[Fishlink] ~~>SUBLEGALS 06June03<~~
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~~>SUBLEGALS 06June03<~~
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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. 23 6 JUNE 2003
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"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his
government."..... Edward Abbey
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IN THIS ISSUE.......
Pew Oceans Commission Report Released on 4 June. 7:23/01.
Russia Plans to Double Fish Catches. 7:23/03.
Victory For Salmon - Ninth Circuit Overturns Wanger
on CVPIA Fish Water. 7:23/07.
Palo Alto Pulls Out of Trinity River Record of Decision
Lawsuit. 7:23/08.
IFR/NOAA Request For Proposals For San Francisco Bay
Restoration Extended to 20 June. 7:23/12.
AND MORE.......
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7:23/01. PEW OCEANS COMMISSION REPORT UNVEILED:
The Pew Oceans Commission released its long-awaited report,
"America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change," at a 4
June press briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, DC (see
Sublegals, 7:20/09; 7:08/02). The 144-page report is the first
comprehensive review of U.S. oceans policy since the release of the
Stratton Commission Report in 1969. The Oceans Commission report is
the culmination of a three-year nationwide independent study of U.S.
ocean policy. The 18-member blue ribbon panel included scientists,
fishermen, conservationists, elected leaders, and business officials from
across the country. PCFFA President Pietro Parravano was one of two
commercial fishermen representatives on the Commission that was
chaired by former California Congressman and White House Chief of
Staff Leon Panetta.
"There is consensus that our oceans are in crisis and that reforms are
essential," said Panetta. In its report, the Commission calls for
immediate reform of U.S. ocean laws and policies and recommends a
change in governance including the removal of the National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which was created following
recommendations of the Stratton Commission, from the Department of
Commerce and placing it with other ocean related agencies (e.g.,
Minerals Management Service) into a "Department of Oceans." NOAA
agencies include the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the
National Ocean Service and the National Weather Service, among
others. The report calls for new conservation measures that view the
ocean as a public trust, "rather than a limitless resource to be extracted
from." It recommends the creation of a National Ocean Policy Act,
regional ocean ecosystems boards to oversee and enforce regional
ecosystem-based management, an independent oceans agency to
streamline federal management, and a permanent federal interagency
ocean council.
Much of the focus of the Oceans Commission report was on pollution
and habitat degradation, including that emanating from land sources.
The commission held numerous meetings across the nation during the
three-year preparation of the report from Maine to Hawaii, Alaska to
New Orleans, California to the Carolinas, including one in Des Moines,
Iowa in America's heartland. In addition to forums with scientists, local
citizens, conservation groups and fishing communities, it met with
farmers to discuss runoff from fields of silt, pesticides and
nitrogen-based fertilizers. The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, now
the size of the State of Massachusetts, is caused mainly by pollution
coming from the Mississippi River, much of that fertilizer run-off. The
report noted the ongoing loss of coastal wetlands, critical for fish
production, to population growth along the coasts. The Commission also
looked at pollution from coastal development, finding that oil run-off
from streets presently accounts for one Exxon Valdez spill in the oceans
every eight months.
The Oceans Commission urges the doubling of the federal ocean
research budget, which for more than a decade has hovered near $755
million - less than four percent of the nation's total research budget. It
recommends reforms in the fishery management process, specifically in
separating conservation decisions from allocation decisions. It does not
recommend eliminating the existing regional fishery management
councils. It also recommends a moratorium on the expansion of finfish
aquaculture until national policies are created that limit environmental
degradation, and that marine aquaculture be limited to native species. A
U.S. trade ban was suggested against countries that practice
non-sustainable fish farming.
Members of the Commission were in Washington, D.C., to present
"America's Living Oceans" to members of Congress and the Bush
Administration. The Commission is distributing the report to governors
and to citizens in all 50 states and territories, and in over 30 countries.
At
a Capitol Hill briefing on the afternoon of the 4th, numerous members of
the House Oceans Caucus, including Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA),
Curt Weldon (R-PA), Tom Allen (D-ME), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR),
Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Frank Pallone
(D-NJ), Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) were joined by
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and members of the Commission
endorsing many of the recommendations and reforms proposed in the
report.
In all, the Ocean Commission report was well received in both the
press and by members of Congress, although Congressman Richard
Pombo (R-CA), Chair of the House Resources Committee, blasted the
Commission, calling the bi-partisan group that includes New York
Governor George Pataki and former Kansas Governor Mike Hayden
(both Republicans) "radical environmentalists." Pombo also called the
report a "coffee table book." That latter statement brought astonished
responses from fishing industry leaders.
The report's findings and recommendations regarding pollution and
habitat are likely to find support in the fishing industry, as are its
recommendations on aquaculture (at least among fishermen), but other
provisions, such as those on marine reserves and governance may prove
more controversial. For more information see the 5 June New York
Times article by Andrew Revkin at:
http://ea.nytimes.com/cgi-bin/email?REFURI=http://www.nytimes.com/
2003/06/05/science/05OCEA.html&position; the Associated Press report
can be found at: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-06-05/s_4789.asp; and
for a foreign perspective, see the BBC story at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2958870.stm.
Also see the U.S. News & World Report cover story at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/030609/misc/9oceans.htm and the
June issue of the Fishermen's News article by Pietro Parravano "A New
Look at Managing Oceans, Fisheries" (pp.17-19) along with a side
article by Leon Panetta "It's Not Too Late to Save Our Oceans." The
Parravano article is on the PCFFA website at:
www.pcffa.org/fn-jun03.htm. To see a copy of the Pew Oceans
Commission report, go to: www.pewoceans.org.
7:23/02. U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY WILL REVIEW
PEW COMMISSION REPORT: The U.S. Commission on Ocean
Policy (USCOP), created by the Ocean Act of 2000, is expected to
release its report to Congress in September. The U.S. Commission's
Chairman, Admiral James Watkins, however, has released a statement
saying that the report released this week by the Pew Oceans Commission
will be "examined closely and taken under serious consideration" as the
USCOP prepares its own final recommendations on national ocean
policy. For more see: http://www.oceancommission.gov.
7:23/03. DESPITE CRISIS IN MANY OF WORLD'S FISHERIES,
RUSSIA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO DOUBLE FISH CATCHES BY
2020. Forget the reports about 90 percent of the world's large fish
having disappeared in the past 50 years, of overfishing, of cutbacks
being implemented by the E.U., Canada and the U.S. to protect stocks,
Russia plans to double its fish production by 2020. According to a 6
June report RIA Novosti, State Fisheries Committee Chairman
Alexander Moiseyev said the Russian government has tasked the
fisheries industry with increasing its catch, which he said at 3.5 millions
tons a year is not enough, considering 10 years ago it was 11.5 million
tons. "Increased catches are linked by Moiseyev to reactivation of efforts
to tap not only the Russian economic zone, but also the open seas, and
conventional and economic zones of other countries," reported RIA
Novosti.
Russia has recently signed two agreements with Morocco and
Mauretania on using fish resources in their territorial waters. Moiseyev
said Russia also has agreements in the pipeline with Latin American and
African countries to allow Russian vessels to exploit the fishery
resources of those nations' economic zones. He also emphasized the
need for new ship construction in pursuit of the doubling goal. The State
Fisheries Committee is now drafting a concept for Russia's fish
industrial complex until 2020 that is to be submitted for government
consideration on 17 July.
PCFFA Executive Director Zeke Grader, who has twice traveled to
Russia on fishery issues, cautioned the Russians not to repeat the
mistakes of Europe and North America that led to fishery collapses, and
urged emphasis be placed on improving fish handling, processing and
distribution, not harvesting, to increase the value of the catch. He also
said Russia could help to increase world production of wild salmon by
improving the fishery infrastructure along its Pacific Coast, giving locals
more control of the fishery, stopping poaching and protecting watersheds
from logging, mining and oil development.
7:23/04. WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN? NOAA PLANS TO
DIVY UP COASTAL OCEANS FOR PRIVATE AQUACULTURE
OPERATIONS: First the Russians seek to double fish catches in a world
when many fisheries are collapsing, now the U.S. Government's National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent agency of
the National Marine Fisheries Service, has come out with its strategic
plan to divide up the continental shelf for private aquaculture
development. The strategic plan "Priorities for the 21st Century" is in
clear conflict with recommendations made by the Pew Oceans
Commission (see 7:23/01 above) for a moratorium on finfish
aquaculture in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEA) and when
existing salmon farms in coastal waters cannot prevent escapes of
aquacultured fish or the spread of parasites and disease to native fish
populations.
Moreover, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is expected
to approve the use of genetically engineered, or "transgenic" Atlantic
salmon soon for aquaculture operations, with other fish to follow. Last
year, the U.K.'s Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission
warned that transgenic fish should not be farmed in pens set in rivers or
the sea because the fish might escape into the environment with
unforeseeable consequences. For more, see the 3 September 2002 edition
of the New Scientist, "GM fish farming 'too risky'" at:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992748.
"If ever there was a need for using the precautionary approach, this is
it," said the Institute for Fisheries Resources' Natasha Benjamin. "Instead
NOAA is throwing caution to the wind and placing our native fish
populations and fisheries at risk to curry favor with aquaculture
corporations." The NOAA strategic plan can be found at:
http://www.osp.noaa.gov/docs/fisheries_strategic_plan.pdf.
7:23/05 GROUNDFISH ISSUES TO HIGHLIGHT JUNE PFMC
MEETING: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will meet
15-20 June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1221 Chess Drive in Foster City,
California (near San Francisco International Airport). Groundfish issues
highlight the agenda, with in-season adjustments and adoption of
proposed 2004 management measures. The PFMC will also be
considering implementation of a vessel monitoring system (VMS),
adoption of a Pacific mackerel harvest guideline, and comments on
proposals for marine reserves in the federal waters portion of the
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. For more information on
the meeting, or an agenda, call (503) 820-2280 or go to:
http://www.pcouncil.org/events/2003/pfmc0603.html.
7:23/06. COLLABORATIVE FISHERY RESEARCH WEBSITE TO
BE INTRODUCED AT PFMC MEETING: The Pacific Marine
Conservation Council (PMCC) will host an introduction on Wednesday
evening, 18 June, at the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in
Foster City (see 7:23/05 above), of www.FishResearchWest.org, the first
coastwide clearinghouse for information on collaborative fisheries
research on the West Coast. The intent behind FishResearchWest is to
match parties with interests in collaborative research, and identify a
broad range of funding sources. Bringing together the tools and the
knowledge held by fishermen and scientists will lead to better science
and improved fisheries management, according to PMCC and its
partners.
"One thing that is absolutely essential for better protecting marine
resources and rebuilding fish stocks is that we know what we're doing,
and that requires more attention paid to research," said PCFFA President
Pietro Parravano, one of two fishermen serving on the Pew Oceans
Commission. "We've got to figure out a way to fund and conduct
necessary research and regular and frequent stock assessments.
Collaborative research, using fishermen and scientists together, can help
keep the cost of research down." Links on FishResearchWest.org include
contact information for interested scientists and fishermen of all gear
types, fisheries research priorities, funding opportunities, logistical
information, research news and others.
In addition, via a splash page at www.FishResearch.org, the new site
will link collaborative research efforts on the West Coast to those in
New England for the first time. Partners in this research endeavor
include the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), along with National
Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), Oregon and
California Sea Grant Extension Programs, and the Pacific Fishery
Management Council (PFMC). For more information, contact Caroline
Gibson at: caroline@pmcc.org.
7:23/07. NINTH CIRCUIT OVERRULES JUDGE WANGER ON
CVPIA FISH WATER: On 3 June, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled that the U.S. Department of Interior has discretion under
Section 3406(b)(2) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act
(CVPIA) to allocate 800,000 acre-feet of water for fish and wildlife
purposes. The Ninth Circuit ruling overturned most of a February 2002
decision by Federal District Court Judge Oliver Wanger, who sided with
the Westlands Water District holding that water allocated for the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and water quality had to be deducted
from the 800,000 acre-feet of "b2" water before any could be allocated
for fish and wildlife purposes (see Sublegals, 5:10/05). The Ninth Circuit
disagreed and overruled the Fresno District Court Judge once again. The
case, San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, et al. and Bay Institute
of San Francisco, et al. v. United States of America, et al., (No.
02-16045; D.C. No. Cv-97-06140-OWW) was important for settling the
use of the 800,000 acre-feet of water that was dedicated for fish and
wildlife purposes when Congress passed the Miller-Bradley CVPIA law
in 1992. The "b2" water is needed to help maintain abundant
populations of Sacramento fall-run chinook salmon and for the recovery
of Sacramento winter-run and Central Valley spring-run chinook
populations. PCFFA was one of the co-plaintiffs with the Bay Institute,
represented by San Francisco attorney Cynthia Koehler.
"Trying to restore habitat for salmon, that's what this is about," said
Koehler, who explained that the ruling could lead to an extra 100,000
acre-feet of water a year for salmon habitat. The Bush Administration
recently issued a new plan for managing Central Valley Project (CVP)
water that would have reduced flows for fish and wildlife. The Interior
Department, which refused to defend the suit brought by Westlands (see
Sublegals, 6:09/03), will now have to revise its plan to comply with the
Ninth Circuit decision. A spokesman for Interior's Bureau of
Reclamation (BOR) in Sacramento had no comment on the ruling. For
more information on the Ninth Circuit holding on the CVPIA "b2"
water, see the 5 June Stockton Record article at:
http://www.recordnet.com/articlelink/060503/news/articles/
060503-gn-6.php. The website to review the Central Valley Project's
Biological Assessment for the Long-Term Operations Criteria and Plan
(CVP OCAP) is located at: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/ocap.html.
7:23/08. CASE AGAINST TRINITY ROD WEAKENS FURTHER
AS PALO ALTO PULLS OUT: With a 5-4 vote by its elected Council
on 2 June, the City of Palo Alto, California decided to withdraw its
support of the litigation pending against the Trinity River water flows
Record of Decision (ROD). Palo Alto was one of the local governments
that had joined, along with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District
(SMUD) and others, in the Westlands Water District challenge of the
Trinity ROD (see Sublegals, 6:24/01). Westlands, which has been
illegally receiving Trinity water from the Central Valley Project (Trinity
water, diverted by the Central Valley Project, is authorized for use in the
Sacramento Valley only, not the San Joaquin) challenged the ROD in
U.S. District Court in Fresno where it won a favorable ruling by Federal
Judge Oliver Wanger. The case is on appeal. The ROD was adopted by
then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in December 2000 intended to
restore 48 percent of the Trinity's annual flow back to the Klamath
Basin (see Sublegals, 2:20/02; 2:18/09).
The vote by the Palo Alto City Council reverses a decision it made 21
October 2002 supporting the municipality's role in the lawsuit. Seven of
eight speakers offering public comments at the Council meeting favored
withdrawal. They included representatives from the Institute for
Fisheries Resources, Environmental Defense, Sierra Club, Federation of
Fly Fishers and the Hoopa Valley Tribe. As one member of a larger
plaintiff group, Palo Alto's decision will not immediately affect the
status of the suit as did SMUD's 15 May decision to withdraw from the
litigation. However, it does put increasing pressure on the other
members of the Northern California Power Association to revaluate their
reasons for participating in the suit. According to the Palo Alto Weekly,
the city stands to loose only about 3 percent of its electricity supply if
the
Trinity ROD is implemented. For more see the San Jose Mercury News
article at: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6018614.htm
or the 23 October 2002 Palo Alto Weekly article at:
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2002/2002_10_23.trinity
23.html.
7:23/09. FOUR GOVERNORS DISCUSS SNAKE RIVER
SALMON RECOVERY STRATEGY: Governors Ted Kulongoski
(D-OR), Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID), Gary Locke (D-WA) and Judy Martz
(R-MT) joined Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Administrator
Steve Wright in a meeting behind closed doors to discuss a salmon
recovery strategy on the Snake and Columbia rivers, reported the 6 June
Salem Statesmen Journal. The meeting took place in Boise, Idaho on 5
June and came as a response to the 7 May U.S. District Court ruling that
the federal Columbia salmon restoration plan is in violation of the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) (see Sublegals, 7:21/03; 7:19/04).
The plan the four governors came up with closely resembled the
previous Four Governors Agreement of 2000, which focused on the "
four H's: habitat, hydroelectric system, harvest and hatcheries," although
this time the governors added a fifth H: "humans." The governors plan
calls for no additional curtailment of irrigation or power capacity and is
flatly against removing dams. The governors' advisors claim there is no
need to boost river flows for salmon recovery nor to fix the 2000 salmon
recovery plan. Governor Kulongoski's stance on the issue is significantly
different from his predecessor, John Kitzhaber, who at the 2000 Four
Governors Agreement was the only one who insisted that the breaching
of dams be considered an option. Federal officials said two years ago
that dam breaching would be discussed again toward the end of the
decade if the current approach failed. The governors are sending their
recommendations in a letter to President George W. Bush. For more, see
the Statesman Journal at:
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=62693, or
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/
105481416097910.xml?oregonian?lcen.
7:23/10. WEAKENED TMDL STANDARDS THREATEN
SALMON AND OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES: The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering major revisions
to the standards regulating non-point source water pollution, known as
the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), under the federal Clean Water
Act. The TMDL revisions are focused specifically on the validity of
including temperature and sediment as pollutants of the nation's
waterways. One highly contentious TMDL ruling with the potential to
affect salmon involves the Columbia and Snake River systems. At the
request of the four states in the basin, the EPA completed a temperature
mitigation plan in line with TMDL requirements for the Columbia and
Snake River basins.
The findings of the EPA, according to the Tacoma Tribune, were that
the "15 dams on the Columbia and Snake were the primary cause of
elevated water temperatures and that the problem could be solved by
releasing cooler water from upstream reservoirs." That analysis was
completed in September 2002, but has yet to be formally released due to
pressure from the agencies that operate the dams as well as the overall
review of TMDL standards initiated by the White House Office of
Management & Budget (OMB). For more see the Tacoma Tribune
article at: http://www.tribnet.com/news/government/story/
3184809p-3208941c.html. Comments should be sent to: Charles H.
Sutfin, Director, Assessment & Watershed Protection Division, U.S.
EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 4503T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.,
Washington, DC 20460; Fax: (202) 566-1331.
7:23/11. DECISION ON KLAMATH FLOWS EXPECTED SOON:
U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong is expected to rule
within the next 10 days on PCFFA's motion to increase flows in the
Klamath River to protect salmon. The Judge held a teleconference call
on 5 June to discuss the case with the parties; an earlier 20 May hearing
(see Sublegals 7:17/13) was cancelled.
Judge Armstrong said she is inclined to rule for the plaintiffs in this
case and may order more water released from the federal Klamath
Irrigation Project into the river to prevent another fish kill like last
year's
(see Sublegals, 7:16/06; 7:15/07; 7:13/02; 7:09/03). For more
information on the Klamath Basin, last year's fish kill and the Klamath
flows lawsuit, go to: www.klamathbasin.info.
7:23/12. IFR'S "RESTORE SAN FRANCISCO BAY" REQUEST
FOR PROPOSALS DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 20 JUNE: The
Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Restoration Center "Restore San
Francisco Bay" Request For Proposals (RFP) deadline has been extended
until 20 June 2003. Eligible applicants are fishing organizations,
non-profits, institutions of higher learning, state, local and Tribal
governments. The proposed projects should result in "tangible
restoration of habitat(s) that support living marine resources within the
San Francisco Bay region." For more information contact Nicole Brown
(IFR-Project Manager) at (415) 561-3474 (Nbrown@ifrfish.org), Natalie
Cosentino-Manning (NMFS - marine and estuarine Projects) at (707)
575-6081 (Natalie.C-Manning@noaa.gov), or Leah Mahan (NMFS -
riparian projects) (Leah.Mahan@noaa.gov). A copy of the RFP can be
found at the IFR website at: www.ifrfish.org.
*************
Paying Attention? Which of the following is not a Pew Oceans
Commission recommendation?
A) Tripling the federal oceans research budget from 755 million dollars
to 2265 million dollars.
B) A moratorium on marine finfish aquaculture until the industry can
clean up its act.
C) Extensive fishery management reform, including reform on current
allocation rules, which usually don't favor small boat fishermen.
D) A call for more regional ocean management, including the creation of
regional ocean ecosystems committees to oversee and enforce
management rules particular to the ecosystem needs of that specific area.
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. One winner is
drawn each week from a list of those submitting the correct answer.
And the Winner is.........KIM McKOWN, who correctly answered, "C)
Because it reads as an indictment against the salmon faming industry and
catalogues the environmental and health costs," to the question, "Why is
the Maine aquaculture ruling so important?" She will receive 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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&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; ~~>SUBLEGALS 06June03<~~<BR>
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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT=
AND<BR>
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES <BR=
>
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S<BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
ASSOCIATIONS<BR>
<BR>
VOL. 07, NO. 23 =
&nbs=
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6 JUNE 2003<BR>
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"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his<BR>
government."..... Edward Abbey<BR>
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&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
IN THIS ISSUE.......<BR>
<BR>
Pew Oceans Commission Report Released on 4 June. 7:23/01.<BR>
<BR>
Russia Plans to Double Fish Catches. 7:23/03.<BR>
<BR>
Victory For Salmon - Ninth Circuit Overturns Wanger <BR>
on CVPIA Fish Water. 7:23/07.<BR>
<BR>
Palo Alto Pulls Out of Trinity River Record of Decision <BR>
Lawsuit. 7:23/08.<BR>
<BR>
IFR/NOAA Request For Proposals For San Francisco Bay <BR>
Restoration Extended to 20 June. 7:23/12.<BR>
<BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
AND MORE.......<BR>
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<BR>
7:23/01. PEW OCEANS COMMISSION REPORT UNVEILE=
D:<BR>
The Pew Oceans Commission released its long-awaited report,<BR>
"America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change," at a 4<BR>
June press briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, DC (see<BR>
Sublegals, 7:20/09; 7:08/02). The 144-page report is the first<BR>
comprehensive review of U.S. oceans policy since the release of the<BR>
Stratton Commission Report in 1969. The Oceans Commission report is<BR=
>
the culmination of a three-year nationwide independent study of U.S.<BR>
ocean policy. The 18-member blue ribbon panel included scientists,<BR>
fishermen, conservationists, elected leaders, and business officials from<BR=
>
across the country. PCFFA President Pietro Parravano was one of two<BR>
commercial fishermen representatives on the Commission that was<BR>
chaired by former California Congressman and White House Chief of<BR>
Staff Leon Panetta.<BR>
<BR>
"There is consensus that our oceans are in crisis a=
nd that reforms are<BR>
essential," said Panetta. In its report, the Commission calls for<BR>
immediate reform of U.S. ocean laws and policies and recommends a<BR>
change in governance including the removal of the National Oceanic &<BR>
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which was created following<BR>
recommendations of the Stratton Commission, from the Department of<BR>
Commerce and placing it with other ocean related agencies (e.g.,<BR>
Minerals Management Service) into a "Department of Oceans." NOAA<BR>
agencies include the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the<BR>
National Ocean Service and the National Weather Service, among<BR>
others. The report calls for new conservation measures that view the<B=
R>
ocean as a public trust, "rather than a limitless resource to be extracted<B=
R>
from." It recommends the creation of a National Ocean Policy Act,<BR>
regional ocean ecosystems boards to oversee and enforce regional<BR>
ecosystem-based management, an independent oceans agency to<BR>
streamline federal management, and a permanent federal interagency<BR>
ocean council. <BR>
<BR>
Much of the focus of the Oceans Commission report w=
as on pollution<BR>
and habitat degradation, including that emanating from land sources. <BR>
The commission held numerous meetings across the nation during the<BR>
three-year preparation of the report from Maine to Hawaii, Alaska to<BR>
New Orleans, California to the Carolinas, including one in Des Moines,<BR>
Iowa in America's heartland. In addition to forums with scientists, lo=
cal<BR>
citizens, conservation groups and fishing communities, it met with<BR>
farmers to discuss runoff from fields of silt, pesticides and<BR>
nitrogen-based fertilizers. The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, now<B=
R>
the size of the State of Massachusetts, is caused mainly by pollution<BR>
coming from the Mississippi River, much of that fertilizer run-off. Th=
e<BR>
report noted the ongoing loss of coastal wetlands, critical for fish<BR>
production, to population growth along the coasts. The Commission also<BR>
looked at pollution from coastal development, finding that oil run-off<BR>
from streets presently accounts for one Exxon Valdez spill in the oceans<BR>
every eight months. <BR>
<BR>
The Oceans Commission urges the doubling of the fed=
eral ocean<BR>
research budget, which for more than a decade has hovered near $755<BR>
million - less than four percent of the nation's total research budget. It<B=
R>
recommends reforms in the fishery management process, specifically in<BR>
separating conservation decisions from allocation decisions. It does not<BR>
recommend eliminating the existing regional fishery management<BR>
councils. It also recommends a moratorium on the expansion of finfish<=
BR>
aquaculture until national policies are created that limit environmental<BR>
degradation, and that marine aquaculture be limited to native species. A<BR>
U.S. trade ban was suggested against countries that practice<BR>
non-sustainable fish farming. <BR>
<BR>
Members of the Commission were in Washington, D.C.,=
to present<BR>
"America's Living Oceans" to members of Congress and the Bush<BR>
Administration. The Commission is distributing the report to governors<BR>
and to citizens in all 50 states and territories, and in over 30 countries.=20=
At<BR>
a Capitol Hill briefing on the afternoon of the 4th, numerous members of<BR>
the House Oceans Caucus, including Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA),<BR>
Curt Weldon (R-PA), Tom Allen (D-ME), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR),<BR>
Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Frank Pallone<BR>
(D-NJ), Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) were joined by<BR>
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and members of the Commission<BR>
endorsing many of the recommendations and reforms proposed in the<BR>
report. <BR>
<BR>
In all, the Ocean Commission report was well receiv=
ed in both the<BR>
press and by members of Congress, although Congressman Richard<BR>
Pombo (R-CA), Chair of the House Resources Committee, blasted the<BR>
Commission, calling the bi-partisan group that includes New York<BR>
Governor George Pataki and former Kansas Governor Mike Hayden<BR>
(both Republicans) "radical environmentalists." Pombo also called the<=
BR>
report a "coffee table book." That latter statement brought astonished<BR>
responses from fishing industry leaders.<BR>
<BR>
The report's findings and recommendations regarding=
pollution and<BR>
habitat are likely to find support in the fishing industry, as are its<BR>
recommendations on aquaculture (at least among fishermen), but other<BR>
provisions, such as those on marine reserves and governance may prove<BR>
more controversial. For more information see the 5 June New York<BR>
Times article by Andrew Revkin at:<BR>
http://ea.nytimes.com/cgi-bin/email?REFURI=3Dhttp://www.nytimes.com/<BR>
2003/06/05/science/05OCEA.html&position; the Associated Press report<BR>
can be found at: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-06-05/s_4789.asp; and<BR>
for a foreign perspective, see the BBC story at:<BR>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2958870.stm. <BR>
<BR>
Also see the U.S. News & World Report cover sto=
ry at:<BR>
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/030609/misc/9oceans.htm and the<BR>
June issue of the Fishermen's News article by Pietro Parravano "A New<BR>
Look at Managing Oceans, Fisheries" (pp.17-19) along with a side<BR>
article by Leon Panetta "It's Not Too Late to Save Our Oceans." The<BR=
>
Parravano article is on the PCFFA website at:<BR>
www.pcffa.org/fn-jun03.htm. To see a copy of the Pew Oceans<BR>
Commission report, go to: www.pewoceans.org. <BR>
<BR>
7:23/02. U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY WILL REVIE=
W<BR>
PEW COMMISSION REPORT: The U.S. Commission on Ocean<BR>
Policy (USCOP), created by the Ocean Act of 2000, is expected to<BR>
release its report to Congress in September. The U.S. Commission's<BR>
Chairman, Admiral James Watkins, however, has released a statement<BR>
saying that the report released this week by the Pew Oceans Commission<BR>
will be "examined closely and taken under serious consideration" as the<BR>
USCOP prepares its own final recommendations on national ocean<BR>
policy. For more see: http://www.oceancommission.gov.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/03. DESPITE CRISIS IN MANY OF WORLD'S FI=
SHERIES,<BR>
RUSSIA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO DOUBLE FISH CATCHES BY<BR>
2020. Forget the reports about 90 percent of the world's large fish<BR=
>
having disappeared in the past 50 years, of overfishing, of cutbacks<BR>
being implemented by the E.U., Canada and the U.S. to protect stocks,<BR>
Russia plans to double its fish production by 2020. According to a 6<B=
R>
June report RIA Novosti, State Fisheries Committee Chairman<BR>
Alexander Moiseyev said the Russian government has tasked the<BR>
fisheries industry with increasing its catch, which he said at 3.5 millions<=
BR>
tons a year is not enough, considering 10 years ago it was 11.5 million<BR>
tons. "Increased catches are linked by Moiseyev to reactivation of efforts<B=
R>
to tap not only the Russian economic zone, but also the open seas, and<BR>
conventional and economic zones of other countries," reported RIA<BR>
Novosti.<BR>
<BR>
Russia has recently signed two agreements with Moro=
cco and<BR>
Mauretania on using fish resources in their territorial waters. Moisey=
ev<BR>
said Russia also has agreements in the pipeline with Latin American and<BR>
African countries to allow Russian vessels to exploit the fishery<BR>
resources of those nations' economic zones. He also emphasized the<BR>
need for new ship construction in pursuit of the doubling goal. The State<BR=
>
Fisheries Committee is now drafting a concept for Russia's fish<BR>
industrial complex until 2020 that is to be submitted for government<BR>
consideration on 17 July. <BR>
<BR>
PCFFA Executive Director Zeke Grader, who has twice=
traveled to<BR>
Russia on fishery issues, cautioned the Russians not to repeat the<BR>
mistakes of Europe and North America that led to fishery collapses, and<BR>
urged emphasis be placed on improving fish handling, processing and<BR>
distribution, not harvesting, to increase the value of the catch. He also<BR=
>
said Russia could help to increase world production of wild salmon by<BR>
improving the fishery infrastructure along its Pacific Coast, giving locals<=
BR>
more control of the fishery, stopping poaching and protecting watersheds<BR>
from logging, mining and oil development.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/04. WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN? NOAA PLANS TO<B=
R>
DIVY UP COASTAL OCEANS FOR PRIVATE AQUACULTURE<BR>
OPERATIONS: First the Russians seek to double fish catches in a world<BR>
when many fisheries are collapsing, now the U.S. Government's National<BR>
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent agency of<BR>
the National Marine Fisheries Service, has come out with its strategic<BR>
plan to divide up the continental shelf for private aquaculture<BR>
development. The strategic plan "Priorities for the 21st Century" is i=
n<BR>
clear conflict with recommendations made by the Pew Oceans<BR>
Commission (see 7:23/01 above) for a moratorium on finfish<BR>
aquaculture in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEA) and when<BR>
existing salmon farms in coastal waters cannot prevent escapes of<BR>
aquacultured fish or the spread of parasites and disease to native fish<BR>
populations. <BR>
<BR>
Moreover, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (=
FDA) is expected<BR>
to approve the use of genetically engineered, or "transgenic" Atlantic<BR>
salmon soon for aquaculture operations, with other fish to follow. Last<BR>
year, the U.K.'s Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission<BR>
warned that transgenic fish should not be farmed in pens set in rivers or<BR=
>
the sea because the fish might escape into the environment with<BR>
unforeseeable consequences. For more, see the 3 September 2002 edition<BR>
of the New Scientist, "GM fish farming 'too risky'" at:<BR>
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=3Dns99992748. <BR>
<BR>
"If ever there was a need for using the precautiona=
ry approach, this is<BR>
it," said the Institute for Fisheries Resources' Natasha Benjamin. "Instead<=
BR>
NOAA is throwing caution to the wind and placing our native fish<BR>
populations and fisheries at risk to curry favor with aquaculture<BR>
corporations." The NOAA strategic plan can be found at:<BR>
http://www.osp.noaa.gov/docs/fisheries_strategic_plan.pdf. <BR>
<BR>
7:23/05 GROUNDFISH ISSUES TO HIGHLIGHT JUNE PFMC<BR=
>
MEETING: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will meet<BR>
15-20 June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1221 Chess Drive in Foster City,<BR>
California (near San Francisco International Airport). Groundfish issu=
es<BR>
highlight the agenda, with in-season adjustments and adoption of<BR>
proposed 2004 management measures. The PFMC will also be<BR>
considering implementation of a vessel monitoring system (VMS),<BR>
adoption of a Pacific mackerel harvest guideline, and comments on<BR>
proposals for marine reserves in the federal waters portion of the<BR>
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. For more information on<BR>
the meeting, or an agenda, call (503) 820-2280 or go to:<BR>
http://www.pcouncil.org/events/2003/pfmc0603.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/06. COLLABORATIVE FISHERY RESEARCH WEBSITE TO<=
BR>
BE INTRODUCED AT PFMC MEETING: The Pacific Marine<BR>
Conservation Council (PMCC) will host an introduction on Wednesday<BR>
evening, 18 June, at the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in<BR>
Foster City (see 7:23/05 above), of www.FishResearchWest.org, the first<BR>
coastwide clearinghouse for information on collaborative fisheries<BR>
research on the West Coast. The intent behind FishResearchWest is to<B=
R>
match parties with interests in collaborative research, and identify a<BR>
broad range of funding sources. Bringing together the tools and the<BR=
>
knowledge held by fishermen and scientists will lead to better science<BR>
and improved fisheries management, according to PMCC and its<BR>
partners.<BR>
<BR>
"One thing that is absolutely essential for b=
etter protecting marine<BR>
resources and rebuilding fish stocks is that we know what we're doing,<BR>
and that requires more attention paid to research," said PCFFA President<BR>
Pietro Parravano, one of two fishermen serving on the Pew Oceans<BR>
Commission. "We've got to figure out a way to fund and conduct<BR>
necessary research and regular and frequent stock assessments.<BR>
Collaborative research, using fishermen and scientists together, can help<BR=
>
keep the cost of research down." Links on FishResearchWest.org include<BR>
contact information for interested scientists and fishermen of all gear<BR>
types, fisheries research priorities, funding opportunities, logistical<BR>
information, research news and others. <BR>
<BR>
In addition, via a splash page at www.FishResearch.=
org, the new site<BR>
will link collaborative research efforts on the West Coast to those in<BR>
New England for the first time. Partners in this research endeavor<BR>
include the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), along with National<BR>
Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Northwest Fisheries Science Center,<BR>
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), Oregon and<BR>
California Sea Grant Extension Programs, and the Pacific Fishery<BR>
Management Council (PFMC). For more information, contact Caroline<BR>
Gibson at: caroline@pmcc.org. <BR>
<BR>
7:23/07. NINTH CIRCUIT OVERRULES JUDGE WANGER ON<BR=
>
CVPIA FISH WATER: On 3 June, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of<BR>
Appeals ruled that the U.S. Department of Interior has discretion under<BR>
Section 3406(b)(2) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act<BR>
(CVPIA) to allocate 800,000 acre-feet of water for fish and wildlife<BR>
purposes. The Ninth Circuit ruling overturned most of a February 2002<BR>
decision by Federal District Court Judge Oliver Wanger, who sided with<BR>
the Westlands Water District holding that water allocated for the<BR>
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and water quality had to be deducted<BR>
from the 800,000 acre-feet of "b2" water before any could be allocated<BR>
for fish and wildlife purposes (see Sublegals, 5:10/05). The Ninth Circuit<B=
R>
disagreed and overruled the Fresno District Court Judge once again. The<BR>
case, San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, et al. and Bay Institute=
<BR>
of San Francisco, et al. v. United States of America, et al., (No.<BR>
02-16045; D.C. No. Cv-97-06140-OWW) was important for settling the<BR>
use of the 800,000 acre-feet of water that was dedicated for fish and<BR>
wildlife purposes when Congress passed the Miller-Bradley CVPIA law<BR>
in 1992. The "b2" water is needed to help maintain abundant<BR>
populations of Sacramento fall-run chinook salmon and for the recovery<BR>
of Sacramento winter-run and Central Valley spring-run chinook<BR>
populations. PCFFA was one of the co-plaintiffs with the Bay Institute,<BR>
represented by San Francisco attorney Cynthia Koehler.<BR>
<BR>
"Trying to restore habitat for salmon, that's what=20=
this is about," said<BR>
Koehler, who explained that the ruling could lead to an extra 100,000<BR>
acre-feet of water a year for salmon habitat. The Bush Administration<BR>
recently issued a new plan for managing Central Valley Project (CVP)<BR>
water that would have reduced flows for fish and wildlife. The Interior<BR>
Department, which refused to defend the suit brought by Westlands (see<BR>
Sublegals, 6:09/03), will now have to revise its plan to comply with the<BR>
Ninth Circuit decision. A spokesman for Interior's Bureau of<BR>
Reclamation (BOR) in Sacramento had no comment on the ruling. For<BR>
more information on the Ninth Circuit holding on the CVPIA "b2"<BR>
water, see the 5 June Stockton Record article at:<BR>
http://www.recordnet.com/articlelink/060503/news/articles/<BR>
060503-gn-6.php. The website to review the Central Valley Project's<BR>
Biological Assessment for the Long-Term Operations Criteria and Plan<BR>
(CVP OCAP) is located at: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/ocap.html. <BR>
<BR>
7:23/08. CASE AGAINST TRINITY ROD WEAKE=
NS FURTHER<BR>
AS PALO ALTO PULLS OUT: With a 5-4 vote by its elected Council<BR>
on 2 June, the City of Palo Alto, California decided to withdraw its<BR>
support of the litigation pending against the Trinity River water flows<BR>
Record of Decision (ROD). Palo Alto was one of the local governments<BR>
that had joined, along with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District<BR>
(SMUD) and others, in the Westlands Water District challenge of the<BR>
Trinity ROD (see Sublegals, 6:24/01). Westlands, which has been<BR>
illegally receiving Trinity water from the Central Valley Project (Trinity<B=
R>
water, diverted by the Central Valley Project, is authorized for use in the<=
BR>
Sacramento Valley only, not the San Joaquin) challenged the ROD in<BR>
U.S. District Court in Fresno where it won a favorable ruling by Federal<BR>
Judge Oliver Wanger. The case is on appeal. The ROD was adopted by<BR>
then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in December 2000 intended to<BR>
restore 48 percent of the Trinity's annual flow back to the Klamath<BR=
>
Basin (see Sublegals, 2:20/02; 2:18/09).<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
The vote by the Palo Alto City Council reverses a d=
ecision it made 21<BR>
October 2002 supporting the municipality's role in the lawsuit. Seven=20=
of<BR>
eight speakers offering public comments at the Council meeting favored<BR>
withdrawal. They included representatives from the Institute for<BR>
Fisheries Resources, Environmental Defense, Sierra Club, Federation of<BR>
Fly Fishers and the Hoopa Valley Tribe. As one member of a larger<BR>
plaintiff group, Palo Alto's decision will not immediately affect the<BR>
status of the suit as did SMUD's 15 May decision to withdraw from the<BR>
litigation. However, it does put increasing pressure on the other<BR>
members of the Northern California Power Association to revaluate their<BR>
reasons for participating in the suit. According to the Palo Alto Week=
ly,<BR>
the city stands to loose only about 3 percent of its electricity supply if t=
he<BR>
Trinity ROD is implemented. For more see the San Jose Mercury News<BR>
article at: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/6018614.htm<BR>
or the 23 October 2002 Palo Alto Weekly article at:<BR>
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2002/2002_10_23.trinity<BR>
23.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/09. FOUR GOVERNORS DISCUSS SNAKE RIVER<BR>
SALMON RECOVERY STRATEGY: Governors Ted Kulongoski<BR>
(D-OR), Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID), Gary Locke (D-WA) and Judy Martz<BR>
(R-MT) joined Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Administrator<BR>
Steve Wright in a meeting behind closed doors to discuss a salmon<BR>
recovery strategy on the Snake and Columbia rivers, reported the 6 June<BR>
Salem Statesmen Journal. The meeting took place in Boise, Idaho on 5<BR>
June and came as a response to the 7 May U.S. District Court ruling that<BR>
the federal Columbia salmon restoration plan is in violation of the<BR>
Endangered Species Act (ESA) (see Sublegals, 7:21/03; 7:19/04). <BR>
<BR>
The plan the four governors came up with closely re=
sembled the<BR>
previous Four Governors Agreement of 2000, which focused on the "<BR>
four H's: habitat, hydroelectric system, harvest and hatcheries," although<B=
R>
this time the governors added a fifth H: "humans." The governors plan<=
BR>
calls for no additional curtailment of irrigation or power capacity and is<B=
R>
flatly against removing dams. The governors' advisors claim there is no<BR>
need to boost river flows for salmon recovery nor to fix the 2000 salmon<BR>
recovery plan. Governor Kulongoski's stance on the issue is significantly<BR=
>
different from his predecessor, John Kitzhaber, who at the 2000 Four<BR>
Governors Agreement was the only one who insisted that the breaching<BR>
of dams be considered an option. Federal officials said two years ago<=
BR>
that dam breaching would be discussed again toward the end of the<BR>
decade if the current approach failed. The governors are sending their<BR>
recommendations in a letter to President George W. Bush. For more, see<BR>
the Statesman Journal at:<BR>
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=3D62693, or<BR>
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/<BR>
105481416097910.xml?oregonian?lcen. <BR>
<BR>
7:23/10. WEAKENED TMDL STANDARDS THREATEN<BR>
SALMON AND OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES: The U.S.<BR>
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering major revisions<BR>
to the standards regulating non-point source water pollution, known as<BR>
the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), under the federal Clean Water<BR>
Act. The TMDL revisions are focused specifically on the validity of<BR=
>
including temperature and sediment as pollutants of the nation's<BR>
waterways. One highly contentious TMDL ruling with the potential to<BR=
>
affect salmon involves the Columbia and Snake River systems. At the<BR=
>
request of the four states in the basin, the EPA completed a temperature<BR>
mitigation plan in line with TMDL requirements for the Columbia and<BR>
Snake River basins. <BR>
<BR>
The findings of the EPA, according to the Tacoma Tr=
ibune, were that<BR>
the "15 dams on the Columbia and Snake were the primary cause of<BR>
elevated water temperatures and that the problem could be solved by<BR>
releasing cooler water from upstream reservoirs." That analysis was<BR=
>
completed in September 2002, but has yet to be formally released due to<BR>
pressure from the agencies that operate the dams as well as the overall<BR>
review of TMDL standards initiated by the White House Office of<BR>
Management & Budget (OMB). For more see the Tacoma Tribune<BR>
article at: http://www.tribnet.com/news/government/story/<BR>
3184809p-3208941c.html. Comments should be sent to: Charles H.<BR>
Sutfin, Director, Assessment & Watershed Protection Division, U.S.<BR>
EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 4503T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.,<BR>
Washington, DC 20460; Fax: (202) 566-1331.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/11. DECISION ON KLAMATH FLOWS EXPECTED SOON:<B=
R>
U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong is expected to rule<BR>
within the next 10 days on PCFFA's motion to increase flows in the<BR>
Klamath River to protect salmon. The Judge held a teleconference call<BR>
on 5 June to discuss the case with the parties; an earlier 20 May hearing<BR=
>
(see Sublegals 7:17/13) was cancelled.<BR>
<BR>
Judge Armstrong said she is inclined to rule for the plai=
ntiffs in this<BR>
case and may order more water released from the federal Klamath<BR>
Irrigation Project into the river to prevent another fish kill like last yea=
r's<BR>
(see Sublegals, 7:16/06; 7:15/07; 7:13/02; 7:09/03). For more<BR>
information on the Klamath Basin, last year's fish kill and the Klamath<BR>
flows lawsuit, go to: www.klamathbasin.info.<BR>
<BR>
7:23/12. IFR'S "RESTO=
RE SAN FRANCISCO BAY" REQUEST<BR>
FOR PROPOSALS DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 20 JUNE: The<BR>
Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the National Oceanic &<BR>
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Restoration Center "Restore San<BR>
Francisco Bay" Request For Proposals (RFP) deadline has been extended<BR>
until 20 June 2003. Eligible applicants are fishing organizations,<BR>
non-profits, institutions of higher learning, state, local and Tribal<BR>
governments. The proposed projects should result in "tangible<BR>
restoration of habitat(s) that support living marine resources within the<BR=
>
San Francisco Bay region." For more information contact Nicole Brown<BR>
(IFR-Project Manager) at (415) 561-3474 (Nbrown@ifrfish.org), Natalie<BR>
Cosentino-Manning (NMFS - marine and estuarine Projects) at (707)<BR>
575-6081 (Natalie.C-Manning@noaa.gov), or Leah Mahan (NMFS -<BR>
riparian projects) (Leah.Mahan@noaa.gov). A copy of the RFP can be<BR>
found at the IFR website at: www.ifrfish.org. <BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
*************<BR>
<BR>
Paying Attention? Which of the following is not a Pew Oceans<BR>
Commission recommendation? <BR>
<BR>
A) Tripling the federal oceans research budget from 755 million dollars<BR>
to 2265 million dollars.<BR>
B) A moratorium on marine finfish aquaculture until the industry can<BR>
clean up its act.<BR>
C) Extensive fishery management reform, including reform on current<BR>
allocation rules, which usually don't favor small boat fishermen. <BR>
D) A call for more regional ocean management, including the creation of<BR>
regional ocean ecosystems committees to oversee and enforce<BR>
management rules particular to the ecosystem needs of that specific area. <B=
R>
<BR>
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. One winner is<BR>
drawn each week from a list of those submitting the correct answer. <BR>
<BR>
And the Winner is.........KIM McKOWN, who correctly answered, "C)<BR>
Because it reads as an indictment against the salmon faming industry and<BR>
catalogues the environmental and health costs," to the question, "Why is<BR>
the Maine aquaculture ruling so important?" She will receive an "Order<BR>
of the Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shirt with the cuddly<BR>
Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.<BR>
<BR>
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,<BR>
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, editor at:<BR>
sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a<BR>
source at either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000<BR>
(Northwest Office).<BR>
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If you have any trouble subscribing or unsubscribing, contact<BR>
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R>
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Subscribers who wish to post or circulate hard copy of Sublegals or <BR>
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SHIRT? GO TO: www.ifrfish.org <BR>
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