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Methow Valley News June 1, 2000 Endangered Species Coverage Hatchery salmon maybe relocated, destroyed Rivers open for catch-and-release Hatchery salmon may be relocated, destroyed by Lee Hicks Unusually high returns of salmon this year will likely result in federal officials relocating or destroying hatchery fish in an effort to create a wild "composite" stock in the Methow basin. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery, says many of the fish are descended from a "mixed bag" of spring Chinook. The stock was captured at Rock Island Dam in the 1940s, reared at the agency’s Leavenworth hatchery and then transferred to Winthrop to spawn. Fertilized eggs of the stock were used in the 1970s to begin production at the federal Carson hatchery in the lower Columbia. The federal fisheries agency announced May 26 that a planned three-year phase-out of the Carson strain would be implemented early since the spring Chinook runs in the Columbia have reached 62-year highs. An estimated 2,000 of 184,000 fish that have passed the Bonneville Dam are expected to return to the Winthrop hatchery, the agency said. National Marine Fisheries Service has directed USFWS to phase out the Carson fish to promote growth of, "native and endangered ‘Methow composite’ stock which is more adapted to life in the Methow basin," according to the USFWS statement. "Using the Methow composite stock not only gives our program a better chance for future success, but also gives us a true chance to recover and restore these magnificent, but endangered animals," said Greg Pratschner, manager of the USFWS’ hatcheries in Winthrop, Entiat and Leavenworth. Pratschner said his agency is, "looking at several options." Among them are the possibilities of moving adult fish to Columbia River tributaries above Grand Coulee Dam, providing fish to Native American tribes and distributing to federal prisons. The possibility of killing fish at the hatchery has prompted calls for a protest that would focus on the hatchery issues. At last week’s negotiations toward a basin fish and water agreement, Methow basin watershed planning unit members told federal officials the issue is raising much local interest. As the "surplus" hatchery fish arrive in the Valley, federal and state officials have said a public forum to explain the policy might be held in coming weeks. Watershed unit members expressed concern over the surplus fish plans as talks to reach an agreement enter what could be the final stages. Rivers open for catch-and-release By John Hanron Portions of the Methow, Chewuch and Twisp rivers open today (Thursday, June 1) for catch-and-release fishing. The season is the result of activism on the part of local flyfishers, who drew up a plan after the state threatened to shut down all fishing on the basin’s three major rivers in an effort to protect endangered steelhead, spring Chinook salmon and Dolly Varden/bull trout. Anglers are cautioned to check the regulations carefully. Killing an endangered species could subject violators to very large fines from the National Marine Fisheries Service. The catch-and-release season continues until Sept. 30. The Methow River will be closed to fishing below Gold Creek (near Carlton) and above the Weeman Bridge (near Mazama). The waters between these two points will be open to catch-and-release fishing with selective gear. The upper and lower stretches will remain closed until whitefish season Dec. 1. On the Chewuch River, anglers may fish for game fish from the mouth to Eightmile Creek. All fish must be returned to the river alive. The river is closed to all fishing above Eightmile until whitefish season this winter. The Twisp River is open to catch-and-release fishing from its mouth to War Creek. The section from War Creek to the South Fork will remain closed all year. Other closed waters: Buttermilk Creek (including East and West forks), Cedar Creek (from mouth to the falls), Early Winters Creek, Goat Creek, Gold Creek (from mouth to confluence with the North Fork), Lake Creek (from mouth to Black Lake), Lost River (from mouth to Monument Creek) and Wolf Creek (from mouth to South Fork). Lost River from Monument Creek to the outlet of Cougar Lake (in the Pasayten Wilderness) is open for trout fishing including Dolly Varden. Other tributaries of the Methow that are not listed under the state special rules are open for statewide rules fishing: selective gear (single, barbless hook, no bait), no trout over 20 inches in length, and no steelhead. The catch-and-release season continues until Nov. 30. Fishing licenses will cost adult residents $20. State Department of Ecology agrees water is property right by Lee Hicks Water in streams to meet "biological needs" of fish continues to be debated as negotiations move toward a final draft agreement among county, state and federal officials. At a two-day session May 24-25, negotiators resolved a number of issues, shuttling them out of a "parking lot" where they had been put aside in earlier talks. The streamflow issue surfaced in discussion of how to accommodate, within a basin-wide agreement, those ditches that divert water from Forest Service land. Streamflows are now more urgent for the federal ditches as runoff from below-normal snowpack potentially leads to early irrigation shutdowns to meet flow targets set by Forest Service permits. Forest Service official Greg Knott, who moderated the two-day session, underscored the flow issue in an impromptu opening remark. "There’s not much snow up there—the least I’ve seen in 20 years. We’re going to be running out of water pretty quickly." Early Monday (May 29) the U.S. Geological Survey Winthrop gauging station on the Methow River confirmed the low flows. The gauge was reading 3,010 cubic feet per second. About 80 percent of all historical mean readings for that date have been higher, the USGS web site shows. The Forest Service has said it used higher flow numbers in the absence of final biological opinions by National Marine Fisheries Service. The basin planning unit wants the first years of a three-to four-year work plan to include hydrology studies showing the effects of irrigation on streamflows, an assessment of actual basin water use, placement of stream monitoring gauges, fish screen installation and passage barrier improvements. County water resources director Dennis Beich said the issue was more how to address flow problems this year for federal ditches, rather than private irrigators. However, NMFS state director Bob Turner differed. "Certainly to say we won’t have to worry about flows in 2000 is not correct," he said, adding that flows would not be an issue "if we’d closed this deal a year ago (to reach an agreement)." NMFS has argued that flows at points of diversion are an immediate concern, apart from the potential groundwater recharge and return to streams from ditches. Without a basin agreement, Turner said, NMFS has continued with Forest Service Section 7 consultation, "and will conclude it." Section 7 requires a stiffer standard requiring any federal action not to "jeopardize" fish, rather than actually "take" a listed species, he explained. Turner said NMFS did "not have the discretion" in the case of Section 7 ditches to wait until further studies included in the proposed planning unit agreement are completed. Beich said the planning unit would like to have the NMFS data on when certain flows are needed for such fish migration, spawning and rearing. "The basin is not going to accept the fact that streamflows throughout the basin is the problem." But, Turner said, "I don’t think we agree with the premise that we can’t estimate spawning and rearing flows—I think we can." NMFS senior policy analysis Mike Grady said the agency is using a 1992 "IFIM" (instream flow incremental methodology) report by the USGS along with biological life cycle data for fish and hydrograph stream measurements. The data are available for Early Winters Creek and the Chewuch but not Wolf Creek, Grady said. Turner also repeated previous statements that local watershed planning, enabled by state legislation, by itself is not sufficient to address Endangered Species Act issues. "When the 2514 process (HB2514) was being developed we pointed out (to the legislature) that it is not ESA compliant," Turner said. The legislation is "value laden," Turner said. Although NMFS is "respectful" of watershed planning values, Turner said, "I’m not charged with part of my job to implement 2514." Planning unit chairman Dick Ewing countered that "you’re imposing your value system on us." However, Turner said while the federal government, "does not require (local watershed planning) we believe that’s the best approach." But local plans must have, "substance, certainty of implementation and a monitoring plan," Turner said. NMFS position remains that the agency can only exercise "prosecutorial discretion" in enforcing the ESA until a habitat conservation plan allows greater protection through an "incidental take permit" possible under the ESA. "The statute is clear. There is no incidental take permit until an HCP (is completed)," Turner said. HCPs typically can require three or more years to complete at costs of several hundred thousand dollars. Under language of the proposed agreement, a "draft" HCP would be developed by 2003. A key part of the proposed agreement remains voluntary water conservation. But this proposal does not include the controversial "proportionate share" requirement of an earlier proposed agreement that was soundly criticized at a Nov. 17 public meeting attended by more than 400 persons. That provision would have required participants to give up more water if conservation goals were not met, either for lack of other volunteers or other reasons. The new proposal provides for conservation through leasing, purchasing or placing water rights in trust. But the details would not be worked out until later this year according to a chart of activities. It also calls for development of off-stream and ground water storage sites. Addressing concerns over water rights, state Department of Ecology official Joe Williams said his agency supports the view that a water right is a property right. "A water right is a property right...you folks feel very strongly about that. So do we as the state." Knott told the negotiators: "We cannot overstate the water rights issue. It’s a core issue for most people." Among issues that appear resolved: —Wording changes intended to clarify intent, such as protection of water rights and "legal" water uses. —Provisions for how the state Department of Ecology would withdraw basin waters from further appropriation of water and/or adjudicate water rights, if "sufficient progress" to meet terms of the agreement is not made. The agreement commits DOE to take action if goals are not met. The agency would propose any water rule to withdraw the basin or petition to begin adjudication by Dec. 31, 2002 based on lack of progress in the preceding years. The rule and the petition would be effective by Dec. 31, 2003. DOE regional water resources manager Bob Barwin said a withdrawal would affect drilling of 5,000-gallon "exempt" wells that at present do not require a state permit. —Agreed to work together to secure funding for basin-wide inventories of water diversions and identification of needed improvements, such as fish screens and elimination of passage barriers among others. A state Fish and Wildlife official reported the agency completed a six-month inventory of the Beaver Creek drainage. The agency identified about 475 passage barriers, a dozen major diversion structures and up to 20-30 smaller ones, according to F&W’s Carl Samuelson. F&W has "extrapolated" from the Beaver Creek inventory that fixing fish passage problems could cost from $9-$27 million. Any inventory is complicated by the fact that with many sub-basins as much as 50 percent of the areas with problems are on Forest Service land. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for June 12-13. If talks result in a final draft, the proposal would go to the Okanogan County Commissioners to be scheduled for public hearing. Opinion | Sports |
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