Elected as co-coordinators of the WFF were Danielle LaSauce from France and Humberto Mella from Chile. Francois Pouland from Canada was named General Secretary. The U.S. delegates remain as Angela SanFilipo of Gloucester, Massachusetts and Pietro Parravano of Half Moon Bay, California. For more information, go to the WFF website at: http://assoc.wanadoo.fr/peche.dev/.

2:15/02. CARA LOOK-ALIKE BECOMES LAW, VETO ON ENERGY AND WATER BILL: On 11 October President Clinton signed into law the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4578) containing much of the language of the Conservation & Recovery Act (CARA) pushed by many members of Congress over the past months (See Sublegals 2:14/02). However, the funding of the bill falls far short of the original CARA bill (H.R. 701) and only provides funding for 5 years, so CARA proponents will be pushing for a permanent CARA program in the next Congress. The Interior Appropriations bill also allocates $5 million in federal funds for Atlantic salmon habitat protection and salmon restoration efforts in Maine. The money would go to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and would be used for land acquisition, conservation easements and other related projects. The federal government is seeking to have wild Atlantic salmon declared an endangered species on seven Maine rivers, a move vehemently opposed by Maine Governor Angus King, and also Maine Senator Olympia Snowe who was instrumental in obtaining the funds.

In a related action, late on 6 October the President vetoed the $23.6 billion Energy & Water Appropriations Bill (HR 4733) blasting specific exemptions for the US Army Corp of Engineers from the federal Endangered Species Act as "a dangerous precedent" and also citing lack of Northwest salmon restoration funds and inadequate funding for the California-Bay Delta Initiative as reasons for his veto. The bill now goes back to the leadership in Congress, which has agreed to drop the ESA exemption language but given no clear signals on the President's other issues and budget priorities, including increased salmon funding. Negotiators hope to have a new bill next week. See: http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/hot_releases/Wed_Oct_11_111610_2000.html.

2:15/03. WATER SUITS THREATENED TO RESTORE IDAHO SALMON: The Idaho Watersheds Project and the Committee for Idaho's High Desert announced that they have sent "60-Day Notice to Sue" letters to over 50 state and federal agencies, farmers and ranchers to "legally force the restoration of stream flows and fish habitat in the Upper Salmon watershed." According to the groups, "Today we are bringing the ESA home to central Idaho" streams which have been "dewatered and destroyed by livestock." Farmers and ranchers who divert water and dry up streams that are critical habitat for salmon, bull trout and steelhead are the main targets, as are the federal and state agencies who are "complicit in the killing of these fish." "Our litigation is focused on abuses that have violated laws in this hidden landscape for a hundred years," said Pamela Marcum, head of the Committee for Idaho's High Desert, one of the probable Plaintiffs. For more information see: http://www.idahowatersheds.org/archives/email/newspt91.htm.

2:15/04. TWO MORE DAMS DOWN IN CALIFORNIA: On 6 October Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt presided over the demolition of the aging Seltzer Dam, near Anderson, California, which is being removed to help restore critical salmon habitat for the ESA listed spring-run chinook. The dam, built in 1903, was a barrier across Deer Creek which blocked about 12 miles of prime spawning and rearing habitat. Four other dams have also been removed or in the process of removal in that area in 1999, on Battle Creek, a project pushed by PCFFA's Nat Bingham for several years with the help of local landowners (see: http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/1999/11/110999/salmon_7172.asp ). After dam removal, Deer Creek is expected to produce about 13,000 salmon yearly, officials said. Since last year, Babbitt has presided over about two dozen dam removal projects, with another 18 scheduled this year. Babbitt also presided over a similar removal project for the Matilija Dam in Ventura County, in Southern California on 12 October, which blocks an endangered steelhead run in the southernmost range of that fish in the US. The Matilija will be "the largest dam to come down anywhere in the world to date," according to Interior. The dams are being removed as part of the broader CALFED program, a cooperative state-federal water management effort. For more information see: http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local02_20001007.html.

2:15/05. US NATIONAL WATER QUALITY INVENTORY RELEASED: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its bi-annual National Water Quality Inventory for 1998 data. All 50 states collect and submit data to EPA on the quality of their waters, highlighting the percentage of waters in each state that do not meet minimum water quality standards. For a copy of the report, current as of 1998, and which includes individual state water quality summaries, go to: http://www.epa.gov/ow and click on "National Water Quality." The top item on the next page is the 1998 National Water Quality Inventory. An "Atlas of America's Polluted Waters" by state is also included on that web site, as well as several other useful resources. The Inventory confirms that over 40 percent of our nations rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are still too polluted to met basic safety standards designed to protect human health and aquatic life, and that non-point source pollution is by far the leading cause of polluted waterways.

2:15/06. CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION WANTS SAY IN COASTAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS: The California Coastal Commission is asking for a role in a federal program that allows developers to create Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) in return for incidental take permits allowing them to kill threatened and endangered species with impunity under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Commission request, as expected, provoked strong criticism from developers, industry and some government officials. Approximately 80 such HCPs have been created in the last decade all over the California coast, but the Commission has never been involved. Now, the Commission is asking the U.S. Office of Ocean & Resource Management to review federal permits for habitat plans that might affect coastal areas, many of which affect salmon recovery efforts. The federal office is expected to respond by the end of the month. However, the Commission's efforts to involve itself in what are essentially coastal land use plans for endangered species have "set off a firestorm, drawing harsh criticism" from business groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Building Industry Association. For more information see the 12 October Los Angeles Times at: http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20001012/t000097286.html.

2:15/07. PACIFIC COUNCIL GROUNDFISH PANEL SEATS OPEN: The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (PFMC) Groundfish Advisory Panel has been expanded for next year (2001) by adding an additional open access seat. There will be one open access seat for the area north of the Mendocino line, and one for south of Mendocino. Applicants can get others to nominate them or nominate themselves if need be. Applicants need to submit a letter of interest in which they state their interest in the position and describe why the applicant feels they are qualified for the job. The position involves 4 meetings per year. Your travel, hotel & per diem [within certain limits] gets picked up by the Council. For more information contact the PFMC office at (503)326-6352 or see: http://www.pcouncil.org.

2:15/08. NEW REPORT WARNS OF MORE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS: A study published 22 September, 2000 in the journal Science reviews observations, impacts and results from 20 global climate models currently in use worldwide. The paper, "Climate Extremes: Observations, Modeling and Impacts," by Easterling, et. al. ( Science Sep 22 2000: 2068-2074), was prepared by climate scientists from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Some global climate changes have already been observed over the last century and are expected to escalate. These changes, according to the study, will make extreme weather events, including drought, floods and hurricanes, more common in the future. Hotter, wetter weather would also bring the spread of infectious and deadly diseases, including malaria, encephalitis, dengue fever, west nile virus and hantavirus. Growth in both population and wealth, along with demographic shifts to storm-prone areas, has made the United States more vulnerable to weather assaults. Total federal relief payments for weather-caused disasters from 1990 through 1997 hit $12 billion. Costs are expected to soar if extreme weather intensifies over the next century, as predicted by the study. To order a copy of the study, go to: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol289/issue5487.

2:15:/09. NATIONAL ECO-LABELING CONFERENCE IN PORTLAND, 19-20 OCTOBER: The Food Alliance is hosting "Read the Label! Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities for Eco-labels and Eco-brands," a national conference on eco-labeling in Portland, 19-20 October, 2000. The conference is designed to promote an exchange of ideas among the many stakeholders in sustainable agriculture, ecosystem conservation, and the food industry. Though eco-labeling has been around for agricultural products for some time, seafood producers are increasingly turning to eco-labels to differentiate their products, and several eco-labeling certification programs for seafoods now exist, including a "sustainable fisheries" certification recently obtained by the entire Alaska salmon fishery (See Sublegals 2:10/01) as well as efforts to make use of the existing "organic" label for ocean harvested seafood. Call (503)493-1066 or visit: http://www.thefoodalliance.org for more information or to register.

2:15/10. NOMINATIONS SOUGHT TO MONTEREY SANCTUARY COUNCIL: The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council is seeking new Sanctuary Advisory Committee members for the 9 seats that expire in February of 2001, including a sea reserved for a fishing industry representative as well as one representing research, recreational, business and agricultural interest and three at-large seats. Some of the issues that the Sanctuary Advisory Committee (SAC) has or is addressing include fiber optic cables, kelp harvesting and management, reauthorization of the national Marine Sanctuaries Act, live fish fishery, and proposed coastal legislation. Completed applications must be post marked or received in the office no later than 30 October, 2000 and should be sent to: Brady Phillips, MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940. Anyone interested in applying for any of the nine vacant seats can get the SAC application packet from the Sanctuary office at (831)647-4237 or go to: http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov.

2:15/11. NMFS DEDICATES NEW SANTA CRUZ LABORATORY, NO MORE RESEARCH ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY?: On Tuesday, 17 October, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta will dedicate the National Marine Fisheries Service's new marine laboratory at Santa Cruz on Monterey Bay in California. The new facility is to replace the aging laboratory at Tiburon on San Francisco Bay. While the Tiburon Laboratory was badly in need of replacement (there had been previous proposals to move it to either Bodega Bay or Eureka) the concern has been that the move from Tiburon will leave San Francisco Bay, the most important estuary on the west coast of North and South America (and a major contributor to offshore fish production) with no federal fishery research facility. San Francisco Bay is now the gateway for the largest salmon run along the west coast and was the largest Dungeness crab nursery area on the Pacific Coast, as well as supporting the largest herring fishery south of British Columbia. Other sites for a replacement laboratory on San Francisco Bay, include the old Corps of Engineers facilities at Sausalito and the Crissy Field Warehouses on The Presidio in San Francisco. For more information on the dedication, e-mail: hilker@cats.ucsc.edu.

2:15/12. FOURTH WORLD FISH INSPECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL CONGRESS: The International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI), along with their supporting sponsors, have announced their 4th World Fish Inspection & Quality Control Congress (formerly the International Fish Inspection & Quality Control Conference), to be held 24-26 October, 2001, at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia.. The Congress is being held in conjunction with the IAFI 2nd Biennial Meeting, 23 October 2001. The theme of the Congress will be "Science & Technology in Fish Inspection". Individuals interested in presenting at the Congress may send proposals and papers to congress@iafi.net. For registration online see: http://www.iafi.net/congress.html The IAFI Home Page is: http://www.iafi.net.

2:15/13. CASPIAN TERNS IN COLUMBIA ESTUARY ARE RELOCATING: Caspian terns inhabiting the artificially produced Rice Island, the product of past US Army Corps of Engineers dredging programs, have often been pointed to as a source of non-natural predation on outmigrating salmon and steelhead smolts from the Columbia Basin. However, after aggressive relocation efforts by the Corps, nearly all of the terns have been moved from Rice Island downstream to East Sand Island and predation on salmon smolts has been reduced about 40%. A good source of information on the populations of terns and their predation impacts is: http://www.columbiabirdresearch.org.

2:15/14. NATIONAL FISHERIES CONSERVATION CENTER HOSTING FISHING INDUSTRY ONLINE DISCUSSIONS: The National Fisheries Conservation Center (NFCC) is hosting a series of ongoing moderated discussions on fishing industry restructuring, marine reserves and cooperative research in the fisheries at: http://www.nfcc-fisheries.org. Topics include the challenges and opportunities fishing communities face as they attempt to reduce fishing capacity to more sustainable levels, the role of marine reserves in fishery management, and the usefulness of cooperative data collection and research in meeting increased demands for scientific information. Each discussion is supported by background papers describing the issues. All those involved or interested in these topics are invited to participate. For more information, please contact NFCC at: nfcc@nfcc-fisheries.org.

2:15/15. WASHINGTON RIPARIAN PROTECTIONS TOUTED: Copies of the 14-chapter final report from Washington's Timber Fish & Wildlife Project (TFW) entitled, "Effectiveness of Riparian Management Zones in Providing Habitat for Wildlife" are available as TFW publication #129 from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (360)902-1400. Electronic copies are also available from: http://nwifc.wa.gov/cmer by searching under that title. The study began in 1991 to determine whether Washington forestry rules provide adequate riparian habitat to maintain wildlife and to provide recommendations for improving riparian management zone guidelines. The study concludes that current rather narrow buffer do provide adequate habitat for most species for at least the two year study period. The University of Washington's press release regarding the report is on the web at: http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/news/2000archive/ 06-00archive/k062700b.html. The report is expected to be used to support current minimal riparian forestry protection rules in Washington and in other states, though its conclusions are not supported by other studies.

2:15/16. HEARING IN PORTLAND 24 OCTOBER ON FATE OF TILLAMOOK STATE FORESTS: The 615,000 acre Tillamook State Forest is the only significant block of publicly owned land in northwestern Oregon and the home of Oregon's best remaining salmon and steelhead runs, including ESA-listed coho salmon, but is now managed by the Board of Forestry primarily for logging. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has proposed a new 50-year Forest Management Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan that would lock in forest practices that many scientists have criticized as insufficient to protect and restore endangered salmon runs. The proposed plan would allow logging across approximately 85% of the Tillamook State Forest over time and does not create significant permanent refuge areas for salmon and other forest-dependent species. The Oregon Department of Forestry is holding a public hearing on the draft plan on 24 October, beginning at 1800 at the World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon. PCFFA has taken the position that the plan should have long-term reserves should be created as "habitat anchors," particularly for salmonids, as well as an increase in riparian protections generally, a position supported by many scientists and conservation groups (see for instance: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/10/lc_51tilly12.frame. Comments on the draft plan are due by 5PM on 3 November, 2000 to: Oregon Department of Forestry, Attn: Jeri Chase, 2600 State St., Salem, OR 97310, Fax: (503)945-7376. For a copy of the plan call Jane Hope at (503)945-7359 or get it on the web at http://www.odf.state.or.us. For more information you can also contact: Sybil Ackerman, Audubon Society of Portland (503)292-6855 ext. 110.

2:15/17. FIRST SCHOLARSHIPS GIVEN TO CHILDREN OF LOST SEATTLE FISHERMEN: The Seattle Fishermen's Memorial Educational Scholarship Fund has begun distributing its first scholarships to help in the education of children of fishermen lost at sea. The Fund gives only to immediate family members, spouses or children of Seattle-based commercial fishermen lost at sea. "There's no one in the commercial fishing industry who does not know anyone who was lost at sea," said Seattle attorney Ken Karlberg, a former fisherman who heads the Fund's Scholarship Committee. For additional information about the Fund, see: http://www.seamar.com/memorial.html or contact the Fund at: Seattle Fishermen's Memorial Committee, P.O. Box 17356, Seattle, WA 98107.

2:15/18. ALASKA KING CRAB SEASON MAY BE ONLY FIVE DAYS: According to the 12 October Anchorage Daily News, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game will manage the upcoming Bristol Bay red king crab fishery by closing it once the fleet nears its quota, instead of setting a closure date before the fishing begins as it has done in previous years. About 255 boats preregistered to fish the season, which opens 15 October. With the quota set at 7.7 million pounds, however, Fish & Game biologists expect the season could close within five days. Past year harvest underestimates may have resulted in overfishing, but this short a season may also result in fishermen having to work in unsafe conditions for fear of missing the season entirely. For more information see: http://www.adn.com/metro/story/0,2633,202869,00.html.

2:15/19. NMFS CONSIDERS PLAN TO OPEN HERRING, MACKEREL FISHERIES TO FOREIGN TRAWLERS: The 2 October edition of National Fisherman's "On Deck" reports that a controversial proposal by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to allow foreign trawlers to fish American waters for the first time in a decade is moving closer to reality (see Sublegals, 2:12/12). The news of this first slipped out when the President announced on 13 September sanctions against Japan for violations of the whaling limits set by the International Whaling Commission.

NMFS is currently reviewing plans -- put forward by the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils -- to allow foreign vessels to fish for herring in 2001 off New England and for mackerel from Maine to North Carolina. Officials hope the opening, planned to last one year initially, would help develop markets abroad for the two species, which they allege are now thriving but underutilized. Some fishermen's groups, however, are less optimistic about the health of the stocks and question why the proposed plan would let huge foreign factory trawlers re-enter waters where similar ships flying American flags can't go, particularly when those large ships can cause so much impact through bycatch.

The last foreign fishing presence in U.S. waters was phased out by 1991. A Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council proposal would allow foreign fishermen to catch 3,000 metric tons of mackerel, and up to 20,000 metric tons in "joint ventures" with U.S. catcher-boats The New England Fisheries Management Council plan would allow 5,000 metric tons to be directly caught. So far, Lithuanian boats have applied to catch 1,000 tons of herring, and Russian boats have sought permission for 2,000 tons, according to the Associated Press reports. For more information go to the October 2 news link at: http://www.nationalfisherman.com/ondeck/news/news.html. For more reactions to these proposals see: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-11-01.html.

2:15/20. PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS BEACH PROTECTION BILL: On 10 October President Clinton signed into law the Beaches Environmental Assessment & Coastal Health Act of 2000 (H.R. 999) which requires states to adopt coastal water quality standards and to alert the public when those standards are not being met. The bill also authorizes $30 million annually in federal grants to help coastal states develop and implement effective water quality monitoring and public notification programs. Currently, only eleven states comprehensively test their beach waters and notify the public when contamination occurs. The states and localities that did test their beach waters in 1999 posted 6,100 beach closings and advisories due to the presence of bacteria and viruses from polluted stormwater and runoff, overburdened sewage treatment facilities and malfunctioning septic systems. President Clinton's message on signing the bill can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/hot_releases/October_102000.html. For a copy of the legislation, see the Library of Congress's THOMAS index under H.R. 999 at: http://thomas.loc.gov.

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