Suit blasts federal plan for chinook

SEATTLE – A regional coalition of fish conservationists sued Tuesday to try to force the federal government to re-evaluate its management of Puget Sound chinook salmon so more of the species can return to spawn.

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court claims that a salmon-harvest management plan approved in 2004 jeopardizes the recovery of chinook, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

“This goal is kind of closing the circle in terms of a comprehensive recovery plan for Puget Sound chinook,” said Bill Bakke of the Native Fish Society in Portland, which joined the Salmon Spawning & Recovery Alliance, Washington Trout and the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers in bringing the lawsuit.

The groups are suing the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over a plan developed by Washington state and Puget Sound tribes to guide salmon catches in the area until 2010.

NOAA officials approved the resource management plan in 2004. However, the suit alleges it violates the Endangered Species Act because it does not meet criteria the agency set for approving salmon-harvest plans.

For example, the current harvest, when combined with catches in Canada, Alaska and off the Washington coast, doesn’t allow enough listed salmon to reach spawning beds in rivers. NOAA didn’t consider alternatives for fishing practices, locations or methods to adjust for the total harvest, the suit contends.

“We’re not letting enough of these native fish escape harvest to go back to rivers and spawn naturally to save them from going extinct,” said Gary Loomis, president of the Salmon Spawning & Recovery Alliance.

Bob Lohn, regional director of NOAA Fisheries Services, said his agency received a copy of the lawsuit but had not had a chance to thoroughly review it Tuesday.

The agency contends that the recovery of salmon populations was central to its consideration of the harvest plan.

“We feel very confident that the harvest levels today are consistent with recovery,” Lohn said.