*Renew the Fisherman's Protection Act Amendments (HR 1651, HR 1652)) extending the 1967 Act to 2003 during which reimbursement may be provided to owners of U.S. fishing vessels for costs incurred when such a vessel is seized or detained by a foreign country. The measure includes language to allow continued operations of a U.S. panel to advise on conservation of salmon stocks in the Yukon River and to ban spotter planes in Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing in New England;

*Reauthorize the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, which governs management plans for such species as American lobster, bluefish, shad, herring, summer flounder and horseshoe crabs. (HR 4840, H. Rpt. 106-804);

*Establish the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (S. 725 and S.3133). This measure authorizes $16 million a year for fiscal years 2001 through 2004. Half of the authorized money would be a local grant program and the other half is a national program conducted by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is a compromise bill between bills introduced by Senators Snowe and McCain and by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Fritz Hollings (D-SC), John Kerry (D-MA) and John Breaux (D-LA) for a program of grants to promote protection and conservation of corals;

* Provide federal aid for efforts to save marine mammals stranded on American shores.

*Authorize $60 million a year in fiscal years 2002 through 2004 for new NOAA fishery vessels .

Minor differences must be worked out between the Senate and House versions and receive final approvals within the next few days. Congress is still working on a federal budget, due 1 October but times have been extended by several Continuing Resolutions. Congress is now projected to adjourn by 25 October.

2:16/02. SALMON IRRIGATION SCREENS BILL GOES TO WHITE HOUSE: On 17 October the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1444, the Irrigation Mitigation & Restoration Partnership Act. H. Rpt. 106-454, S. Rpt. 106-239 introduced by Oregon Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden. This bill would direct the Interior Department to develop and implement projects for fish screens, fish passage devices and other similar measures designed to keep juvenile salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other fish from straying into irrigation canals and water diversions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, where they are likely to be killed by stranding. The bill would authorize $25 million annually through fiscal 2005 for such projects, with cost sharing by the irrigation districts. The bill is a merging of the original H.R. 1444 with S. 294 and S. 1723 originally authored by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

2:16/03. CORRECTION ON SAELTZER DAM REPORT, DAM REMOVAL WORKSHOP SCHEDULED: In last week's issue (Sublegals, 2:15/04), it was reported that Saeltzer Dam was removed from Deer Creek; it should have read Clear Creek, which is a tributary of the Sacramento River. Mitch Farro, chairman of the California Advisory Council on Salmon & Steelhead Trout, has also gone on to point out that, "the removal of the dam and increased flow releases from Whiskeytown Reservoir will restore conditions suitable for Spring-Run chinook and steelhead. Spring-Run appear to have been extirpated in Clear Creek in the last century of the dam's existence. The few salmon seen in Clear Creek with a 'Spring-Run migration timing' are most likely strays for other systems. Local interests especially the Clear Creek Fisheries Committee of the Clear Creek CRMP, are advocating for a planned re-introduction of Spring-Run chinook and steelhead to the watershed in order to utilize the habitat opened up by the removal of Saeltzer Dam. Fall-run chinook number have increased by 400% in Clear Creek in the last decade. Fall-Run chinook were spawning immediately below the dam removal project yesterday afternoon [17 Oct 00] when the Spring-Run Work-Group as at the site."

Farro, also chairman of the Spring-Run Work-Group, continued stating, "The four dams that have been removed are on Butte Creek [another tributary of the Sacramento River]. Nearly all of the estimated 4,000 Spring-Run in Butte Creek this year were in the very upper reaches. Several salmon were reported just below the Centreville Head Dam, above the natural 'Quartz Bowl' barrier. Battle Creek is in the planning and permitting stage for removal of hydro dams and their diversions. The restoration of flows to the channel and elimination of barriers is expected to greatly benefit Spring-Run and Winter-Run chinook, as well as steelhead." Note: Sacramento River Spring-Run and Winter-Run chinook salmon and steelhead are all listed as either threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

On the heels of these dam removals in California, the University of Wisconsin has announced it will host a workshop 11-13 December, "Succeeding With a Dam Decommissioning Project," to be held at their Madison campus. A similar workshop was held last December in San Francisco by the University of Wisconsin, that was co-sponsored by PCFFA. One of the principal presenters at this December's workshop will be IFR Associate, Dr. Guy Phillips, an international expert on dams and hydropower systems. For more information on the workshop go to: http://epd.engr.wisc.edu/brochures.A438.html.

2:16/04. MAINE STARTS SALMON RESTORATION EFFORT: Maine officials are releasing more than 1,000 fish into four rivers this week as part of the first Atlantic salmon stocking program in the country. The program is also part of the state's "intense campaign" to persuade the federal government not to list the salmon from eight eastern Maine rivers as endangered. But federal officials view the releases skeptically because the salmon were raised on fish farms.

Maine's Governor, Angus King, is "scornful" of an endangered species listing. He says there are plenty of Atlantic salmon in Canada and in huge pens along the coast. "The truth is, wild Maine salmon has been extinct for 100 years," claims King. "We have stocked these rivers with fish from all over. We have lots of salmon, but just not in these rivers." But federal wildlife officials said a listing is an "important piece" in protecting the few salmon remaining. Dan Kimball, salmon specialist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, says a listing would help keep the salmon stable while ocean conditions and other factors improve.

The fish were raised in 50-by-50 pens off the coast and brought to the state two weeks ago. Yesterday, some of the fish were released into Dennys River. Some fish were fitted with devices that allow biologists to monitor their progress. For more information, see the 18 October Boston Globe article by Beth Daley at: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/292/metro/ Maine_takes_its_turn_in_salmon_saving_dispute.html.

2:16/05. BRITISH FISHERY TRADE PUBLICATION CALLS PROTECTING THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT CRUCIAL: An editorial appearing in the 22 September issue of the U.K. fishing industry trade newspaper, Fishing News, calls for an alliance among fishermen and environmental groups to help protect and rebuild marine habitats. In the opinion piece FN says "[t]he two groups, the fishing industry and the environmentalists, must work together to try to provide healthier and cleaner seas, which are in everyone's interests. The situation facing white fish stocks in particular is now so serious that the fishing industry needs to find all the allies it can in its fight for more effective management of fisheries and an end to pollution of the seas, from whatever source. The two interests have to work together for the long term benefit of healthy stocks and thus, ultimately, a healthy and prosperous fishing industry." To view the complete text of the editorial, go to the FN website at: www.fishingnews.co.uk.

2:16/06. FEDS SEEK $47 MILLION IN SANTA MONICA BAY CASE: A long-awaited DDT contamination case went to trial this past week, with U.S. Government lawyers seeking over $47 million in compensation from Montrose Corporation and related companies for the cost of repairing the damage caused by DDT discharges into California's Santa Monica Bay. The case will be heard before U.S. District Court Judge Manuel Real, who ruled earlier this month that the 200-foot-deep pesticide deposit has harmed bald eagles and peregrine falcons on the Channel Islands. Between 1947 and 1971, Montrose's DDT manufacturing plant dumped "hundred of pounds" of the pesticide into the sewer system, which emptied into the bay. The company admits dumping the pesticide, but says the deposit has not significantly harmed marine life and that other sources of DDT pollution, such as military maneuvers and agricultural runoff, are more to blame. It also says the government has exaggerated the effect of DDT on birds in the area. The Montrose DDT pile was declared a Superfund site in 1996, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is experimenting with a cover-up containment method for the DDT.

2:16/07. DIALOGUE ON FISHERIES, INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The International Center for Trade & Sustainable Development (ICTSD) announced that it will be holding a dialogue on Fisheries, International Trade, and Sustainable Development, "Ensuring Trade Rules in the Fisheries Sector are Supportive of Sustainable Development," in Geneva on 23 October 2000 The purpose of this dialogue is to set out and discuss key issues at the intersection of fisheries, international trade and sustainable development that arise in the context of discussions on fisheries at the World Trade Organizaton (WTO). The discussion will focus on two main issue areas: 1) market access for developing country fisheries products, and 2) subsidies in the fisheries sector. The participants in the dialogue will include representatives of the United Nation's Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO), of the Commonwealth Secretariat, of the World Trade Organization, of the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Agreements, and other fisheries and trade experts. For more information, go to: www.ictsd.org .

2:16/08. REPORT ON CHESAPEAKE BAY OYSTER SEEDING, GUIDE FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY?: In the September issue of Waterman's Gazette, was the first of a three-part series on oyster seeding in the Chesapeake Bay (the second-part appeared in the publication's October issue), prepared by Mary Madison, that begins with efforts in the 19th century. The series will be of interest to Pacific Coast fishing groups, particularly those interested the in herring, oyster and crab (supplementing herring, restoring the oyster fishery and rehabilitating Dungeness crab nursery habitat) resources of San Francisco Bay, the most important estuary on the west coast of North and South America. For more information, visit the Maryland Watermen's Association, publishers of the Waterman's Gazette, website at: www.marylandwatermen.com.

2:16/09. NEW PUBLICATION ON PROTECTING WETLANDS: Protecting Local Wetlands: A Toolbox for Your Community, is the title of a new publication released this month by Save San Francisco Bay Association. According to Save SF Bay, the publication "is designed to help government officials, public agency and nonprofit staff, community activists, and landowners protect and restore their local wetlands. The handbook provides a thorough discussion of federal and state wetland regulations and practical suggestions for improving local wetland protection." This publication should also be of interest to fishing groups since an estimated 80-85 percent of all commercially valuable fish are wetland-dependent during some stage of their life cycle. For more information on the 142-page publication, go to: www.savesfbay.org.

2:16/10. PFMC NEWSLETTER ON-LINE: The Pacific Fishery Management Council is now making its newsletter available on-line at its website: http://www.pcouncil.org. Persons wishing to e-mail notification of upcoming newsletters should contact the PFMC's Kerry Aden at: kerry.aden@noaa.gov.

2:16/11.FRANKENFISH FOR DINNER? In Fortune, Prince Edwards Island, the first animals genetically engineered for American dinner plates are being raised, salmon spliced with genes that make them grow two to four times faster than nature's best (see Sublegals, 19 May 00). The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing an application to sell the fish, a decision that will likely influence the fate of scores of other biotech animals being brought to life in dozens of similar labs around the world for humans to eat. Opponents of genetic engineering are already questioning whether soybeans and corn endowed with new genes are safe for people and the environment, and the prospect of a genetically engineered animal has sparked intense controversy. Opponents call the salmon "Frankenfish" and question the ethics of implanting genes from one animal species into another. The salmon is economically unnecessary, they argue, and could wreak havoc with the environment by out-competing wild salmon, some of which are listed as endangered.

To create the salmon, scientists spliced into their eggs a growth gene from the Arcticpout, a fish that thrives in very cold water. That gene allows the salmon to act like a colder water fish, which means its growth promoter genes remain more active than a normal salmon. That could be a boon to fish farmers because their salmon would be ready for market earlier, and would grow on less food. But even usually sober scientists worry that not enough is known about such fish to risk the damage that their release into the wild could cause. And some researchers argue that conventional crossbreeding of fish can achieve many of the same results as genetic engineering, with fewer risks.

The most prominent reason for concern is the "Trojan gene" hypothesis of Purdue University's William Muir. Using a different kind of genetically engineered fish, Muir found that larger, faster-growing biotech fish are more likely to succeed in mating than conventional fish. But the offspring of those biotech fish are genetically less well adapted to survive. Consequently, Muir believes, biotech fish could quickly decimate a fish population by their increased ability to produce damaged young. Elliot Entis, president of A/F Protein, says that his company's studies have not found that its salmon end up being larger than wild salmon at sexual maturity, meaning they would not have a mating advantage. He also calls the Trojan gene hypothesis beside the point: Fish breeding technology can render the biotech fish almost 100 percent female and infertile, he said, and that means they simply can't reproduce. For more information see the SeaWeb Aquaculture Clearinghouse www.aquacultureclearinghouse.org

2:16/12. ARGENTINA TO EMPHASIZE SALMON PRODUCTION EFFORT INCLUDES PESCANOVA'S $15 MILLION INVESTMENT: In a move similar to neighboring Chile's focus on its salmon industry to generate foreign income, Argentina's Secretariat of Agriculture & Fisheries recently announced the implementation of an aquaculture expansion program focusing on Pacific pink salmon. One goal of the project is to produce 20,000 tons of Atlantic salmon a year. This represents a major leap from salmon production levels of less than 2,000 tons per year in recent years. The freshwater component of the project will be located at Lake Buenos Airesand the saltwater component at Puerto Deseado and San Julian. The Argentinean project is expected to bring salmon exports up to a value of US$200 million per annum by 2005. It represents Argentina's first major step toward making salmon a leading export commodity -- as is the case in Chile, where salmon exports amounted to US$662.9 million during the first half of this year. The two leading markets for Southern Cone (Argentina/Chile) salmon are Japan and the United States. Their respective shares of total export sales are 32 and 58 percent. For more information see WorldCatch News Network at: www.worldcatch.com.

2:16/13. ICHTHYOLOGISTS ADOPT RESOLUTION AGAINST FARM SALMON: The American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists has petitoned the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Interior, the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) and state and provincial fishery agencies to establish a system of oversight and responsibility to regulate the development of transgenic fishes. The action follows on a resolution that was passed in June by the organization at its annual meeting that was held in La Paz, Mexico. The petition was sent to 24 U.S. and Canadian agencies urging a moratorium on creation and marketing of transgenic salmonids until it is firmly established that such fish will not gain access to natural waters, by accident or intent. In its resolution, the scientific society stated "we recognize clearly problems of world hunger and the need to work toward solutions to food shortages, but evidence indicates that transgenic salmonids are neither an effective nor ecologically safe solution to these problems. Therefore, we also suggest that adequate research funds be directed toward sustainability of aquatic ecosystems as an investment toward a solution to these problems."

2:16/14. NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE, POLICY AND THE ENVIRONMENT SLATED FOR DECEMBER IN WASHINGTON, DC: "Science for the Environment" is the title of the inaugural National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment, sponsored by the National Council on Science & the Environment (NCSE), scheduled for 7-8 December in the U.S. Capitol. The purpose of the gathering is to develop a "blueprint for action" on science and the environment for the next Administration and Congress. Among the keynote speakers will be the Rocky Mountain Institute's Dr. Amory Lovins (co-author of Natural Capitalism). The conference should be of interest to fishing groups concerned with initiating new fishery research programs and protection of essential fish habitats. For more information on the conference, go to: http://www.crie.org/ncseconference/agenda.htm.

2:16/15. RALLY AGAINST INDIA'S SARDAR SAROVAR DAM: On Monday, 23 October, a rally will be held in front of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco protesting the Delhi Supreme Court decision on Wednesday, 18 October, to allow construction to resume on the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River. Writer Arundhati Roy has called the 2-1 court decision "absolutely disgraceful" and "a very sad moment in the history of democracy". Construction is expected to resume within two weeks. Most work on the project had been suspended since 1994. The continuation of this dam project comes as many U.S. dams are not slated for removal, as fishermen and environmentalists have joined forces to protect and restore natural riverine habitats for fish, wildlife and traditional communities.

The Sardar Sarovar Project is one of the world's most controversial dam projects and would forcibly displace more people than any other infrastructure project in the world except for China's notorious Three Gorges Dam. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement) filed their case against Sardar Sarovar in 1994. The NBA presented the court with evidence showing that the project will not work as planned, that alternatives are available, that the necessary environmental studies have not been done, and that proper rehabilitation of the hundreds of thousands of people who would lose their livelihoods to the project is impossible. The NBA have for more than a decade led a mass campaign of non-violent resistance to the dam.

The court on Wednesday gave project authorities four weeks to draw up a plan for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the 200,000 people to be displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Reservoir. A resettlement plan for Sardar Sarovar was supposed to have been completed in 1981. "If the authorities can't produce a credible plan in nearly two decades, how can they write one in a month?", asked an official from the International Rivers Network. Several hundred thousand other people will lose - or have already lost - their livelihoods to irrigation canals, housing for construction workers, the desiccation of the river downstream of the dam, and a wildlife reserve planned to compensate for the ecosystems to be flooded.

For more information on the rally set for Monday, the 23rd, contact: Aniruddha Vaidya, Friends of the Narmada at asvaidya@netscape.net . For more on the reaction to the Indian Supreme Court judgement go to: www.narmada.org .

2:16/16. U.S.-CANADIAN DAM PROJECT THREATENS BELIZE TROPICAL FOREST: A Canadian development company, Fortis Incorporated and the U.S. utility, Duke Energy International, are planning a massive hydroelectric project that would "obliterate" one of Central America's most important "undisturbed tropical floodplain habitats," the Macal River in Belize. The area is part of the "government protected" Chiqui Forest Reserve and contains "unmatched" biodiversity including a rare subspecies of scarlet macaw, jaguars, ocelots, river otters, spider monkeys and Morelet's crocodile, many of which have already been extirpated from former habitat by logging and development. Tropical forests provide critical habitat and nutrients for freshwater and coastal marine fishes. For more information, go to: www.nrdc.org/wildlife/habitat/belize.asp

2:16/17. ICELANDIC CONDEMNATION OF ITQs: In the October issue of Commercial Fisheries News is a report on the Icelandic condemnation of individual transferrable fishing quotas (ITQs) at a New England fisheries forum. For sixteen years, Iceland had an ITQ system in place before it was thrown out on 5 January of this year (see Sublegals, 14 Jan 00). According to an Icelandic spokesman at the forum, ITQs led to "plummeting populations in fishing villages, declining groundfish catches, increased fuel consumption, huge discard rates, and higher consumer prices." To view the article and an accompanying reports on ITQs, go to the CFN website at: www.fish-news.com .

2:16/18. U.S. ANNOUNCES EMBARGO OF SPANISH TUNA OVER DOLPHIN KILLS: In the 16 October Federal Register, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that effective 6 October an embargo is in effect for the Government of Spain under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This embargoes the importation into the United States of yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) after 3 March 1999 by Spanish-flag purse seine vessels or vessels operating under Spanish jurisdiction and all other yellowfin tuna harvested by purse seine in the ETP exported from Spain. This embargo determination was made after NMFS considered documentary evidence submitted by the Government of Spain and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). Copies of this notice may be obtained by writing to Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213; Phone (562) 980-4000.

2:16/19. OCTOBER HARPER'S AND ATLANTIC ARTICLES ON ELECTRIC DEREGULATION AND SALMON RESTORATION: The October issue of Harper's Magazine, features an article by Alan Weisman, "Power Trip: The Coming Darkness of Electricity" (pp.76-85) that will be of interest to fishing group concerned with the impact of the deregulation/privatization of hydro-electric facilities on rivers and fish. The problems posed by deregulation, of course, are not limited solely to fisheries, but affect water delivery, pollution and electric rates. To view the article, go to Harper's website at: http://www.harpers.org.

The October issue of The Atlantic Monthly, meanwhile, features an essay by James Fallows, "Saving Salmon or Seattle?" where he points out that "the Northwest is obsessed with the fate of salmon - except that, as is often true, the battle is really over how people want to live" (pp. 20- 26). To view the article go to The Atlantic Monthly's website at: www.theatlantic.com.

2:16/20. KILLER WHALES BLAMED FOR DECLINE OF ALASKAN SEA OTTERS: In a 10 October feature, MSNBC reported marine biologists are blaming orcas for taking a "heavy toll" on sea otters in the Aleutian Islands, where otter numbers "have dropped 70% since 1992 and at least 95% since the 1980s." The scientists speculate that the orcas have turned to the sea otters "because their normal prey sea lions and fur seals are in short supply." Steller sea lions have also declined 80% since the 1980s and experts believe there is a "massive ecological shift in the North Pacific and Bering Sea" in the kinds of fish available due to "expanding fisheries, increases in ocean temperatures and a depletion of large whales."

The feature on the depletion of sea otters allegedly due to killer whale predation, followed on a 6 October report by MSNBC and the Associated Press that a petition to add orcas in the Pacific Northwest to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list is expected to be submitted "later this month by a coalition of scientists and environmentalists." Of special concern is one of three populations, the southern residents whose numbers have declined from 98 five years ago to 82 with eight dying "last year alone." Scientists believe that pollutants, especially from Superfund toxic waste sites and the decline of salmon runs are to blame. "Some studies estimate that the fish make up 90% of their diet."

2:16/21. NMFS PROPOSES REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE PFMC'S AMENDMENT 14 TO THE PACIFIC COAST SALMON PLAN: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced in today's Federal Register, 20 October, that it is proposing regulations to implement portions of Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan for Commercial and Recreational Salmon Fisheries off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (Salmon FMP). Amendment 14, which was submitted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) on 12 June to the Secretary of Commerce for review and approval, is intended to bring the Salmon FMP into compliance with the Sustainable Fisheries Act's (SFA) 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Amendment 14 includes designation of essential fish habitat (EFH) and new requirements to reduce bycatch, and rebuild salmon stocks. This proposed rule to implement Amendment 14 would make minor changes to language regarding escapement and management goals; implement a new recreational allocation to the Port of La Push and adjust the Neah Bay allocation accordingly; add preseason flexibility for recreational port allocations north of Cape Falcon; and implement preseason flexibility in setting recreational port allocation or recreational and commercial allocations North of Cape Falcon to take advantage of selective fishing opportunities for marked hatchery fish. Comments must be submitted in writing by 24 December; they should be sent to: Dr. Rebecca Lent, Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213; Fax: (562) 980-4018.

Copies of Amendment 14 and the final supplemental environmental impact statement (FSEIS)/regulatory impact review (RIR)/initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA), along with the appendices and the Review of 1999 Ocean Salmon Fisheries are available from Dr. Donald O. McIsaac, Executive Director, Pacific Fishery Management Council, 2130 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 224, Portland, OR 97201; or visit the PFMC website at: http://www.pcouncil.org.

2:16/21. NATIONAL MPA CENTER ESTABLISHED AT SANTA CRUZ: On 17 October, U.S. Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta announced the establishment of the Center for Marine Protected Area Science to be headquartered at the National Marine Fisheries Service's new laboratory at Santa Cruz, on Monterey Bay in California. The announcement was made during the dedication ceremonies for the new NMFS facility (see Sublegals, 2:15/11) sited with the Long Marine Laboratory at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

The new center is intended to carry out the national initiative on marine protected areas (MPAs), pursuant to President Clinton's 26 May Executive Order 13158 to strengthen the protection of U.S. ocean and coastal resources, and "will work with public and private partners to develop and disseminate the information, tools and strategies needed to design and effectively manage the national system of MPAs." Dr. Charles M. Wahle, a NOAA veteran and Monterey Bay native, has been named the Acting Director of the new center. For more information, he may be contacted by e-mail at: charles.wahle@noaa.gov.

2:16/22. PFMC HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES TEAM TO MEET: The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (PFMC) Highly Migratory Species Plan Development Team (HMSPDT) will hold a work session which is open to the public from Tuesday, 14November , beginning at 0800 HRS through Thursday, 16November. The work session will be held in the large conference room at NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, Room D-203, La Jolla, CA 92038-0271; telephone: (619) 546-7000. For more information, visit the PFMC website at: http://www.pcouncil.org.

2:16/23. CLINTON SIGNS TREATY ON SEA TURTLES: U.S. President Bill Clinton has signed the treaty requiring signatory countries to take measures to prevent sea turtles from being caught and killed in shrimp trawl nets. "This treaty is the first international agreement dedicated solely to raising standards for the protection of sea turtles," Clinton said. "Effective conservation measures depend on close international cooperation. This treaty fosters that cooperation and serves as a model for others focused on conserving the world's most endangered species." The Senate ratified the treaty on 20 September (see Sublegals, 2:12/18).

The World Trade Organization (WTO), however, is likely watching. The WTO, which has been given authority by member nations, including the U.S., to overturn national laws, ruled in the Spring of 1999 against a U.S. law that would have banned shrimp imports from countries that did not use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) or otherwise protect sea turtles from "incidental death in shrimp trawl nets," according to the law. "Shrimp from states not complying is subject to embargo," the law states. The State Department has since revised the law's language to create the Inter-American Convention for the Protection & Conservation of Sea Turtles which is substantially weaker than the law it replaces because it focuses on the Americas and is a voluntary agreement.

The treaty must be ratified by eight countries. Eleven countries signed the treaty for consideration in 1996, and five have fully ratified it: Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Venezuela and Mexico. Ecuador is also on it way, as is Honduras, sources say. All eight species of sea turtles are threatened with extinction. According to the National Research Council, shrimp trawl nets are the greatest factor in sea turtles deaths.

GOT NEWS?: Submit news items to Natasha Benjamin, Editor at: ifrfish@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).

"Fishlink" is a registered trademark of the Institute for Fisheries Resources. All rights to the use of this trademark are reserved to IFR.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. The Institute for Fisheries Resources, a nonprofit organization, provides Fishlink News Service free of charge even though it costs the organization considerable time and money to produce it. We would like to continue to provide this service free. You could help by making a tax-deductible contribution (anything you can afford, whether $5.00 or $500.00) to keep this effort going and growing. Please send your tax-deductible contribution to: Institute for Fisheries Resources, PO Box 29196, San Francisco, CA 94129-0196. Please do not send credit card information via E-mail. For further information about making tax-deductible contributions to IFR please phone us at: (541) 689-2000, or fax us at: (541)689-2500.

Last Week