Thompson bill charts policy for wild Pacific salmon

Eureka Times Standard

A new bill co-written by Rep. Mike Thompson to protect and restore wild Pacific salmon ecosystems along the North American West Coast was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday.

Thompson was joined in crafting the bill by representatives of both parties from up and down the West Coast, and a companion bill was introduced earlier this month by Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, with co-sponsorship from the entire West Coast U.S. Senate delegation.

”Research shows that it's far more cost effective to preserve a species by supporting healthy ecosystems than by trying to intervene after the damage has already been done,” Thompson said in a press release. “Salmon have been an important part of our North Coast economy for a long time, and we need to use all available tools to help the fish population grow so that our environment will be restored and our fishing families can prosper.”

The Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act will complement other efforts to recover threatened and endangered salmon populations by directing federal resources toward voluntary, incentive-based conservation efforts across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Alaska.

According to the press release, the act will establish a new U.S. policy that recognizes the need for conservation of salmon strongholds as a complement to recovery of federally listed populations. It will also create a grant program to support cooperative conservation efforts that implement locally led, high-value conservation actions in healthy wild salmon ecosystems.

”This bill recognizes that while we must continue to invest in recovery, in the face of increasing development and climate change, it is also critical to ensure that we maintain watersheds that are currently functioning and productive,” Greg Block, vice president for conservation at the Wild Salmon Center.

According to the release, the legislation will enhance coordination among involved entities and leverage private funds to support salmon conservation across jurisdictional boundaries.

”Forging these partnerships for bold action is exactly what we need to do to provide a solid foundation for region-wide recovery as we progress in our efforts to restore degraded watersheds,” said Chuck Bonham, California director at Trout Unlimited.

Salmon fishermen have been struggling since the mid-1990s, when cutbacks to protect threatened and endangered species allowed salmon farms to fill markets with low-priced fish.

Fishermen started handling their catch more carefully, offering a premium product, and prices rose until 2006, when returns to the Klamath River in Northern California plummeted.

Seasons were generous in 2007, but catches were poor, and in 2008 forecasts up and down the coast were dire

This year, the collapse focused on the Sacramento River. Returns to the Columbia River, the region's biggest salmon producer, were on the increase. Coho returns in Oregon and points north were also on the upswing.

A change in climatic conditions leads scientists to expect more plentiful salmon returns next year.