Greetings,

I am against the net pens for the following reasons.

1. Current net pen produced fish at the upstream site of Mayfield lake are notorious for producing damaged and diseased fish. The phrase "Mayfield fuzzy tailed trout" is in response to trout seen or caught that have fins either worn away from the pens and or displaying the fungal growth on the fins and backs of these raised trout.

2. Many of the raised trout are full of intestinal worms. These fish are long in size, but often thin and upon further examination exhibit open bleeding in the digestive track and cavity. Such fish that enter the food chain only exasperate the problem.

3. The location of these net pens will allow the fecal materials from these fish to enter directly into the intake flows of Mayfield Powerhouse, thus ending up at the intake of the Salmon Hatchery. Current use of the Salmon Hatchery is for the brooding of all hatchery species. Any outbreak of disease would directly effect both the Salmon and Trout Hatchery stock, across several species of fish, affecting all Cowlitz Fishery. There is no Ozone plant to treat infected waters that will come in contact with hatchery stock eggs.

4. The Cowlitz River currently has state of the art hatchery facilities for raising fish. If an increase in production is required, then do it there.

5. If for reasons unknown to me, a replacement to the existing hatchery facilities must be utilized there are two much better alternatives.

5a. Raise the fish in the area between Mayfield Dam and Mayfield Powerhouse. This area would at least allow settling of fecal materials and facilitate the natural release of fry through the existing weir system once they are ready to begin the downstream migration. This area is secure from the public, free of any other wild run to prevent cross contamination and readily available and accessible for feeding. Further, due to the natural enclosure of rocks, there is no need for net pens saving both time, money and cutting down on net abrasion sourced diseases.

5b. Develop fish passages past the falls on Winston Creek. Doing this one simple item will open more spawning beds than the whole of the Tilton River system. No feed, net pens or further labor intensive activities required. This one item is the only way to further enhance a "truly wild run" on the Cowlitz.

I believe that the resource can and should be developed further to mediate for the impacts of hydroelectric facilities, but net pens are a poor excuse for developing habitat.