West coast salmon recovery

[Irrelevant]

Idaho sockeye salmon return brings mixed results

More imperiled Snake River sockeye salmon returned to central Idaho this year than in nearly a decade, but few came from fish that spawned naturally in the wild.

www.ktvb.com

 

[marshman]

Time are very tough for Salmon. As of Saturday October 8th the entire Washington Coastal river salmon fishery will close due to "historic low river flows" up and down the coast.
Pretty unpresented closer; unfortunately the new normal in fisheries regulations and the fall weather around here it seems like.

 

[Irrelevant]

Thousands of salmon found dead in Canadian creek amid drought

More than 60,000 salmon carcasses were found lining the dried-out bottom of a Canadian creek in what researchers fear is another example of the environmental consequences of climate change. Resea…

thehill.com

 

[Bigjay73]

Thousands of salmon found dead in Canadian creek amid drought

More than 60,000 salmon carcasses were found lining the dried-out bottom of a Canadian creek in what researchers fear is another example of the environmental consequences of climate change. Resea…

thehill.com

Heartbreaking

 

[Bigjay73]

Puget Sound salmon habitat restored with tribes leading the way

Reconnecting estuaries — the place where fresh and salt water meet — is an effort largely led by Washington’s tribes and backed by local and state leaders.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Irrelevant]

A Wake-Up Call for the Washington Coast

A long-anticipated petition to list the Olympic Peninsula’s wild steelhead under the protections of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been submitted to federal agencies…

www.wildsteelheaders.org

 

[AlaskaHunter]

In Alaska King Salmon, snow crab, king crab have declined substantially.

Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon had the record run in 2021.
Then the record was broken again in 2022.
The high Sockeye runs may be due to warmer lake water temperature,
leading to a boom in their food source – primarily plankton – allowing juveniles
to grow faster and stronger before their exit to the ocean.

 

[Bigjay73]

Isn't this lovely?

They defied California and drained an important salmon stream. Their fine: $50 per farmer

The Bee’s findings “should serve as a wake up call” for the Legislature and the Governor’s Office to change the law, one law professor said.

news.yahoo.com

 

[Irrelevant]

That's crazy, CA def doesn't lead the west in water rights or protecting stream flows.

 

[Goodfish]

In Alaska King Salmon, snow crab, king crab have declined substantially.

Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon had the record run in 2021.
Then the record was broken again in 2022.
The high Sockeye runs may be due to warmer lake water temperature,
leading to a boom in their food source – primarily plankton – allowing juveniles
to grow faster and stronger before their exit to the ocean.

I don’t know if this will post well. Section 4 is devoted to research on impacts of trawling bycatch on the red king crab population.

https://meetings.npfmc.org/CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=7608c5c6-d20a-4b3e-a23a-7fb0754d3f71.pdf&fileName=D1%20BBRKC%20Information%20Paper.pdf

 

[FI460]

Isn't this lovely?

They defied California and drained an important salmon stream. Their fine: $50 per farmer

The Bee’s findings “should serve as a wake up call” for the Legislature and the Governor’s Office to change the law, one law professor said.

news.yahoo.com

Hey I know those folks. Doesn't surprise me. I am surprised I hadn't heard about this though.

 

[Irrelevant]

The largest dam demolition in history is approved for a Western river

The destruction of four dams on the lower Klamath river will open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat. U.S. regulators approved the plan Thursday in a unanimous vote.

www.npr.org

 

[jryoung]

The largest dam demolition in history is approved for a Western river

The destruction of four dams on the lower Klamath river will open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat. U.S. regulators approved the plan Thursday in a unanimous vote.

www.npr.org

Can't wait to see how this plays out over the years. There's so much potential and I hope it is all fulfilled.

This made the news locally recently, it's crazy how quickly potential restoration can happen.

Endangered species appears in Calif. creek for the first time

It's been just over a year since a century-old dam was removed from Mill Creek, a tributary that runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains in Central California.

www.sfgate.com

 

[Irrelevant]

Can't wait to see how this plays out over the years. There's so much potential and I hope it is all fulfilled.

This made the news locally recently, it's crazy how quickly potential restoration can happen.

Endangered species appears in Calif. creek for the first time

It's been just over a year since a century-old dam was removed from Mill Creek, a tributary that runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains in Central California.

www.sfgate.com

I saw that, definitely cool.

Unfortunately there are also examples of just how slowly things come back (or simply keep declining), you just don't hear about them as much. Condit dam on the Big White Salmon River (my home river as a kid) was removed in 2011. While there has been recolonization of the accessible reaches above the dam, the overall populations have still decline. Below (1) are the two chinook runs, and further (2) are coho which are still below pre-dam estimates; steelies are still said to have been extirpated...

Chinook

coho

 

[kwyeewyk]

This may have already been posted here or another thread sorry if repeat.

NEWS RELEASE

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Commissioner Franz Ends Net Pen Aquaculture in Washington’s Waters

OLYMPIA – Washington’s public aquatic lands will no longer be home to commercial finfish net pen aquaculture. Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz announced today on Bainbridge Island an executive order that would prohibit commercial finfish net pen aquaculture on state-owned aquatic lands managed by her agency, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“As we’ve seen too clearly here in Washington, there is no way to safely farm finfish in open sea net pens without jeopardizing our struggling native salmon. Today, I’m announcing an end to the practice. We, as a state, are going to do better by our salmon, by our fishermen, and by our tribes,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “Commercial finfish farming is detrimental to salmon, orcas and marine habitat. I’m proud to stand with the rest of the west coast today by saying our waters are far too important to risk for fish farming profits.”

Commissioner Franz’s order will align Washington’s net pen salmon aquaculture policy with policies already in place in Alaska, California, and Oregon.

Commissioner Franz was joined in her announcement by Chairman Leonard Forsman of the Suquamish Tribe and Emma Helverson, Executive Director of the Wild Fish Conservancy.

“On behalf of the Suquamish people, I want to thank Commissioner Franz for listening to Tribes and others who place the health of the Salish Sea as their top priority.” said Leonard Forsman, Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe. “Ending commercial finfish farming in our ancestral waters is an important step towards protecting marine water quality, salmon populations, and the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. The impacts of commercial finfish farming put all of that at risk, and threatened treaty rights and ultimately our way of life and culture.”

“The importance of this new policy for wild fish, water quality, and the greater health of Puget Sound cannot be overstated. We are so grateful to Commissioner Franz for listening to the public and taking action to protect Puget Sound, not just today, but far into the future for the benefit of so many generations to come,” says Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “All week, we have been hearing from people throughout our region and colleagues around the world already celebrating Commissioner Franz's decision earlier this week to deny leases to the net pen industry. Now, this historic and bold policy is setting a new model that will go on to bolster efforts around the world working toward this same end. What we've accomplished together is truly something for Washington to be proud of."

“The Salish Sea is one of our eldest relations and was here long before us. It is one of our most powerful teachers, and we have a sacred obligation to preserve, promote, and protect it at all costs,” said Anthony “Tse Sum Ten” Hillaire, Lummi Nation Chairman. “Since time immemorial, we have harvested finfish and shellfish, and ensuring that our children and grandchildren have access to those same rights is of utmost importance, as a healthy and productive Salish Sea is essential to our survival.”

"Tulalip is committed to protecting the environment and restoring historic fish numbers, and this is why we urge caution as alternative methods of production are considered. The Salish Sea is a delicate ecosystem which requires our conservation and stewardship,” said Teri Gobin, Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes.

“We say, ‘the table is set when the tide goes out.’ Seafoods have always been a staple of Samish diet and traditions,” said Tom Wooten, Samish Indian Nation Chairman. “By removing the Sound’s remaining net pens, our delicate ecosystem now gets a chance to replenish, repair and heal. We are grateful and lift our hands to the DNR’s partnership in helping protect the Salish Sea that tie us to our history and culture.”

This order only applies to commercial net pen fin fish aquaculture, and does not apply to hatcheries that restorative or boost native stocks.

Commercial finfish farming has operated in marine net pens in Puget Sound for more than 40 years, operating on aquatic lands leased from DNR. Citing several areas where the Cooke violated terms of the leases, Commissioner Franz Monday terminated the two remaining finfish net pen aquaculture facilities leases in Washington.

DNR’s denial of Cooke Aquaculture’s request to re-lease the sites to continue finfish net pen aquaculture gives the company until December 14 to finish operations and begin removing its facilities and repairing any environmental damage. The Hope Island lease expired in March and has been in month-to-month holdover status since. The Rich Passage lease expired in November.

New Policy Driven by 2017 Collapse

DNR determined that allowing Cooke to continue operations posed risks of environmental harm to state-owned aquatic lands resulting from lack of adherence to lease provisions and increased costs to DNR associated with contract compliance, monitoring, and enforcement.

In August of 2017, a net pen at Cooke’s Cypress Island fish farm collapsed, releasing hundreds of thousands of Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. As a result, DNR terminated that lease. Cooke was fined $332,000 and found negligent by the state Department of Ecology.

In December of 2017, DNR terminated Cooke’s Port Angeles lease due to Cooke operating in an unauthorized area and failing to maintain the facility in a safe condition. Cooke challenged that termination in the superior court and that litigation is still pending.

The Washington state Legislature in 2018 phased out Atlantic salmon farming, and the company since shifted operations at its remaining leaseholds in Rich Passage and Hope Island to grow sterile steelhead trout.

Commissioner Franz’s full order is available at https://www.dnr.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/em_commissioners_order_net_pens.pdf

 

[Goodfish]

This 4 part series is really in depth. There are no easy answers.

The Hatchery Crutch: How We Got Here | Hakai Magazine

From their beginnings in the late 19th century, salmon hatcheries have gone from cure to band-aid to crutch. Now, we can’t live without manufactured fish.

hakaimagazine.com

Too Many Pinks in the Pacific | Hakai Magazine

Evidence is mounting that pink salmon, pumped by the billions into the North Pacific from fish hatcheries, are upending marine ecosystems.

hakaimagazine.com

The Hail Mary Hatcheries | Hakai Magazine

As wildfires, droughts, and floods deal a blow to coastal habitats, wild salmon are disappearing from waterways like California’s Russian River. Can conservation hatcheries save endangered runs?

hakaimagazine.com

Tribal Hatcheries and the Road to Restoration | Hakai Magazine

In the US Pacific Northwest, tribal hatcheries uphold Indigenous communities’ treaty rights to salmon, while buying time to rehabilitate lost habitat.

hakaimagazine.com

 

[Salmonchaser]

It is good that there is some interest on this forum regarding the salmon.

 

[Irrelevant]

Tangential

Could trawler cams help save world's dwindling fish stocks?

For years, Mark Hager’s job as an observer aboard New England fishing boats made him a marked man, seen as a meddling cop on the ocean, counting and scrutinizing every cod, haddock and flounder to enforce rules and help set crucial quotas. Now Hager is working to replace such federally-mandated...

news.yahoo.com

...
His Day Boat Seafood in 2011 became one of the first longline companies in the world to carry an ecolabel from the Marine Stewardship Council — the industry’s gold standard. As part of that sustainability drive, the Fort Pierce, Florida, company blazed a trail for video monitoring that spread throughout the U.S.’ Atlantic tuna fleet.

“I really believed in it. I thought it was a game changer,” he said.

But his enthusiasm turned when NOAA used the videos to bring civil charges against him last year for what he says was an accidental case of illegal fishing.

The bust stems from trips made by four tuna boats managed by Day Boat to a tiny fishing hole bound on all sides by the Bahamas’ exclusive economic zone and a U.S. conservation area off limits to commercial fishing. Evidence reviewed by the AP show that Taylor’s boats were fishing legally inside U.S. waters when they dropped their hooks. But hours later some of the gear, carried by hard-to-predict underwater eddies, drifted a few miles over an invisible line into Bahamian waters.

Geolocated video footage was essential to proving the government’s case, showing how the boats pulled up 48 fish — swordfish, tuna and mahi mahi — while retrieving their gear in Bahamian waters.

As a result, NOAA levied a whopping $300,000 fine that almost bankrupted Taylor’s business and has had a chilling effect up and down the East Coast’s tuna fleet.

When electronic monitoring was getting started a decade ago, it appealed to fishermen who thought that the more reliable data might help the government reopen coastal areas closed to commercial fishing since the 1980s, when the fleet was five times larger. Articles on NOAA’s website promised the technology would be used to monitor tuna stocks with greater precision, not play Big Brother.

“They had everyone snowballed,” said Martin Scanlon, a New York-based skipper who heads the Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, which represents the fleet of around 90 longline vessels. “Never once did they mention it would be used as a compliance tool.”

Meanwhile, for Taylor, his two-year fight with the federal government has cost him dearly. He’s had to lay off workers, lease out boats and can no longer afford the licensing fee for the ecolabel he worked so hard to get. Most painful of all, he’s abandoned his dream of one day passing the fishing business on to his children.

“The technology today is incredibly effective,” Taylor said. “But until foreign competitors are held to the same high standards, the only impact from all this invasiveness will be to put the American commercial fishermen out of business.”

I think this is something that everyone fears, and is what's really holding us back from managing fish stocks correctly. There's no political will to punish US fisherman when the rest of the world is still raping and pillaging. Then when you get voluntary compliance you turn around and hammer them because you can. Was 48 fish really worth $300k in fines and a reversal of voluntary support?

 

[Irrelevant]

OPINION: We need an honest dialogue about our fisheries

The pollock sector is committed to remaining a sincere partner in safeguarding healthy Alaska fisheries and marine ecosystems.

www.adn.com

Good discussion of bycatch.

 

[Goodfish]

The statistics don’t lie. Just the statisticians. I‘m surprised they didn’t claim they are doing catch and release dragging. I do agree there needs to be an honest discussion though.