Photo courtesy ODFW website.
The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association continues to monitor the legal battle between Native Fish Society and defendants National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, over hatchery practices on the Sandy River.
NSIA Executive Director Liz Hamilton with NSIA’s counsel, Maddy Sheehan, attended the U.S. District Court hearing held in downtown Portland on Wednesday morning to hear oral arguments in the case. The NSIA filed a brief as a friend of the court last year. Also in attendance were NSIA members Jack and Brandon Glass, Sandy River guides. In its brief to the court, NSIA expressed confidence in ODFW’s ability to management the Sandy River hatchery in a scientifically sound manner and explained the importance of the hatchery program to recreational anglers in the Portland metro area. Hamilton said she was impressed with the legal arguments made by NOAA and ODFW.
“We are involved in this case because NSIA sees hatcheries as a vital tool in keeping anglers fishing and involved in fish conservation,” Hamilton said. “The NSIA’s core mission is to protect and enhance sport fisheries, and hatcheries are an integral part of that. NSIA seeks to protect and restore wild salmon, but as an organization we deal in scientific fact, something we feel was missing from the plaintiffs’ suit. We are cautiously optimistic that the court understands the importance of the Sandy River hatchery program to our business members, and to funding for the department through fishing licenses sales.”
Hamilton left the hearing confident that the court had a good understanding of the scientifically-sound hatchery management practices being implemented by ODFW. Hamilton said she looks forward to the end of the case, so parties could get back to work on the bigger fish management issues facing wild salmon, steelhead and sturgeon.
For more information, contact Liz Hamilton, executive director of the NSIA at 503-631-8859 or e-mail at nsializ@aol.com.