News release

"Commission Adopts New Native Fish Conservation Policy

With a unanimous vote Friday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission culminated a year of review and adopted the newly written Native Fish Conservation Policy to guide work toward recovery and sustainability of native fish species.

Before the vote, the Commission engaged in a lengthy discussion on the public comments received in the last month and heard from several members of a task force that met for several months to craft the final draft language of the policy. The discussion and the testimony prompted several amendments to the draft proposal.

The final adopted policy:
- Identifies a primary purpose to remove fish species from Endangered Species Act lists and avoid future listings;
- Focuses on the sustainability of naturally produced native fish and identifies naturally produced fish as providing the foundation for hatchery programs and fisheries;
- Provides a basis to manage hatcheries, fisheries, habitat, predators, competitors and fish pathogens in balance with sustainable naturally produced native fish;
- Embraces case-by-case management for individual watersheds and situations;
- Uses conservation plans and measurable criteria to implement the policy for groups of fish populations with similar geographic, genetic and ecological characteristics;
- Calls for managing native fish to provide for sport, commercial, cultural and aesthetic benefits for current and future generations;
- Uses hatcheries responsibly to help achieve the goals of the policy;
- Requires proceeding with precautionary strategies scaled to the risk if scientific uncertainty exists;

- Uses existing statutes and administrative rules to manage fish populations until individual conservation plans can be written; and
- Requires regular status reports and a education and training program.

Before the vote, the Commission removed all references to a requirement to form an 11-member Native Fish Citizen Advisory Committee. Instead, the panel was in favor of forming an advisory committee on as as-needed basis. Additional amendments were made to remove time deadlines in the rule and to make other wording changes suggested through public comment.

The Commission also adopted an order that requires staff to propose salmon and steelhead species management unit designations by December, 2003, and to review all ODFW's current fish management administrative rules for consistency with the new policy by September, 2003."

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