Historic Agreement Reforms Trinity River Fish Hatchery

Another victory for wild fish.

A federal court has approved the settlement agreement in a lawsuit challenging operations at the Trinity River Fish Hatchery. The agreement between EPIC, state agencies and Tribes allows the hatchery to continue to operate, but with needed reforms to restore imperiled wild coho salmon.

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"Angling community frustrated by deal on steelhead "

I guess it would depend on which "angling community" you were referring to.

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This story is in need of some comments from wild fish advocates.

Chambers Creek Hatchery Steelhead explanation with Bill McMillan

Bill McMillan discusses the Chambers Creek hatchery stock of winter steelhead in Washington state and how it effects wild steelhead.

What if they held a protest and nobody came?

Photo: Horatio Nailknot

Like last week's protest of the Native Fish Society benefit banquet organized by the Three Rivers Sportmans Alliance.

That dollar I committed to NFS for every protester that showed I'll be able to cover by sweeping the change out my couch.

Naturally produced steelhead are potentially surviving at a higher rate than hatchery fish

Go figure.

Juvenile wild steelhead are smaller than hatchery fish when they reach the ocean, but have a higher feeding success, are in better condition and grow faster than hatchery fish once they arrive in the marine environment, according to a recent study.

LINK (via:CBB)

WDFW will not release 'early winter' hatchery steelhead!

Thanks to the Wild Fish Conservancy another blow has been struck against the hatchery welfare state.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will not release early winter hatchery steelhead into rivers around Puget Sound as planned this spring unless it can resolve issues raised in January by the Wild Fish Conservancy and restated in a lawsuit the group filed this week.

Phil Anderson said WDFW leaders made the “very difficult” decision last week under the threat of litigation by the Conservancy, a non-profit group based in Duvall, Wash. In late January, the group filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the department over its management of early winter (Chambers Creek) steelhead hatchery programs.

On Monday, March 31, as the 60-day period ended, the group filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Seattle against the department and the state Fish and Wildlife Commission, alleging WDFW has violated the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The group contends WDFW’s planting of Chambers Creek steelhead undermines the recovery of wild Puget Sound steelhead, salmon and bull trout, which are listed as “threatened” under the ESA.

Anderson said WDFW is vulnerable to lawsuits over its hatchery steelhead operations because they were not approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) following the ESA listing of Puget Sound steelhead in 2007.

LINK (via: WDFW)