June 9, 2009

House Committee Agrees to boost funding for Mitchell Act Hatcheries

The House Appropriations Committee agreed to Norm's request today to boost funding for the 17 federally-operated fish hatcheries on the Columbia River in order to implement a major reform of the hatchery operations to increase their role in the recovery of threatened west coast salmon.
 
The Committee approved an increase of $10 million – from $16 million to $26 million—for the Mitchell Act hatcheries in order to fund improvements in their activities that will increase production and recognize added responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The hatcheries currently provide for the release of between 50 and 60 million juvenile anadromous fish in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.  In addition, they operate and maintain fish screens at irrigation outlets as well as fishways to assure passage along nearly 2,000 miles of stream habitat.

Based on recommendations that were made by a congressionally-chartered Hatchery Scientific Review Group examining hatchery operations in Washington waters, Norm assured the Committee that major improvements in management of hatchery broodstocks and protecting populations of wild salmon on the Columbia River are achievable.   He said that “the responsibilities of the ESA require smarter and more efficient operation of these hatcheries.”

The congressman noted the review group's contention that recovery of wild salmon and steelhead was not possible without addressing the genetic impacts caused by hatchery fish spawning with wild fish.   He said the additional funds that will be available to the Columbia River hatcheries in the next year can provide for physical barriers to segregate wild and hatchery populations, as well as for efforts—such as clipping the adipose fin—to distinguish hatchery fish and allow for a selective fishery.
 
In addition to the Mitchell Act funding, the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill approved today contains $50 million in a west coast fish species conservation account, which pays for projects in Washington and the surrounding states that contribute to the restoration and conservation of salmon and steelhead populations.

The bill also contains an additional increment of funding to assure the installation of the next generation weather radar in the Grays Harbor area, which remains one of the only populated areas along the west coast without adequate storm-sensing radar coverage.   At Norm's request, the bill contains $7.58 million for the high-resolution, long range Doppler radar system that will be installed by the National Weather Service by 2011.  A total of $2 million in initial funding was provided in the current fiscal year.  

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