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~~>FISHLINK SUBLEGALS 3/23/01<~~
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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
VOL 3, NO. 12 23 MARCH 2001
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3:12/01. KILL OF LISTED WINTER-RUN SALMON
EXCEEDS BY 50 PERCENT THE ALLOWABLE TAKE AT SWP
PUMPS: While the commercial and recreational fisheries offshore
California are severely restricted to protect listed Sacramento winter-run
chinook, the California State Water Project (SWP) pumps in the San
Joaquin/Sacramento Delta are exceeding their allowable take of this
endangered salmon stock by upwards of 50 percent according to the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The current agreement
between the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and the Department of
Water Resources (DWR), the agencies that run the CVP/SWP, with
NMFS allows for a take attributed to the pumps of approximately 7,400
(2%) out-migrating winter-run smolts. Estimates put the total number of
fish killed by the pumps this year at 14,000.
Prior to the implementation of CALFED (the State-Federal
consortium established to restore the Bay-Delta fisheries and ecosystem
and provide for a dependable water supply for California) this violation
of take limits would have prompted a reduction or cessation of pumping
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, this protocol was
not outlined in the CALFED Record of Decision (ROD) and therefore
cannot be put into action. The establishment of the Environmental
Water Account (EWA) put into place to protect fish and estuaries
ensures that water contractors will not have to release any additional
water once the account has been filled. The EWA allotment for winter-
run has been used but could not keep the take under the allowable limits.
The remainder of the account is earmarked for protection of the Delta
Smelt. The winter-run kill was revealed by the California Sportfishing
Protection Alliance's (CSPA) John Beuttler. For more information, e-
mail Beuttler at: jbeuttler at aol.com .
3:12/02. TRINITY FLOWS INCREASED AS JUDGE
UPHOLDS BABBITT'S ROD: The battle to return water to the Trinity
River continued this week in Fresno as the Westlands Water District,
accompanied by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD)
and the Northern California Water Association (NCWA), pursued an
injunction in Federal District Court to stop the implementation of
increased flows to the Trinity River as mandated by former Secretary of
Interior Bruce Babbitt's Record of Decision (ROD) (see Sublegals,
2:25/02). In a victory for restoration efforts, Judge Oliver Wanger on
Monday, the 19th, upheld the initial ruling to increase the flows to the
Trinity River in northern California by eight percent, based on this
year's rating as "critically dry." Troy Fletcher, Executive Director of
the Natural Resources Department of the Yurok Tribe said the decision
was "important for the Yurok Tribe, whose culture and fishery
livelihoods have been stolen from them." The decision by Judge
Wanger, who has traditionally supported the interests of Westlands
Water District, is supported by both the Yurok and Hoopa Tribes,
Friends of the Trinity River and commercial and sport fishing groups.
Friends of the Trinity River's Byron Leydecker, hailed Wanger's ruling
saying, "the chronically depressed Trinity Basin and California North
coast economies also will be major beneficiaries of the return of water to
Trinity River."
Judge Wanger also noted that the Biological Opinions included in the
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) had not been subject to
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review and that the
initial ROD has not been given "adequate consideration" in light of the
state's "energy crisis." These issues will be examined further by the
state and federal lead agencies for the EIS, in court-ordered
supplemental environmental documents. After submission of these
documents, the case will come before the judge again. The power issue,
however, is a ruse according to PCFFA's Zeke Grader. "It's really
about water for Westlands," said Grader. "Westlands has been getting
Trinity Unit [of the Central Valley Project] water illegally for years. The
court missed a great opportunity to have seized Westlands' officials at
the hearing and jailed them for hundreds of counts of receiving stolen
property." For more information, go to: http://www.fotr.org .
3:12/03. "RIVERS OF POWER" AVAILABLE ONLINE: The
Friends of the River publication, "Rivers Reborn" (see Sublegals
3:10/05), is available in its entirety on the Fishsniffer website at:
http://www.fishsniffer.com/for/rop1.html
3:12/04. U.S. SENATE HEARING ON KLAMATH BASIN
WATER ISSUES: On 21 March the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy
& Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Water & Power held a
Washington, DC hearing on Klamath River Basin water issues. The
Klamath Basin in southern Oregon and northeast California has been
affected by a drought while at the same time recent biological opinions
(BiOps) for upper river sucker fish and lower river coho have called for
additional flows to protect them from extinction (see Sublegals, 3:11/02;
3:05/10). PCFFA was one of the groups testifying at the Tuesday
hearing along with representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oregon Department
of Water Resources, Klamath Water Users Association, Klamath Tribe,
a group representing non-Klamath Project irrigators and a Berkeley
scientist on the irrigator's payroll to say more water wasn't needed by
fish. The Klamath was once the third largest producing salmon
watershed in the lower U.S., and fishing along the northern California
and southern Oregon coast is severely restricted because of depressed
Klamath salmon stocks.
In his testimony to the Senate Subcommittee, PCFFA Northwest
Regional Director Glen Spain said, "the Klamath River suffers from
major fish kills as a result of low flows to such an extent that we now
have several basin species listed under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) including once abundant coho salmon.... The Klamath Project
[the Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Reclamation Project] has simply
over-allocated the available water. As a direct result, there is too little
water for downriver salmon, too little water to maintain fish in the
upper Klamath lakes and too little water provided to the national wildlife
refuges. The Klamath Project is simply using more than its fair share,
leaving far too little water to maintain overall aquatic health."
PCFFA in its testimony also supported and recommended ways to
help provide disaster relief for potato farmers in the basin, affected by
not only irrigation water cutbacks but also "high costs of production,
conflicting uses, global gluts and an increasingly volatile and
interconnected world market." PCFFA's recommendations included a
request of California Governor Gray Davis to declare a drought disaster
in Siskiyou County to get relief to growers on the California side of the
border as well as in Oregon, where Gov. Kitzhaber is likely to sign such
a declaration soon. As a result of the Senate hearing, a meeting has
been scheduled for Monday, the 26th, in Klamath Falls among the
various interests. However, some are also expecting a big rally by
potato growers on Monday in Klamath Falls protesting providing water
for fish. Some legislators in the Basin may also call for a "God Squad"
to permit the extinction of the sucker and coho. To view PCFFA's
testimony, go to: www.pcffa.org where a link appears at the top of the
page.
3:12/05. SUIT FILED TO STOP KILLING OF SUCKERS IN
KLAMATH: On 21 March the Oregon Natural Resources Council
(ONRC) and the Klamath Forest Alliance (KFA) filed a lawsuit against
the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and Secretary of Interior Gale Norton
to stop the killing of endangered suckers in the hydropower diversion
dams near Klamath Falls. Estimates predict that up to 10,000 juveniles
and many adults are drawn into penstocks and turbines annually. An
original suit by ONRC brought attention to this issue in 1991, which led
to the adoption of a 1992 Biological Opinion (BiOp) that allowed the
BOR a five-year window to resolve the fish entrainment problems, a
deadline never met. For more, contact Wendell Wood at Oregon Natural
Resources Council (707) 465-6541, or Felice Pace at Klamath Forest
Alliance (530) 467-5291.
3:12/06. TOXIC ALGAE KILLS NORWEGIAN FARMED
SALMON: On 20 March, WorldCatch News Network reported about
400,000 farmed fish were dead or dying at two aquaculture centers in
southern Norway. Fisheries officials suspected a combination of toxic
algae and extremely cold water to be responsible for the roughly 650
tons of fish, mostly salmon, that were killed. A news release from the
Norwegian Fisheries Directorate said blossoming of algae is normal
along the Norwegian coast, but it usually does not begin until May. It
said fish are more susceptible because of the cold winter waters and
even small concentrations of algae can then be deadly.
The directorate said samples of the fish would be analyzed to confirm
the cause of death and the type of algae. Water samples also were being
collected in the region. The fish farms were near the city of
Kristiansand, on Norway's southern tip. The roughly 650 tons of fish
were mostly salmon. The last major algae invasion in Norway, in 1998,
killed about 500 tons of fish, mainly by clogging their gills so they could
not breathe. To view the article, go to: www.worldcatch.com .
3:12/07. TRUCKING PLANNED FOR COLUMBIA RIVER
HATCHERY SPRING CHINOOK; SUPPLEMENTAL BIOP
WITHDRAWN: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), in a
series of public hearings this week in the Pacific Northwest, announced
plans to truck about 800,000 juvenile spring-run chinook from a
hatchery on Icicle Creek to a holding pond near White Salmon, about
140 miles up the Columbia River from the Pacific. The week before
about 650,000 fish were trucked to the downstream release location
from the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery. The purpose of the trucking
- which avoids predators in the river, slow moving water, and the
turbines of hydro dams - is to keep the hatchery fish from competing
with wild fish for food and places to hide from predators during the
migration downstream to the ocean. It is supposedly also a way to
assure dam impact mitigation requirements are met while protecting
remaining natural spawning stocks. California has used trucking of
hatchery fish for two decades in the Central Valley river system,
although not primarily to afford protection for the progeny of natural
spawners, but to get the fish around the state and federal pumping plants
in the Delta. An article on the NMFS meetings appeared in the 21 March
issue of the Wenachee World. To see that report, go to:
http://www.wenworld.com/news/wednesday/news.html#1 .
The same day as the article on the trucking of hatchery fish appeared
in the Wenatchee World, the Associated Press reported that NMFS and
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced they were withdrawing a
supplemental Biological Opinion (BiOp) covering activities in forests
east of the Cascades that impact ESA-listed runs of salmon. In two
identical letters, dated 19 March, the two federal fishery agencies
informed federal land managers that they would no longer support a
"supplemental biological opinion" signed on President Bill Clinton's
last full day in office. That supplemental BiOp had clarified and
extended a 1998 BiOp; the withdrawal means the 1998 BiOp remains in
effect. For more information, contact NMFS Acting Northwest Regional
Director Donna Darm at (206) 526-6150.
3:12/08. PROTECTION SOUGHT FOR WILD FISH
MARKETS FROM CHILEAN FARMED SALMON: On 26 March
U.S. and Chilean government officials will meet in Florida to begin free
trade negotiations. Among other issues on the table will be fisheries.
Chile is now the leading exporter of farmed salmon to the U.S. market
(see Sublegals, 3:01/09) and the glut of Chilean fish into the U.S. has
affected the prices for wild salmon produced by American fishermen. In
January, United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) wrote the U.S. Trade
Representative requesting a restriction on salmon imports from Chile
from June through September. PCFFA sent a similar letter, supporting
UFA's position, but asking that the period be from May through
September to cover the wild salmon season all along the U.S. west coast
and Alaska. PCFFA said that special protection was warranted since: 1)
the Chilean salmon farms were established with U.S. technical and
financial aid during the U.S.-supported Pinochet Government; 2)
Chile's salmon growers are not subject to the same stringent labor and
environmental regulations U.S. fishermen must comply with; 3) salmon
are not native to the southern hemisphere and Chile's farm salmon
operations are harming the environment, and; 4) Chile's salmon farms
have displaced artesinal Chilean fishermen and been operated to the
detriment of that nation's fishing men and women. For more
information, contact UFA at: ufa2 at ufa-fish.org and also see:
http://www.adn.com/business/story/0,2641,245674,00.html .
3:12/09. BOSTON SEAFOOD SHOW PRESS CONFERENCE
ON GMO SALMON: A press conference will be held on 27 March at
the Boston Seafood Show regarding the dangers of genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), specifically genetically engineered salmon. The
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to approve
genetically engineered salmon next year (see Sublegals, 3:09/12;
3;05/15). It is the intent of the press conference sponsors to bring
attention to the problems associated with this technology being used in
fish farming operations - from escapees in the wild, to pollution, to the
spread of disease. Salmon, if the FDA approves, will be the first gene
altered animal offered for public consumption, but could quickly be
followed by hogs, chickens and cattle. The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) is proposing siting net pens for fish farming within the
U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), so it is conceivable fish farms
could be all along the U.S. coast using genetically modified fish as
broodstock, despite prohibitions by states such as Alaska, California and
Oregon against salmon net pen operations in the wild.
The press conference, bringing together conservation and fishing
groups, is being sponsored by Greenpeace, Environmental Defense, the
Go Wild Consumer Awareness Campaign and others. The Boston
Seafood Show brings together processors, distributors, importers,
exporters, seafood markets and restaurants from around the world and is
the largest seafood show on the U.S. eastern seaboard. For more
information contact either: Christina Avildsen at:
cavildsen at environmentaldefense.org , or Anne Mossness at:
eatwildfish at aol.com .
3:12/10. WDFW ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF GILLNET
ALTERNATIVES FOR HARVESTING SALMON: In a 19 March
press release, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)
announced that two new types of fishing gear tested last year appear to
give salmon a better chance of survival after they are returned to the
water than traditional gillnets, used for harvesting the fish in estuaries
and rivers (see Sublegals, 3:07/13). The reason for the experimentation
is to develop methods of catch that allow for a selective harvest to avoid
the take of ESA-listed or weak stock salmon runs while allowing a full
harvest of abundant salmon stocks. In a series of test fisheries conducted
in Puget Sound and Willapa Bay from June through December, WDFW
found that only 55 percent of the chinook and coho caught with a
standard gillnet were still healthy enough to swim away from the boat
after release. By comparison, about 82 percent of the chinook and coho
released from a tangle net a new type of gear recently introduced in
British Columbia still appeared healthy. Using another type of new
gear, the "floating box trap," the survival rate at the time of release was
virtually 100 percent.
The main problem with gillnets is that they often suffocate fish by
compressing their gills or injure them as they struggle through the net,
said Geraldine Vander Haegen, the biologist who is supervising the gear
trials. During last year's test fisheries, one out of every two chinook and
coho caught with a gillnet died in the net or could not be revived to a
condition where they were likely to survive. Tangle nets, by comparison,
are designed with a smaller, looser mesh to capture salmon by the head
or teeth, allowing them to respire while in the net. Left to fish for the
same amount of time, tangle nets used in the test fishery caught 407
salmon about half as many chinook, but just as many coho as the
gillnet. Only one out of five salmon caught in the tangle net were in a
condition where they could not be expected to survive if returned to the
water. The floating box trap, which captures salmon by funneling them
into a small webbed chamber, had the highest survival rates of any gear
but also caught the fewest fish. Tested only in Willapa Bay, the floating
box trap caught a total of 36 salmon, nearly all of which appeared
healthy at the time of release. For more information, contact the
WDFW's Geraldine Vander Haegen at: (306) 902-2793
3:12/11. CALIFORNIA SENATE BILLS LOOK TO RESTRICT
GROWTH WITHOUT WATER: An editorial in the 19 March edition
of the Los Angeles Times criticizes the short-sightedness of developers
and the California Legislature for their apathy in ensuring that there is
enough water in the state for the new housing developments currently
under construction. An attempt at curtailing this type of unchecked
development came in the form of Senate Bill 901, passed in 1995 by
Senator Jim Costa (D-Fresno). SB 901 states that any project requiring
an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) would need to demonstrate that
it had secured enough water to satisfy the needs of the project in both
wet and dry years. Unfortunately, only 2 of 119 projects have complied
with that law between 1996 and 2001. For the past two years, Senator
Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) introduced bills, both of which were
eventually defeated, that would have mandated proof of adequate water
supply for new subdivisions larger than 200 homes. Last year, The
Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) teamed up with
developers to oppose the legislation, pointing to the existing SB 901 as
adequate protection against unrestricted growth. PCFFA and other
fishing and conservation groups, along with the East Bay Municipal
Utilities District (EBMUD) supported the Costa and Kuehl measures.
Kuehl and Costa have both introduced new bills in the past month,
hoping to close the loopholes in SB 901. Costa's bill, SB 610, calls for
increased specificity in the data that must be provided. SB 221,
introduced by Kuehl, ensures that water requirements are approved prior
to construction. To view the text or status of the bills go the senators
web pages at www.senate.ca.gov and click on legislation or to view the
editorial go to: www.latimes.com.
3:12/12. ALASKA GROUNDFISH EIS MEETINGS: The
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is holding public meetings
27-29 March and 3 and 11 April in Portland, Seattle, and Alaska to
discuss and hear public comments on the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) covering
the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands. This document is
both a reference document for the current management regime as well as
an environmental baseline for future policy changes and management
actions. The Alaska Oceans Network, a consortium of conservation,
fishing, and Native groups is preparing public comments that will be
presented to NMFS. For more information, contact Francine Bennis at:
aon at ak.net. A schedule of meeting time and places can be found at
www.fakr.noaa.gov .
3:12/13. SEAS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW CONFERENCE
31 MARCH: The Sixth Annual Wildlife Law Conference, sponsored by
the American Society of International Law, will take place on 31 March
this year at American University Law School, Washington, DC, and will
be on the theme "The Seas and International Law," featuring panels on
the law of the sea, international fisheries regimes, and sea turtle treaties.
Conference outlines, registration materials and other details are now
available at: http://eelink.net/~asilwildlife/programs2.html .
3:12/14. RUSSIA AUCTIONS CRAB QUOTAS; PACIFIC RIM
COAST GUARDS MEET: WorldCatch News Network reported on 21
March that all 187 quotas for harvesting crab in Russian waters were
sold at auction at the Central Russian Universal Exchange on 20 March.
The controversial auctions (see Sublegals, 3:11/16; 3:08/20; 3:07/20;
3:05/04) sold the crab quotas for 1.7 times higher than the starting price,
for a value of about $15.2 million (US). For more information, go to:
www.worldcatch.com. In other news from the Far East, Radio Free
Europe reported on 16 March that Coast Guards from Russia, Japan,
Korea, and the United States met to discuss increased collaboration
between the countries' border patrols. This further cooperation seems to
be in order in light of reports that Russian patrol boats opened fire on a
poacher ship in order to conduct an inspection.
3:12/15. PARRAVANO ST. PATRICK'S DAY ADDRESS
AVAILABLE: PCFFA President Pietro Parravano's address to the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Symposium "Fishing for Our
Future" is available on PCFFA's website. Titled "A Vision for
Sustainable Fisheries Along the California Coast: Protecting Habitats for
Fish and Humans," it was presented on 17 March at the two-day
gathering (see Sublegals, 3:01/04). To see the speech, go to:
www.pcffa.org.
3:12/16. A MIR MISS FOR ALBACORE FLEET IN SOUTH
PACIFIC: The Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA), which
represents Canadian, U.S., New Zealand and Pacific Island albacore
fishermen, announced today, 23 March, that the albacore fleet in the
South Pacific reported late last night no sightings or problems from the
Mir's burnup. The weather conditions were bad and visibility was
minimal in the area. The only reported sightings of the Russian space
station's reentry were from Fiji about 1200 miles northwest of where the
remaining fleet of 21 U.S. west coast jig boats were fishing. For more
information, go to WFOA's website at: http://www.wfoa-tuna.org .
3:12/17. HERRING FISHERY PUBLIC MEETINGS
SCHEDULED: The California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG)
has announced two public meetings on 4 April to discuss the State's
herring roe fishery and proposals for the 2001-2002 season. The
California herring fishery for the 2000-2001 season ended on a high note
in January with a much larger population of the fish than expected and
catches that slightly exceeded the quotas (see Sublegals, 3:05/06). The
meetings take place on Wednesday, the 4th, at 1300 HRS at the Grange
Hall in Bodega Bay, and at 1900 HRS at the Marin Rod & Gun Club in
San Rafael. For more information, contact Eric Larson at:
elarson at dfg.ca.gov .
3:12/18. WEST COAST FISHERY LEADER BARRY FISHER
DIES: Captain Barry Fisher, a well-known leader in the U.S. west coast
fishing industry, died at his home in Newport, Oregon on 17 March.
Fisher, who began fishing in New England, was an innovator who
promoted the development of everything from power gurdies in the
salmon dory fleet, to cort nozzles and stern ramps for coastal draggers,
to joint fishing ventures for Pacific whiting with Russian factory ships.
He was a proponent of better fishery research and fish promotion,
serving during the 1980's on the old-West Coast Fisheries Development
Foundation board. He worked for Oregon Sea Grant for a number of
years before going back to fishing with a series of trawlers from the Mi
Toi, to the Excalibur and the Lady of Good Voyage. He was also a
"Highliner of the Year" recipient, the U.S. fishing industry's highest
achievement award.
"Barry was one of those bigger-than-life individuals," said PCFFA's
Zeke Grader. "His words at the 1973 Fish Expo in New Orleans have
always stuck with me, that fishermen have to be concerned with fish
from the time they are in the sea to the time they reach the consumer's
plate."
3:12/19. CHANGE IN NMFS CORRESPONDENCE POLICY:
The Washington Post reported that the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) has clarified its policy regarding correspondence with
members of Congress and the public (see Sublegals, 3:11/13). In
response to Pat Wilbert's memo to NMFS staff to not encourage further
correspondence, the Post said Stephanie Dorezas, a spokeswoman for
the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), of which
NMFS is a part, said Wilbert was probably just having "a bad day" and
that her e-mail was not official policy. A follow-up quickly went out
from NOAA to NMFS: "In our effort to further improve our
communication with our constituents, please ensure that our letters
respond fully to their questions or concerns. If the information needed to
reply to the request isn't available for a period of time, respond that a
follow-up letter with a more detailed response is forthcoming. Finally, if
you believe that they may have additional questions, reassure them in
the letter that they may contact us with those questions in the future. . .
." To see the full Washington Post article, go to:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/fedpage/columns/
intheloop/A12684-2001Mar15.html
3:12/20. NEW INVASIVE ALONG WEST COAST: The
Associated Press reported on 22 March that a new aquatic invasive
species, the purple varnish clam, Nuttallia obscurata, a native of Japan,
is showing up in Pacific Northwest waters. The clam, named for the
shiny shell finish that peels off like varnish, is believed to have entered
the Straits of Georgia in the late 1980's from expelled ballast water.
This clam establishes itself in fairly high beach areas and is said to be
good eating. IFR's Fisheries Program Officer, Natasha Benjamin, will
be presenting a paper at the National Conference on Marine Bio-
invasions (see Sublegals, 3:06/16; 2:23/11)in New Orleans discussing
when, where and how fishing methods can be used in the control and
reduction of non-native aquatic plants and animals.
3:12/21. REMINDER - NEARSHORE FISHERY
MANAGEMENT PLAN MEETING IN OAKLAND: The California
Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) is sponsoring a public meeting to
discuss potential management options for the Nearshore Fishery on 3
April in Oakland at the Auditorium of the Elihu Harris State Building on
1515 Clay Street from 1900 to 2200 (see Sublegals,3:10/16). To RSVP
or request an information packet contact Maura Leos at
Mleos at dfg.ca.gov.
3:12/22. ARCTIC DRILLING BACKED BY BIG MONEY:
While U.S Representatives from California, Lois Capps (D) and Mike
Thompson (D) re-introduced the Coastal States Protection Act which
would ban offshore drilling off the coast of California (see Sublegals
3:11/01), US Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK), chairman of the Senate
Natural Resources Committee continues to push his National Energy
Security Act of 2001. Murkowski's measure includes significant tax
breaks for energy industries, in addition to lifting the ban on oil drilling
in the Arctic National Refuge. Despite the ad campaigns by a number of
conservation organizations against the drilling, many Alaskans support
the increased exploration. An 18 March article in the New York Times
reports that oil revenues financed 84 percent of the Alaska state budget
last year. Last fall, every Alaska resident was sent a check for almost
$2,000 from the royalties received by the state from oil revenues.
Although they currently account for only a fourth of what the oil and gas
industries contribute to the Alaskan economy, fishing and tourism tie as
the second largest providers of jobs and income. The threat of habitat
loss and increased potential for oil spills that arise from proposed new
drilling could put these industries at risk.
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Natasha Benjamin, Editor at:
ifrfish at aol.com or call the IFR office with the news and a source at
either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000
(Northwest Office).
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The Aquatic Conservation Network is dedicated to the exchange of
information regarding aquatic conservation issues. http://www.acn.ca
ACN-L is hosted by Gordon Dewis (gordon at pinetree.org) at www.pinetree.org