Big changes are proposed for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, a birding spot dear to many of us. The US Fish & Wildlife Service wants to remove much of the dike system to return the area to an estuarine environment, improve regulations for hunting and boating access, and expand the refuge to nearly twice its current size. While this proposal would eliminate the much-enjoyed dike trail, other new trails are planned. A combined draft environmental impact statement and comprehensive conservation plan (DEIS/CCP) was issued late last year for review and comment (it can be viewed on line at   http://pacific.fws.gov/planning/docsnisqually.htm).Members of the Conservation Committee reviewed the plans and submitted comments on the draft, stating our regret over the loss of the dike trail but supporting the idea of restoring the habitat to a more natural state. We were, however, concerned about the way some of the changes were going to be implemented, and we made several suggestions about the proposed plans.

A New Fish Hatchery for the Cedar River

Most fisheries biologists take a dim view of fish hatcheries, which often do harm to the native populations of fish. In special circumstances, however, fish hatcheries may be acceptable. Sockeye salmon are not native to the Cedar River, but, since their introduction in the early 1900s, this population has produced a very popular urban fishery, as noted by the thousands of boats in Lake Washington vying to catch sockeye salmon during the few days in some summers during which the fishery is open.

Seattle Public Utilities has proposed building a new fish hatchery for sockeye salmon at the Landsburg Dam on the Cedar River. New fish ladders have been installed at the dam to allow other species to move above the dam and to spawn naturally, but the mass-spawning behavior of sockeye salmon would degrade the quality of the drinking water taken from the river. Therefore, sockeye salmon spawning will be limited to the river below the dam and supplemented with hatchery-raised fish. Using plans devised by some of the most severe critics of current hatcheries, the planned hatchery is designed to overcome most of the objections associated with hatchery fish, including problems with genetic diversity and biased survivability of the fish. Members of the Conservation Committee reviewed the proposals in a draft environmental statement, and, although we supported the principles of the hatchery design, we found that portions of the design caused extensive disruption to the wetlands in the immediate area, and that this area had not been adequately studied and inventoried. Therefore we urged that studies be undertaken to properly inventory the wetlands and that a new design be developed to reduce the impact on these wetlands.

Reducing Derelict Fishing Gear

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife is developing rules to reduce the amount of fishing gear lost in Washington waters, as mandated by a new State law. Once lost, much of this gear can continue fishing, causing the death of birds, fish, and other marine life. Members of the Conservation Committee reviewed the draft plan and found it to be woefully deficient. The draft plan did not provide any suggestions for methods that would help to reduce the loss or discarding of fishing gear. We feel that this report needed to be substantially revised.

Reducing Seabird Bycatch

Seabirds, primarily fulmars and albatrosses, are frequently caught and killed in the North Pacific and Bering Sea longline fisheries. This occurs when the birds try to feed on the baited hooks as the longlines are released from the fishing boats. The Federal Government and the fishing industry have been working under a Food and Agriculture Organization edict to reduce the catch and mortality of the birds. In February, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed new regulations that require devices and methods to reduce the numbers of birds killed. The primary method is to tow lines that fly streamers behind the vessel to scare the birds away until the hooks have sunk well below the surface. Experiments have shown that when this method is used correctly, the number of birds caught is greatly reduced. Members of the Conservation Committee reviewed the proposed regulations and submitted comments supporting some aspects of the new regulations but strongly urged that stricter use of avoidance gear be implemented and that additional studies and reviews be conducted.