into a searchable database maintained by the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The pilot project will be sited in a local fishing community school
system in Maine, piggy-backing on a successful existing project that uses
place-based learning in Washington County, Maine, developed by The
Rural School & Community Trust. The curriculum will be instituted
during the 2003-04 school year. NMFS (now also known as "NOAA
Fisheries") has an on-going interest in developing new community
outreach projects that will encourage young people to choose careers in
fisheries science and management to ensure there are sufficient new
recruits for future staffing needs. It also has an interest in improving
agency relationships with fishing communities affected by agency
regulatory activity. Further, the agency has a scientific interest in
enhancing the collection and analysis of scientific data that can be used
to support legislatively mandated assessments of fish stocks, as well as
their associated industries and communities that depend upon them to
make a living. The pilot project addresses all three needs. If the pilot is
successful, the agency will replicate it in other fishing communities
throughout the country as funds permit." For more information on this
contract, Solicitation # NFFKS-13-JMH, e-mail Janet Hannah, NOAA
Contracting Officer at: janet.m.Hannah@noaa.gov, or go to:
http://fedbizopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=20030127a87.
7:10/04. SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM SHOWS RESULTS IN
WEST AFRICAN FISHING COMMUNITIES: Halfway through a
seven-year program to get local residents more involved in managing
their fisheries, citizens of fishing communities in 25 West African
countries are already reaping benefits. The Sustainable Fisheries
Livelihood Programme (SFLP) began in 1999 as a cooperative effort
between the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO),
the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and 25
African governments. Its goal, according to the FAO, is simply to make
fishing community residents "partners in development, not just
recipients of services." They do so by providing unique local knowledge
and suggesting solutions that benefit the entire community. "Before,
concepts came from experts and consultants, but now it is the people
themselves who identify their problems, set priorities and participate in
researching the solutions," says Mohamed Moustapha Ly,
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Fisheries & Aquaculture in Guinea.
So far, SFLP has supported over 40 community projects. Their
website highlights two of those in detail. In one case a community in
Ghana decided to start cultivating trees to compensate for increasingly
scarce firewood that is required for their fish smoking ovens. In another
example a village in Guinea has been able to reduce poaching by
industrial trawlers by partnering with the national Coast Guard to
increase patrols. For more, see the FAO website at:
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/sflp1.htm.
7:10/05. GROUNDFISH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH
PROPOSALS REQUESTED: The Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission (PSMFC) has released a request for proposals for grant
money to fund groundfish research projects that will "improve the
information base for fisheries management while providing assistance to
the industry." All of the projects must show that a significant portion of
the funds are reserved for the fishing industry (e.g., 70 percent of funds
earmarked for industry participants). Some examples of research
priorities are research related to by-catch reduction, technical innovation
to improve surveys of groundfish species, technical innovation to reduce
biological impacts of certain types of gear, social economic analysis, and
viability analysis for sablefish and lingcod. Proposals are due 31 March;
to see more information, go to the PSMFC website at:
http://www.psmfc.org/RFP/index.html.
7:10/06. NMFS RELEASES BYCATCH STRATEGY
DOCUMENT; EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS ON
MAGNUSON-STEVENS ACT OVERFISHING GUIDELINES: On
Thursday, 6 March, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
published in the Federal Register the availability of its "National Bycatch
Strategy." The document is intended to provide a strategy for
implementing the recommendations that were included in the fishery
agency's 1998 report, "Managing the Nation's Bycatch." That report
contained a number of recommendations aimed at reducing the take of
non-target fish, as well as seabirds, marine mammals and turtles
occurring in some of the nation's commercial, recreational and
subsistence fisheries. A PDF copy of the strategy document is on NMFS
website at:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/bycatch_images/FINALstrategy.pdf.
NMFS has also announced it has extended the deadline for comments
on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act, 16
USC 1801 et seq., National Standard One, dealing with overfishing (see
Sublegals, 7:07/03). The current guidelines specify what criteria the
eight U.S. regional fishery councils and NMFS use to determine whether
a fish stock is subject to overfishing and to establish rebuilding
programs. The comment period has been extended to 16 April. Written
comments should be mailed to John H. Dunnigan, Director, NMFS
Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Room 13362, 1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; or faxed to: (301) 713-1193. The Federal
Register notice is at:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access
.gpo.gov/2003/03-3755.htm.
7:10/07. DUNGENESS CRAB FEATURED BY BOSTON
RESTAURANTS FOR SEAFOOD SHOW; TRAWLER NABBED IN
GULF OF FARALLONES FOR DESTROYING DUNGENESS
TRAPS: The Boston Globe reported 5 March that Pacific Coast
Dungeness crab will be featured in 33 of Boston's best seafood
restaurants during the week of 10-14 March when the Boston Seafood
Show is held. Dungeness, along with oysters and striped bass, are being
featured on the menus as examples of well-managed, abundant fish and
shellfish. The restaurant event was organized by Seafood Choices
Alliance. For more,
see:
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/064/food/Menus_to_be_altered_dur
ing_Seafood_ShowP.shtml.
California Department of Fish & Game wardens put the hurt on
Oregon trawler Jerry Hurt on Monday, 3 March at San Francisco's
Fisherman's Wharf, charging him with the destruction of Dungeness crab
traps set in the Gulf of the Farallones. For the past 4 months, Hurt,
captain of the dragger Nita H, had been running through the crab gear of
local fishermen, cutting off buoys of pots hauled up in his nets. An
agreement exists between trawlers and crabbers, negotiated by the U.S.
Coast Guard, where each fleet will operate during the crab season to
avoid gear losses. Hurt ignored requests by local crabbers, thumbing his
nose at the agreement. Losses resulting from Hurt's actions are
estimated at hundreds of traps and in the thousands of dollars. For more
on the story, see the article " Crabbers crabby over ruined traps" in the 4
March San Francisco Chronicle at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/0
3/04/BA3993.DTL.
7:10/08. U.S. GOVERNMENT GIVES ITS COLUMBIA SALMON
PLAN WORK A "B" GRADE, AFTER BEING FLUNKED BY SOS:
In a 26 February media release by the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA) on behalf of the "Federal Caucus" of federal agencies working to
implement the Columbia River Salmon Restoration Plan, the agencies
have awarded themselves a "B" grade for their own Columbia River fish
recovery efforts for the second year in a row.
The Fed's "B" grade is in reaction to and stark contrast to the Salmon
Report Card "F" failing grade issued by Save Our Wild Salmon
Coalition the same day (see Sublegals, 7:09/01). The SOS Report Card
found the federal government failing on 70 percent of the measures in its
own plan, while the Federal Caucus report (still not released) reportedly
found successful implementation in 176 of 199 actions, or 88 percent
compliance.
However, the Federal Caucus also takes credit in its press release for
the recent high salmon returns of 2002, which most fish experts attribute
primarily to favorable ocean conditions, and not to the salmon plan,
which is only two years old. Moreover, BPA reductions of instream
flows during the last two years have resulted in extremely high juvenile
and smolt out-migrant mortality, which will adversely affect future adult
returns (see Sublegals, 4:15/04; 3:24/02; 3:16/04; 3:15/10; 3:14/04;
3:11/04; 3:10/03). The BPA is also substantially cutting its salmon
recovery funds for the upcoming year (see Sublegals, 6:22/06) and BPA
and both Idaho and Montana are seeking less water for salmon to be left
in the Columbia River (see Sublegals, 6:17/09). The BPA press release
on the Federal Caucus Columbia River salmon plan implementation
efforts can be found at:
http://www.bpa.gov/Corporate/KC/home/nreleases/NewsRelease.cfm?R
eleaseNo=355. The Save Our Wild Salmon Report Card is at:
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/ReportCard.cfm.
7:10/09. COLUMBIA SALMON RECOVERY BILL
INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS: On 5 March, Representatives Jim
McDermott (D-WA) and Thomas Petri (R-WI) re-introduced the
"Salmon Planning Act (SPA)," H.R. 1097, in the 108th Congress as a
backup plan for Columbia River salmon recovery efforts. The bill would
authorize several studies to examine transportation and energy
alternatives, and to develop strategies for economic and community
transitions in the event that dam removal may ultimately be required
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to recover the Snake River's
wild salmon and steelhead. It would also provide the federal agencies
provisional authority to remove the four Snake River dams if it were
found essential to restoring Columbia salmon runs, most of which are
ESA-listed. Finally, H.R. 1097 would initiate a scientific review of the
2000 federal Salmon Plan by the National Research Council (NRC). For
more information, see:
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/salmon_plan_act.cfm. It has
bi-partisan support, with 51 co-sponsors for introduction. H.R. 1097 is a
reintroduction of H.R. 2573 from the 107th Congress, which had 89
co-sponsors but was never given a hearing. The new bill has more
momentum in this Congress, and could be an important backup position
in the event the Columbia River Salmon Restoration Plan fails through
Administration neglect or is ultimately tossed out in court. PCFFA and
many other groups have challenged the plan in court as inadequate to
ultimately restore salmon in the Columbia Basin (see Sublegals,
3:18/01). A copy of H.R. 1097 can be obtained from the Library of
Congress THOMAS site at: http://thomas.loc.gov.
7:10/10. SALMON & STEELHEAD ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING: The California Advisory Committee on Salmon &
Steelhead Trout will meet Thursday, 13 March, at the California
Department of Fish & Game's (CDFG) Native Anadromous &
Watershed Branch Conference Room, 830 "S" Street in Sacramento,
beginning at 0800 HRS. For more information, contact committee
Chairman Mitch Farro at: pcfwwra@reninet.com.
7:10/11. CDFG DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON ITS JOINT FISH
HATCHERY REVIEW AVAILABLE: The California Department of
Fish & Game released its "Public Discussion Document" on its Joint
Hatchery Review Committee (JHRC) Report Recommendations at the
2003 Salmon Informational Meeting that was held 24 February in Santa
Rosa (see Sublegals, 7:09/04). The report was prepared following a
December 2001 review of California's anadromous fish hatcheries to
evaluate the effects of hatchery operations on salmon and steelhead
populations listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In its final
report, the JHRC has made 13 recommendations and several more that
were specific to individual hatcheries. While the report has generally
been well received, some of its recommendations have received severe
criticism. The harshest criticism has been the report's failure at the
outset to call for a baseline genetic research program to determine
whether there are identifiable populations within the four runs of
chinook salmon in the Central Valley and, if so, are those identifiable
populations being affected by hatchery fish or the straying of hatchery
fish. Critics have felt that this genetic research is fundamental prior to
making a number of recommendations
The most controversial of the recommendations was one to consider
suspending the trucking of Feather River, Nimbus and Mokelumne River
hatchery fish for release in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This
program was established to gain better survival of these fish by taking
them around the Delta pumps for release. Releasing off-site also
minimized impacts on juvenile natural stocks in the river. The concern
of the JHRC with trucking was the increase of straying by the returning
spawners. It may, however, be possible to raft the young fish from the
hatcheries to the Delta to get them around the pumps while still
imprinting to the hatchery site (thus reducing the incidence of straying).
To see the report, go to CDFG's website at: www.dfg.ca.gov, click on
Fish Hatcheries, then Hatchery Review Report.
7:10/12. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST
FISH KILL OF 2003: On 5 March, the Sacramento Bee reported that at
least 10,000 juvenile fall-run chinook salmon and steelhead died as a
result of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) cutting back water
flows to the American River from Folsom Dam. The American River is
a tributary of the Sacramento River. According to the California
Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), there are 100,000s of juvenile
salmonids now hanging out in the river's side-channels and particularly
vulnerable to drops in river flow. The reduced flows also can expose
salmon "redds" in the river, drying them out and ruining them. "This
could be a sad prologue for events looming in the Klamath River, where
the Bureau of Reclamation has already reduced flows at the Iron Gate
dam to 908 cubic feet per second" (CFS), said Tim McKay of the
Northcoast Environmental Center, a co-plaintiff with PCFFA and IFR
against BOR for failing to release Klamath water necessary for salmon
survival (see Sublegals, 7:09/03; 6:18/01; 6:18/02; 6:18/03; 6:17/06;
6:16/01; 6:15/01; 6:14/01; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09; 5:23/08; 5:21/03;
5:20/09; 5:18/01; 5:17/02). To see the Sacramento Bee article, go to:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/6218855p-7173461c.html.
7:10/13. ATLANTIC SALMON ESCAPES HIGHER THAN B.C.
GOVERNMENT CLAIMS: New research shows that Atlantic salmon
are escaping from their British Columbia farms at an alarming rate and
putting native species at risk. Dr. John Volpe, a University of Alaska
fisheries ecologist in the Faculty of Science, published the paper in the
journal Alaska Fishery Research Bulletin. Volpe and his research team
recorded the number of Atlantic salmon caught by commercial salmon
fishermen for the entire 2000 commercial salmon fishing area in a region
off northeastern Vancouver Island. During the 17 days of commercial
fishing activity, Volpe recorded the capture of 10,826 Atlantic salmon by
249 different vessels. These figures are 40.8 percent higher than the
numbers published by the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans
(DFO). In 1998, Volpe confirmed that Atlantic salmon, having escaped
from B.C. salmon farms, had successfully reproduced in a Vancouver
Island river. In light of these findings, Volpe is launching a new
initiative that calls for full reporting of captured Atlantics and that will
allow his research team to access biological samples of these fish. For
more information, go to: http://www.escapedatlantics.com.
7:10/14. B.C. MUST RESEARCH FISH DISEASE: A recently
released Canadian government white paper states that British Columbia
needs a veterinary research center to manage fish health if it hopes to
minimize diseases threatening wild and farm salmon in the marine
environment. The paper's recommendation arises from a workshop
earlier this year that focused on health risks to salmon from a viral
disease known as IHN (Infectious Hematopoeitic Necrosis) that has
infected fish farms, particularly those raising Atlantic salmon. IHN is
endemic among wild salmon on the B.C. coast. The disease has cost the
farm fish industry an estimated several million dollars. One B.C. salmon
farm in the controversy ridden Broughton Archipelago (see Sublegals,
7:09:08) is currently dealing with an IHN outbreak and as a result is
harvesting under-sized fish to avoid a financial wipeout. The frequency
and severity of outbreaks among farmed Atlantic salmon has raised
concern that the farms may be serving as vectors for the disease and
heightening the risk of infection for wild fish. There is also the question
of how to dispose of the infected carcasses, since the farms are not
equipped to disinfect wastewater. Last year, a fish farm attempted to
dispose of the carcasses by dumping them in the ocean. The Science
Council of British Columbia announced in January a call for research
proposals to investigate IHN. For more information, go to:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=ED0B3C
7B-E497-44EC-9013-0E2122D53403.
7:10/15. U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION SEEKS
INFORMATION FROM FISHING INDUSTRY ON ADVERSE
IMPACTS FROM TRADE AGREEMENTS: The U.S. International
Trade Commission has been asked to provide the U.S. Senate and House
of Representatives with a report on the effectiveness of trade agreements
to which the United States is a party. As part of that report the
Commission is seeking information from the fishing industry on how it
has been affected by trade agreements such as the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO),
or may be impacted by the recently negotiated U.S.-Chile Free Trade
Agreement. Public comments are being solicited on the economic
impacts of any or all of the following (in order of their date of
implementation): the Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations;
the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement; the U.S.-Canada Free Trade
Agreement; the North American Free Trade Agreement; and the
Uruguay Round Agreements. Opinions, experiences, etc., from
"interested parties" (business, labor, consumers, NGOs, and others) are
welcome; all communications (except business confidential information)
will be made available to the Congress. More information on the
investigation and how to participate may be found in the Federal
Register notice at: http://www.usitc.gov/sec/I0225AA1.PDF.
The deadline for written submissions is 31 March.
**********
Paying Attention? The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation just announced
its first fish kill of 2003. How has BOR managed to kill the fish this
time; where and how did the year's first big kill occur?
A) By disposing of the carcasses of IHN-infected Atlantic salmon that
BOR was planting in Trinity Lake for a sport fishery, into the river
below Lewiston Dam, and killing 23,700 coho.
B) By cutting back releases from Folsom Dam, drying up redds and
juvenile chinook and steelhead in the American River below the dam.
C) Through a BOR experiment to determine whether 1.2 million
juvenile chinook from the upper Columbia River could make it
downstream on their own without barging or changing the dam
operations (after giving itself a "B" for salmon restoration).
D) By releasing wastewater with high concentrations of selenium and
pesticides from the Westlands Water District through a temporary
pipeline into the San Joaquin River to see if fish could survive; they
couldn't.
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org.
And the Winner is......last week's winner was Bob Vadas, who
correctly answered: "C) The Bush Administration has been given a
failing grade for a second consecutive year for its plan to recover
Columbia and Snake River salmon by 'Relying too heavily on measures
that have, at best, a poor track record of success.'" He receives an
"Order of the Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shirt with the
cuddly Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, Editor at:
sublegals@ifrfish.org, 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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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT=
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LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES <BR=
>
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S<BR>
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ASSOCIATIONS<BR>
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VOL. 07, NO. 10 =
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##########################################################<BR>
"The market system does not work by itself, globally or domestically. <BR>
Market outcomes are massively influenced by public policies in<BR>
education, health, credit and the law.".....Amartya Sen<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
IN THIS ISSUE.......<BR>
<BR>
31st Annual Legislative Fisheries Forum Set For 12 <BR>
March at State Capitol in Sacramento. 7:10/01<BR>
<BR>
FAO Sustainability Program Shows Success in West <BR>
African Fishing Communities. 7:10/04<BR>
<BR>
Dungeness Featured in Boston Restaurants; Oregon <BR>
Trawler Nabbed For Crab Trap Losses. 7:10/07<BR>
<BR>
U.S. Government Gives Itself a "B" For Salmon <BR>
Restoration After Being Flunked by SOS. 7:10/08<BR>
<BR>
Bureau of Reclamation Announces Its First Big Fish <BR>
Kill For 2003. 7:10/12<BR>
<BR>
AND MORE......<BR>
########################################################## <BR>
<BR>
7:10/01. OCEANS, SALMON RECOVERY, TRANSGENICS AND<B=
R>
SEAFOOD SAFETY HIGHLIGHT AGENDA FOR CALIFORNIA'S<BR>
31ST ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE FISHERIES FORUM: The California<BR>
Legislature's Annual Fisheries Forum will be held this year on<BR>
Wednesday, 12 March, at the State Capitol Building in Sacramento. <BR>
Now in its 31st consecutive year, this year's event will feature<BR>
presentations on the work of the Pew Oceans Commission and<BR>
ocean-related issues, salmon recovery, habitat restoration and<BR>
certification, the trawl and shellfish fisheries, the Fish & Game<BR>
Commission's approval of regulations for the commercialization of<BR>
genetically-modified fish (transgenic), fisheries research, consumer<BR>
issues ranging from seafood health to sustainability, and the Department<BR>
of Fish & Game (CDFG) finances in a state facing a $35 billion (US)<BR>
budget deficit. Initially established to address issues confronting<BR>
northcoast commercial fishermen, the Forum has since expanded to<BR>
cover issues statewide concerning commercial and sport fisheries and<BR>
fisheries research. Since 1981, it has been hosted by the Legislature's<BR>
Joint Committee on Fisheries & Aquaculture. The Joint Committee is<BR>
currently chaired by Assemblywoman Patty Berg (D-Eureka) (see<BR>
Sublegals, 7:09/12).<BR>
<BR>
The Fisheries Forum was begun in 1973 by then-Assem=
blyman Barry<BR>
Keene (D-Elk), at the urging of the late Bill Grader, a Fort Bragg fish<BR>
processor and Chairman at the time of the first California Citizens<BR>
Advisory Committee on Salmon & Steelhead Trout. The early forums<BR>
were chaired by Keene and the late State Senator Peter Behr<BR>
(R-Tiburon), with issues focusing on foreign fishing and extended<BR>
national fisheries jurisdiction, salmon restoration, developing<BR>
underutilized fish stocks and protecting fishing facilities along the coast.=
<BR>
Since that time, most of the California's major fisheries legislation has<BR=
>
come out of Forum discussions and PCFFA itself was formally<BR>
established at the 1976 Forum. Following Keene's election to the State=
<BR>
Senate, the Joint Committee was established in 1981, with Keene<BR>
heading it, until another Northcoast legislator, Assemblyman Dan<BR>
Hauser (D-Arcata), took over. Hauser continued as the head of the Join=
t<BR>
Committee, chairing the Forum until he was termed out. His successor<B=
R>
in the Assembly, Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Duncan Mills), inherited the<BR>
Chair of the Committee and held it until she left the Assembly at the end<BR=
>
of last year. The Forum's format is unique to the fishing industry in<BR>
California; no other industry or profession has a day set aside to discuss<B=
R>
with legislators in a Capitol hearing room the issues facing it. This<=
BR>
year's Forum will be held in Room 4203 of the State Capitol Building,<BR>
beginning at 1300 HRS. For more information, contact Mary Morgan,<BR>
Consultant to the Joint Committee at (916) 319-3823.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/02. PACIFIC COUNCIL TO MEET IN SACRAMENTO: The=
<BR>
Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) will meet 10 - 14 March<BR>
in Sacramento, California. The Council will adopt 2003 salmon<BR>
management options for public review at the end of the week, and will<BR>
also possibly decide whether to move forward on plans to develop<BR>
recommendations for marine reserves in the federal waters in or near the<BR>
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. They will also consider<BR>
adopting recommendations for early opening dates for fisheries north of<BR>
Cape Falcon. Other fisheries to be discussed include Pacific halibut,<BR>
highly migratory species, and coastal pelagic species. For more details<BR>
and a copy of the agenda visit the PFMC website at:<BR>
http://www.pcouncil.org/events/2003/pfmc0303.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/03. NOAA CONTRACTS TO DEVELOP TRADITIONA=
L<BR>
FISHERIES KNOWLEDGE PROJECT: The U.S. Department of<BR>
Commerce's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)<BR>
has issued a sole source contract to the Rural School & Community<BR>
Trust for the design and implementation of the Traditional Fisheries<BR>
Knowledge Pilot Project (TFKPP). According to the NOAA notice, the<BR>
"TFKPP is an outreach project that will develop and implement a school<BR>
curriculum on fishermen's traditional knowledge of fish, fish habitat, and<B=
R>
other aspects of commercial and recreational fishing, designed for school<BR=
>
aged children (K-12). The project draws on two separate theoretical<BR>
traditions. The first is the scientific study of traditional knowledge. The<=
BR>
second is the successful educational model called "place-based learning,"<BR=
>
which works by connecting classroom activities in local schools to their<BR>
local communities through innovative curricula that get the students o=
ut<BR>
of the classroom and into their community, which then becomes the<BR>
context for learning. Student-collected traditional knowledge will be<BR>
entered into a searchable database maintained by the National Marine<BR>
Fisheries Service (NMFS). <BR>
<BR>
The pilot project will be sited in a local fishing=20=
community school<BR>
system in Maine, piggy-backing on a successful existing project that uses<BR=
>
place-based learning in Washington County, Maine, developed by The<BR>
Rural School & Community Trust. The curriculum will be instituted<BR>
during the 2003-04 school year. NMFS (now also known as "NOAA<BR>
Fisheries") has an on-going interest in developing new community<BR>
outreach projects that will encourage young people to choose careers in<BR>
fisheries science and management to ensure there are sufficient new<BR>
recruits for future staffing needs. It also has an interest in improving<BR>
agency relationships with fishing communities affected by agency<BR>
regulatory activity. Further, the agency has a scientific interest in<BR>
enhancing the collection and analysis of scientific data that can be used<BR=
>
to support legislatively mandated assessments of fish stocks, as well as<BR>
their associated industries and communities that depend upon them to<BR>
make a living. The pilot project addresses all three needs. If the pilot is<=
BR>
successful, the agency will replicate it in other fishing communities<BR>
throughout the country as funds permit." For more information on this<BR>
contract, Solicitation # NFFKS-13-JMH, e-mail Janet Hannah, NOAA<BR>
Contracting Officer at: janet.m.Hannah@noaa.gov, or go to:<BR>
http://fedbizopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=3D20030127a87. <BR>
<BR>
7:10/04. SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM SHOWS RESULTS IN<BR=
>
WEST AFRICAN FISHING COMMUNITIES: Halfway through a<BR>
seven-year program to get local residents more involved in managing<BR>
their fisheries, citizens of fishing communities in 25 West African<BR>
countries are already reaping benefits. The Sustainable Fisheries<BR>
Livelihood Programme (SFLP) began in 1999 as a cooperative effort<BR>
between the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO),<BR>
the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and 25<BR>
African governments. Its goal, according to the FAO, is simply to make=
<BR>
fishing community residents "partners in development, not just<BR>
recipients of services." They do so by providing unique local knowledg=
e<BR>
and suggesting solutions that benefit the entire community. "Before,<B=
R>
concepts came from experts and consultants, but now it is the people<BR>
themselves who identify their problems, set priorities and participate in<BR=
>
researching the solutions," says Mohamed Moustapha Ly,<BR>
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Fisheries & Aquaculture in Guinea.&=
nbsp; <BR>
<BR>
So far, SFLP has supported over 40 community projec=
ts. Their<BR>
website highlights two of those in detail. In one case a community in<=
BR>
Ghana decided to start cultivating trees to compensate for increasingly<BR>
scarce firewood that is required for their fish smoking ovens. In anot=
her<BR>
example a village in Guinea has been able to reduce poaching by<BR>
industrial trawlers by partnering with the national Coast Guard to<BR>
increase patrols. For more, see the FAO website at:<BR>
http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/sflp1.htm.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/05. GROUNDFISH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH<BR>
PROPOSALS REQUESTED: The Pacific States Marine Fisheries<BR>
Commission (PSMFC) has released a request for proposals for grant<BR>
money to fund groundfish research projects that will "improve the<BR>
information base for fisheries management while providing assistance to<BR>
the industry." All of the projects must show that a significant portion of<B=
R>
the funds are reserved for the fishing industry (e.g., 70 percent of funds<B=
R>
earmarked for industry participants). Some examples of research<BR>
priorities are research related to by-catch reduction, technical innovation<=
BR>
to improve surveys of groundfish species, technical innovation to reduce<BR>
biological impacts of certain types of gear, social economic analysis, and<B=
R>
viability analysis for sablefish and lingcod. Proposals are due 31 March;<BR=
>
to see more information, go to the PSMFC website at:<BR>
http://www.psmfc.org/RFP/index.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/06. NMFS RELEASES BYCATCH STRATEGY<BR>
DOCUMENT; EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS ON<BR>
MAGNUSON-STEVENS ACT OVERFISHING GUIDELINES: On<BR>
Thursday, 6 March, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)<BR>
published in the Federal Register the availability of its "National Bycatch<=
BR>
Strategy." The document is intended to provide a strategy for<BR>
implementing the recommendations that were included in the fishery<BR>
agency's 1998 report, "Managing the Nation's Bycatch." That report<BR>
contained a number of recommendations aimed at reducing the take of<BR>
non-target fish, as well as seabirds, marine mammals and turtles<BR>
occurring in some of the nation's commercial, recreational and<BR>
subsistence fisheries. A PDF copy of the strategy document is on NMFS<BR>
website at:<BR>
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/bycatch_images/FINALstrategy.pdf. <BR>
<BR>
NMFS has also announced it has extended the deadlin=
e for comments<BR>
on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act, 16<BR>
USC 1801 et seq., National Standard One, dealing with overfishing (see<BR>
Sublegals, 7:07/03). The current guidelines specify what criteria the<BR>
eight U.S. regional fishery councils and NMFS use to determine whether<BR>
a fish stock is subject to overfishing and to establish rebuilding<BR>
programs. The comment period has been extended to 16 April. Written<BR>
comments should be mailed to John H. Dunnigan, Director, NMFS<BR>
Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Room 13362, 1315 East-West Highway,<BR>
Silver Spring, MD 20910; or faxed to: (301) 713-1193. The Federal<BR>
Register notice is at:<BR>
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access<BR>
.gpo.gov/2003/03-3755.htm. <BR>
<BR>
7:10/07. DUNGENESS CRAB FEATURED BY BOSTON<BR>
RESTAURANTS FOR SEAFOOD SHOW; TRAWLER NABBED IN<BR>
GULF OF FARALLONES FOR DESTROYING DUNGENESS<BR>
TRAPS: The Boston Globe reported 5 March that Pacific Coast<BR>
Dungeness crab will be featured in 33 of Boston's best seafood<BR>
restaurants during the week of 10-14 March when the Boston Seafood<BR>
Show is held. Dungeness, along with oysters and striped bass, are being<BR>
featured on the menus as examples of well-managed, abundant fish and<BR>
shellfish. The restaurant event was organized by Seafood Choices<BR>
Alliance. For more,<BR>
see:<BR>
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/064/food/Menus_to_be_altered_dur<BR>
ing_Seafood_ShowP.shtml. <BR>
California Department of Fish & Game wardens pu=
t the hurt on<BR>
Oregon trawler Jerry Hurt on Monday, 3 March at San Francisco's<BR>
Fisherman's Wharf, charging him with the destruction of Dungeness crab<BR>
traps set in the Gulf of the Farallones. For the past 4 months, Hurt,<=
BR>
captain of the dragger Nita H, had been running through the crab gear of<BR>
local fishermen, cutting off buoys of pots hauled up in his nets. An<BR>
agreement exists between trawlers and crabbers, negotiated by the U.S.<BR>
Coast Guard, where each fleet will operate during the crab season to<BR>
avoid gear losses. Hurt ignored requests by local crabbers, thumbing h=
is<BR>
nose at the agreement. Losses resulting from Hurt's actions are<BR>
estimated at hundreds of traps and in the thousands of dollars. For more<BR>
on the story, see the article " Crabbers crabby over ruined traps" in the 4<=
BR>
March San Francisco Chronicle at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/0<B=
R>
3/04/BA3993.DTL.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/08. U.S. GOVERNMENT GIVES ITS COLUMBIA S=
ALMON<BR>
PLAN WORK A "B" GRADE, AFTER BEING FLUNKED BY SOS: <BR>
In a 26 February media release by the Bonneville Power Administration<BR>
(BPA) on behalf of the "Federal Caucus" of federal agencies working to<BR>
implement the Columbia River Salmon Restoration Plan, the agencies<BR>
have awarded themselves a "B" grade for their own Columbia River fish<BR>
recovery efforts for the second year in a row.<BR>
<BR>
The Fed's "B" grade is in reaction to and stark con=
trast to the Salmon<BR>
Report Card "F" failing grade issued by Save Our Wild Salmon<BR>
Coalition the same day (see Sublegals, 7:09/01). The SOS Report Card<BR>
found the federal government failing on 70 percent of the measures in its<BR=
>
own plan, while the Federal Caucus report (still not released) reportedly<BR=
>
found successful implementation in 176 of 199 actions, or 88 percent<BR>
compliance. <BR>
<BR>
However, the Federal Caucus also takes credit in it=
s press release for<BR>
the recent high salmon returns of 2002, which most fish experts attribute<BR=
>
primarily to favorable ocean conditions, and not to the salmon plan,<BR>
which is only two years old. Moreover, BPA reductions of instream<BR>
flows during the last two years have resulted in extremely high juvenile<BR>
and smolt out-migrant mortality, which will adversely affect future adult<BR=
>
returns (see Sublegals, 4:15/04; 3:24/02; 3:16/04; 3:15/10; 3:14/04;<BR>
3:11/04; 3:10/03). The BPA is also substantially cutting its salmon<BR=
>
recovery funds for the upcoming year (see Sublegals, 6:22/06) and BPA<BR>
and both Idaho and Montana are seeking less water for salmon to be left<BR>
in the Columbia River (see Sublegals, 6:17/09). The BPA press release<=
BR>
on the Federal Caucus Columbia River salmon plan implementation<BR>
efforts can be found at:<BR>
http://www.bpa.gov/Corporate/KC/home/nreleases/NewsRelease.cfm?R<BR>
eleaseNo=3D355. The Save Our Wild Salmon Report Card is at:<BR>
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/ReportCard.cfm.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/09. COLUMBIA SALMON RECOVERY BILL<BR>
INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS: On 5 March, Representatives Jim<BR>
McDermott (D-WA) and Thomas Petri (R-WI) re-introduced the<BR>
"Salmon Planning Act (SPA)," H.R. 1097, in the 108th Congress as a<BR>
backup plan for Columbia River salmon recovery efforts. The bill would<BR>
authorize several studies to examine transportation and energy<BR>
alternatives, and to develop strategies for economic and community<BR>
transitions in the event that dam removal may ultimately be required<BR>
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to recover the Snake River's<BR>
wild salmon and steelhead. It would also provide the federal agencies<BR>
provisional authority to remove the four Snake River dams if it were<BR>
found essential to restoring Columbia salmon runs, most of which are<BR>
ESA-listed. Finally, H.R. 1097 would initiate a scientific review of the<BR>
2000 federal Salmon Plan by the National Research Council (NRC). For<B=
R>
more information, see:<BR>
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/salmon_plan_act.cfm. It has<BR>
bi-partisan support, with 51 co-sponsors for introduction. H.R. 1097 i=
s a<BR>
reintroduction of H.R. 2573 from the 107th Congress, which had 89<BR>
co-sponsors but was never given a hearing. The new bill has more<BR>
momentum in this Congress, and could be an important backup position<BR>
in the event the Columbia River Salmon Restoration Plan fails through<BR>
Administration neglect or is ultimately tossed out in court. PCFFA and=
<BR>
many other groups have challenged the plan in court as inadequate to<BR>
ultimately restore salmon in the Columbia Basin (see Sublegals,<BR>
3:18/01). A copy of H.R. 1097 can be obtained from the Library of<BR>
Congress THOMAS site at: http://thomas.loc.gov.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/10. SALMON & STEELHEAD ADVISORY COMMITTEE<=
BR>
MEETING: The California Advisory Committee on Salmon &<BR>
Steelhead Trout will meet Thursday, 13 March, at the California<BR>
Department of Fish & Game's (CDFG) Native Anadromous &<BR>
Watershed Branch Conference Room, 830 "S" Street in Sacramento,<BR>
beginning at 0800 HRS. For more information, contact committee<BR>
Chairman Mitch Farro at: pcfwwra@reninet.com. <BR>
<BR>
7:10/11. CDFG DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON ITS JOINT FISH=
<BR>
HATCHERY REVIEW AVAILABLE: The California Department of<BR>
Fish & Game released its "Public Discussion Document" on its Joint<BR>
Hatchery Review Committee (JHRC) Report Recommendations at the<BR>
2003 Salmon Informational Meeting that was held 24 February in Santa<BR>
Rosa (see Sublegals, 7:09/04). The report was prepared following a<BR>
December 2001 review of California's anadromous fish hatcheries to<BR>
evaluate the effects of hatchery operations on salmon and steelhead<BR>
populations listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In its fina=
l<BR>
report, the JHRC has made 13 recommendations and several more that<BR>
were specific to individual hatcheries. While the report has generally<BR>
been well received, some of its recommendations have received severe<BR>
criticism. The harshest criticism has been the report's failure at the=
<BR>
outset to call for a baseline genetic research program to determine<BR>
whether there are identifiable populations within the four runs of<BR>
chinook salmon in the Central Valley and, if so, are those identifiable<BR>
populations being affected by hatchery fish or the straying of hatchery<BR>
fish. Critics have felt that this genetic research is fundamental prio=
r to<BR>
making a number of recommendations<BR>
<BR>
The most controversial of the recommendations was o=
ne to consider<BR>
suspending the trucking of Feather River, Nimbus and Mokelumne River<BR>
hatchery fish for release in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This<BR>
program was established to gain better survival of these fish by taking<BR>
them around the Delta pumps for release. Releasing off-site also<BR>
minimized impacts on juvenile natural stocks in the river. The concern<BR>
of the JHRC with trucking was the increase of straying by the returning<BR>
spawners. It may, however, be possible to raft the young fish from the<BR>
hatcheries to the Delta to get them around the pumps while still<BR>
imprinting to the hatchery site (thus reducing the incidence of straying).<B=
R>
To see the report, go to CDFG's website at: www.dfg.ca.gov, click on<BR>
Fish Hatcheries, then Hatchery Review Report. <BR>
<BR>
7:10/12. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST<=
BR>
FISH KILL OF 2003: On 5 March, the Sacramento Bee reported that at<BR>
least 10,000 juvenile fall-run chinook salmon and steelhead died as a<BR>
result of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) cutting back water<BR>
flows to the American River from Folsom Dam. The American River is<BR>
a tributary of the Sacramento River. According to the California<BR>
Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), there are 100,000s of juvenile<BR>
salmonids now hanging out in the river's side-channels and particularly<BR>
vulnerable to drops in river flow. The reduced flows also can expose<BR>
salmon "redds" in the river, drying them out and ruining them. "This<B=
R>
could be a sad prologue for events looming in the Klamath River, where<BR>
the Bureau of Reclamation has already reduced flows at the Iron Gate<BR>
dam to 908 cubic feet per second" (CFS), said Tim McKay of the<BR>
Northcoast Environmental Center, a co-plaintiff with PCFFA and IFR<BR>
against BOR for failing to release Klamath water necessary for salmon<BR>
survival (see Sublegals, 7:09/03; 6:18/01; 6:18/02; 6:18/03; 6:17/06;<BR>
6:16/01; 6:15/01; 6:14/01; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09; 5:23/08; 5:21/03;<BR>
5:20/09; 5:18/01; 5:17/02). To see the Sacramento Bee article, go to:<=
BR>
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/6218855p-7173461c.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:10/13. ATLANTIC SALMON ESCAPES HIGHER THAN B.C.<B=
R>
GOVERNMENT CLAIMS: New research shows that Atlantic salmon<BR>
are escaping from their British Columbia farms at an alarming rate and<BR>
putting native species at risk. Dr. John Volpe, a University of Alaska<BR>
fisheries ecologist in the Faculty of Science, published the paper in the<BR=
>
journal Alaska Fishery Research Bulletin. Volpe and his research team<BR>
recorded the number of Atlantic salmon caught by commercial salmon<BR>
fishermen for the entire 2000 commercial salmon fishing area in a region<BR>
off northeastern Vancouver Island. During the 17 days of commercial<BR>
fishing activity, Volpe recorded the capture of 10,826 Atlantic salmon by<BR=
>
249 different vessels. These figures are 40.8 percent higher than the<BR>
numbers published by the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans<BR>
(DFO). In 1998, Volpe confirmed that Atlantic salmon, having escaped<BR>
from B.C. salmon farms, had successfully reproduced in a Vancouver<BR>
Island river. In light of these findings, Volpe is launching a new<BR>
initiative that calls for full reporting of captured Atlantics and that will=
<BR>
allow his research team to access biological samples of these fish. For<BR>
more information, go to: http://www.escapedatlantics.com. <BR>
<BR>
7:10/14. B.C. MUST RESEARCH FISH DISEASE: A recentl=
y<BR>
released Canadian government white paper states that British Columbia<BR>
needs a veterinary research center to manage fish health if it hopes to<BR>
minimize diseases threatening wild and farm salmon in the marine<BR>
environment. The paper's recommendation arises from a workshop<BR>
earlier this year that focused on health risks to salmon from a viral<BR>
disease known as IHN (Infectious Hematopoeitic Necrosis) that has<BR>
infected fish farms, particularly those raising Atlantic salmon. IHN is<BR>
endemic among wild salmon on the B.C. coast. The disease has cost the<BR>
farm fish industry an estimated several million dollars. One B.C. salmon<BR>
farm in the controversy ridden Broughton Archipelago (see Sublegals,<BR>
7:09:08) is currently dealing with an IHN outbreak and as a result is<BR>
harvesting under-sized fish to avoid a financial wipeout. The frequency<BR>
and severity of outbreaks among farmed Atlantic salmon has raised<BR>
concern that the farms may be serving as vectors for the disease and<BR>
heightening the risk of infection for wild fish. There is also the question<=
BR>
of how to dispose of the infected carcasses, since the farms are not<BR>
equipped to disinfect wastewater. Last year, a fish farm attempted to<BR>
dispose of the carcasses by dumping them in the ocean. The Science<BR>
Council of British Columbia announced in January a call for research<BR>
proposals to investigate IHN. For more information, go to:<BR>
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=3DED0B3C<BR>
7B-E497-44EC-9013-0E2122D53403. &nb=
sp; &=
nbsp;  =
; &nb=
sp; <BR>
<BR>
7:10/15. U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION SEEKS<=
BR>
INFORMATION FROM FISHING INDUSTRY ON ADVERSE<BR>
IMPACTS FROM TRADE AGREEMENTS: The U.S. International<BR>
Trade Commission has been asked to provide the U.S. Senate and House<BR>
of Representatives with a report on the effectiveness of trade agreements<BR=
>
to which the United States is a party. As part of that report the<BR>
Commission is seeking information from the fishing industry on how it<BR>
has been affected by trade agreements such as the North American Free<BR>
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO),<BR>
or may be impacted by the recently negotiated U.S.-Chile Free Trade<BR>
Agreement. Public comments are being solicited on the economic<BR>
impacts of any or all of the following (in order of their date of<BR>
implementation): the Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations;<B=
R>
the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement; the U.S.-Canada Free Trade<BR>
Agreement; the North American Free Trade Agreement; and the<BR>
Uruguay Round Agreements. Opinions, experiences, etc., from<BR>
"interested parties" (business, labor, consumers, NGOs, and others) are<BR>
welcome; all communications (except business confidential information)<BR>
will be made available to the Congress. More information on the<BR>
investigation and how to participate may be found in the Federal<BR>
Register notice at: http://www.usitc.gov/sec/I0225AA1.PDF. <BR>
The deadline for written submissions is 31 March. <BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
**********<BR>
Paying Attention? The U.S. Bureau of Reclamat=
ion just announced<BR>
its first fish kill of 2003. How has BOR managed to kill the fish this<BR>
time; where and how did the year's first big kill occur?<BR>
<BR>
A) By disposing of the carcasses of IHN-infected Atlantic salmon that<BR>
BOR was planting in Trinity Lake for a sport fishery, into the river<BR>
below Lewiston Dam, and killing 23,700 coho.<BR>
<BR>
B) By cutting back releases from Folsom Dam, drying up redds and<BR>
juvenile chinook and steelhead in the American River below the dam.<BR>
<BR>
C) Through a BOR experiment to determine whether 1.2 million<BR>
juvenile chinook from the upper Columbia River could make it<BR>
downstream on their own without barging or changing the dam<BR>
operations (after giving itself a "B" for salmon restoration).<BR>
<BR>
D) By releasing wastewater with high concentrations of selenium and<BR>
pesticides from the Westlands Water District through a temporary<BR>
pipeline into the San Joaquin River to see if fish could survive; they<BR>
couldn't.<BR>
<BR>
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. <BR>
<BR>
And the Winner is......last week's winner was Bob V=
adas, who<BR>
correctly answered: "C) The Bush Administration has been given a<BR>
failing grade for a second consecutive year for its plan to recover<BR>
Columbia and Snake River salmon by 'Relying too heavily on measures<BR>
that have, at best, a poor track record of success.'" He receive=
s an<BR>
"Order of the Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shirt with the<BR>
cuddly Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.<BR>
<BR>
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,<BR>
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