Photo courtesy ODFW website.
The Sandy River Hatchery program will continue this year, thanks to a ruling today by United States Circuit Court Judge Ancer Haggerty.
The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association filed amicus briefs in support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) who were sued to by the Native Fish Society and the McKenzie Flyfishers to cease operations of the Sandy River Hatchery. The goal of these groups continues to be to eliminate hatchery programs across the Northwest.
Judge Haggerty today denied the motion to eliminate hatchery smolt releases on the Sandy River this year. However he did order that the number of hatchery coho be reduced from 300,000 to no more than 200,000 smolts due to the fact they were not produced from native brood stock. NSIA will be working with ODFW and our partners to restore these numbers by using native brood stock in the future.
“This is good news for our industry,” said NSIA Executive Director Liz Hamilton. “We are very happy that the anglers and businesses that rely on fishing on the Sandy River will not be negatively impacted by this ruling. This is great news for hatcheries in Oregon and for anyone who fishes in the Northwest.”
Judge Haggerty specifically cited NSIA’s legal filings regarding the impacts to the sport and harvest fishery in his decision. Hamilton said Haggerty’s citation shows the involvement of the NSIA in the legal battle was worth it. She also said it shows how important it is for groups like the NSIA to support sound fish management.
“We made an impact on the court,” Hamilton said. “I cannot thank enough all the people who gave to our legal fund, filed declarations for this suit and our attorney Maddy Sheehan for her brilliant work on this very technical case. Today proves that we continue to make a difference for the sportfishing industry.”
Sandy River guide Jack Glass said the hatchery program on the Sandy River was very important, not just for economic reasons.
“The hatchery program on the Sandy River makes it possible for a family to take home a fish, which leads to a love of Oregon’s natural beauty and the protection of wild fish,” Glass said. “We want to protect wild fish, releasing them unharmed, and plentiful hatchery fish buffer our impact on the native fish as long as our hatcheries are managed wisely.”
The NSIA continues to be involved in these cases by filing as a friend of the court, providing economic, cultural and scientific data for the judge’s consideration. The NSIA is committed to the continued operation of hatcheries and their role in salmon management.
“We feel this is a win today for anyone who fishes along the Sandy River and in the entire estuary,” said NSIA executive director Liz Hamilton. “The NSIA’s core mission is to protect and enhance sport fisheries, and well-run hatcheries are an integral part of that. As an organization working to protect wild salmon, we know that the hatchery versus wild debate is a false choice. This ruling is encouraging as we prepare our filings for the McKenzie River lawsuit.”
For more information, contact Liz Hamilton, executive director of the NSIA at 503-631-8859 or e-mail at nsializ@aol.com.