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Statistics published recently in The Idaho Statesman that sport fishing generates $438 million in revenue to Idaho may have come as a surprise to some, but for those of us in the angling and conservation communities, the facts have long been known.
Take a drive along the Henrys Fork River or any other popular fishing river or stream in the state and you'll see business after business geared to the sport of fishing. The last decade has seen strong fishing and outfitting-based operations take off in rural Idaho in places such as Mackay, Swan Valley and Victor. Data collected in 1996 from the Henrys Fork showed that the total annual value of the wild rainbow trout fishery for a mere 10-mile section is in excess of $5 million.
Now that the benefits of sport fishing to Idaho are becoming more apparent and documented, it is incumbent upon the state's policymakers to make sure that the engines that generate that economic activity — our rivers — stay well oiled. This means an adequate supply of clean water. In the world of policymaking, that means managing the state's available water supply to assure that balance is maintained.
The competition for Idaho's water is well known. Nearly every drop in the southern, central and eastern parts of the state has been claimed for generations. But as the statistics attest, Idaho is evolving economically, and the use of our water should reflect that.
Does that mean taking water away from Idaho's agricultural background? No. But in some instances when a specific private landowner agrees to leave water in the stream and irrigate less, he should have the discretion to do so. It means wiser use of our limited water supplies. It also means making adjustments in the law, where applicable, to allow for more flexible use of the state's water resources and adopting, as other Western states have done, a market-based private water leasing program that is specifically designed to benefit state fisheries resources, especially on smaller streams.
The Lemhi River in the Upper Salmon River Basin is one example of how innovative approaches can help save a river. The Idaho Legislature in 2001 specifically authorized a local rental committee to facilitate the operation of a water rental pool designed to market natural flow rights — on a willing buyer-willing seller basis — for stream flow and fisheries restoration. Most importantly, this legislation allowed the state to establish a minimum stream flow on a river that had been fully appropriated for decades.
The Lemhi River is the only drainage in Idaho where separate legislation has been enacted to ensure that a state-held minimum stream flow water right can be obtained each year to assure that the river continues to experience healthy flows. It can also be done elsewhere, via the Lemhi Model or some other creative approach to meeting landowner and fishery needs.
Perhaps the biggest current resource issue facing Idaho involves the relationship between ground and surface water users in the middle and upper parts of the Snake River Basin. There are also incredibly important tribal water issues currently being negotiated as part of the massive Snake River Basin Adjudication. These processes present an opportunity — from a natural resource public policy standpoint — to promote flow restoration in the Salmon and Clearwater drainages. But we also have a chance to take a comprehensive look at restoring stream flows statewide
To a large extent, water has made this state what it is economically. Idaho's policymakers recognize that this precious resource will continue to drive the state's economic future, but that future is changing to include thriving, and if nourished, sustainable newer industries such as sport fishing. The state's future water policies should be designed to reflect that change, and provide creative strategies to protect and restore stream flows statewide.
Scott Yates is the director of Trout Unlimited's Idaho Water Office, which is dedicated to the protection of trout, salmon and steelhead populations and the watersheds upon which they depend.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040724/NEWS0503/407240307/1052/NEWS05
Take a drive along the Henrys Fork River or any other popular fishing river or stream in the state and you'll see business after business geared to the sport of fishing. The last decade has seen strong fishing and outfitting-based operations take off in rural Idaho in places such as Mackay, Swan Valley and Victor. Data collected in 1996 from the Henrys Fork showed that the total annual value of the wild rainbow trout fishery for a mere 10-mile section is in excess of $5 million.
Now that the benefits of sport fishing to Idaho are becoming more apparent and documented, it is incumbent upon the state's policymakers to make sure that the engines that generate that economic activity — our rivers — stay well oiled. This means an adequate supply of clean water. In the world of policymaking, that means managing the state's available water supply to assure that balance is maintained.
The competition for Idaho's water is well known. Nearly every drop in the southern, central and eastern parts of the state has been claimed for generations. But as the statistics attest, Idaho is evolving economically, and the use of our water should reflect that.
Does that mean taking water away from Idaho's agricultural background? No. But in some instances when a specific private landowner agrees to leave water in the stream and irrigate less, he should have the discretion to do so. It means wiser use of our limited water supplies. It also means making adjustments in the law, where applicable, to allow for more flexible use of the state's water resources and adopting, as other Western states have done, a market-based private water leasing program that is specifically designed to benefit state fisheries resources, especially on smaller streams.
The Lemhi River in the Upper Salmon River Basin is one example of how innovative approaches can help save a river. The Idaho Legislature in 2001 specifically authorized a local rental committee to facilitate the operation of a water rental pool designed to market natural flow rights — on a willing buyer-willing seller basis — for stream flow and fisheries restoration. Most importantly, this legislation allowed the state to establish a minimum stream flow on a river that had been fully appropriated for decades.
The Lemhi River is the only drainage in Idaho where separate legislation has been enacted to ensure that a state-held minimum stream flow water right can be obtained each year to assure that the river continues to experience healthy flows. It can also be done elsewhere, via the Lemhi Model or some other creative approach to meeting landowner and fishery needs.
Perhaps the biggest current resource issue facing Idaho involves the relationship between ground and surface water users in the middle and upper parts of the Snake River Basin. There are also incredibly important tribal water issues currently being negotiated as part of the massive Snake River Basin Adjudication. These processes present an opportunity — from a natural resource public policy standpoint — to promote flow restoration in the Salmon and Clearwater drainages. But we also have a chance to take a comprehensive look at restoring stream flows statewide
To a large extent, water has made this state what it is economically. Idaho's policymakers recognize that this precious resource will continue to drive the state's economic future, but that future is changing to include thriving, and if nourished, sustainable newer industries such as sport fishing. The state's future water policies should be designed to reflect that change, and provide creative strategies to protect and restore stream flows statewide.
Scott Yates is the director of Trout Unlimited's Idaho Water Office, which is dedicated to the protection of trout, salmon and steelhead populations and the watersheds upon which they depend.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040724/NEWS0503/407240307/1052/NEWS05
