United We Stand-Divided We Fall!

PLEASE HELP US RESIST THE ATTACK ON SALMON/STEELHEAD HATCHERIES-
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO STOP STEP ONE AND SAVE OUR HATCHERY SYSTEMS. PUGET SOUND WINTER HATCHERY STEELHEAD PROGRAM HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF FAILURE WITHOUT YOUR HELP, SETTING THE PRECEDENCE OF HATCHERY SHUTDOWNS THROUGH OUT THE STATE THROUGH LITIGATION!

Please send an email before Christmas to the National Maine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional directors listed below, asking that they complete by April 1, 2016 their reviews and final approvals, of early winter hatchery steelhead programs for the Dungeness, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Skykomish, and Snoqualmie rivers:

Mr. William W. Stelle, Regional Administrator, NMFS, west Coast Region EWShatcheriesEIS.wcr@noaa.gov
Ms. Robyn Thorson, Regional Director, USFWS, Pacific Region Robyn_Thorson@fws.gov

Loss of Puget Sound winter hatchery steelhead production will lead to further attacks on salmon hatcheries as is occurring at the Leavenworth National salmon hatchery, the result of litigation by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC). Consequently, salmon anglers must also engage now with the steelhead hatchery issue to protect your future salmon fishing opportunities.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under provisions of the National Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act, are currently reviewing five steelhead hatchery programs benefiting the Dungeness, Nooksack, Stillaguamish, Skykomish and Snoqualmie River basins. This review and approval of the programs must be completed in time to allow hatchery steelhead smolts to be released into these river systems by no later than May 1, 2016, or risk permanent loss of the early winter hatchery steelhead fisheries. Failure to release by May 1 would result in no subsequent adult broodstock to continue hatchery production.

In a 2014 Federal District court settlement to a lawsuit filed by WFC, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agreed to stop releasing early winter steelhead hatchery fish until Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) for each of the cited river basins had been approved by the NMFS. A 45 day public review of a NMFS draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) assessing the HGMPs is scheduled to be completed on December 28, 2015.

NMFS will begin working on the final EIS in January. However, the time the federal agencies say they need to complete the final EIS and other documents could delay actual approval of the steelhead smolts releases well into May or even June, especially if litigation is pursued by WFC and/or other groups. This would be too late to save the hatchery steelhead programs.

Consequently, an expedited effort is required to reduce the current planned federal processing time by a month, if the early winter hatchery programs are to be continued following a careful review by the public and the approving federal agencies.

Our sport fishing/conservation organizations ask that you join us in demanding that the NMFS and USFWS regional directors expedite their reviews and approvals of the steelhead hatchery programs so that the steelhead smolts are released into the rivers by May 1, 2016.

Please tell them that not getting this done is not acceptable and to please expedite the Steelhead HGMPS for the 5 Puget Sound Rivers. There have been curve balls thrown at us to run the clock out. We have tried to keep this on track and need your help. Remember that hatcheries are mitigation for habitat loss. That is the reason they were built in the first place. If you agree please send in a quick reponse to the two names and email addresses above. Please forward to family and friends too for their help.