Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3810 April 26- May 10 2019 | Page 24

22 O Apr 26 - May 10, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 10 Environmental NGO and Fishing Groups Clash Over Orca Lawsuit n April 4, the Center for Biolog- Pacific Coast fisheries, including estab- plans is an obvious By Dan Bacher ical Diversity and Wild Fish lishing fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal first step. Then Conservancy sued the Trump adminis- recreational and commercial fisheries and gear, and catch and bycatch limits. the latest science can inform fishery tration, alleging that fishery managers for tribes,” said Simmonds. “We wrote to urge the Council to take the management and orca recovery moving are “mismanaging” West Coast salmon NOAA Fisheries spokesman Michael needs of Southern Resident killer whales forward. The federal government has that fisheries and harming critically endangered into consideration and help ensure there is Milstein said the agency is reviewing the opportunity and that obligation,” Simmons Southern Resident killer whales, a violation enough year-round salmon for the orcas,” lawsuit. claimed. of the Endangered Species Act. “Since the southern residents are endan- said Simmonds. “The Center for Biological Scientists have learned much more about Fishing groups responded to the lawsuit Diversity would like to see the Council take how crucial it is for orcas to have enough of gered, the Endangered Species Act requires by saying that we need to put more salmon us to consider the impacts of fisheries on the orca’s prey needs into consideration this the large, fatty Chinook in recent years. As in the ocean, not go after recreational the whales, and we just recently under- season, but indications are that the Council they starve, the whales start burning their and commercial fishermen. Commercial scored how we’re doing that in a letter and NOAA are planning to move more blubber, according to Simmonds. Because fishing families are already hammered by to the Pacific Fisheries Management slowly.” toxins from water pollution are stored in the commercial crab fishing closure that Council,” Milstein wrote in a letter. “We Kurt Beardslee, executive director of the the blubber, that can harm the whales’ began April 15, the result of another Center Wild Fish Conservancy, said, “The Trump are reviewing all the relevant fisheries in reproductive ability, scientists believe. lawsuit, and years of a declining commer- the same light. administration can no longer ignore the “Until a few months ago, Southern cial fishing fleet. Then on April 12, the National Marine scientific evidence that clearly demon- Resident killer whales had failed to The Southern Resident killer whale popu- strates the link between reduced size and Fisheries Service committed to proposing successfully reproduce since 2015,” the lation, a population that feeds only on fish, abundance of Chinook and the reduced lawsuit states. “Over 40 percent of newborn a rule acting on the Center’s 2014 petition primarily chinook salmon, has declined for orca habitat protection off Washington, reproductive success of the Southern calves do not survive their first few years. from 87 individuals in 2009 to only 75 at Oregon and California by early October Resident killer whale. It’s time for federal In July 2018, a newborn calf lived for this time. This decline is mostly due to the 2019. fishery managers to acknowledge that just under an hour. Her grieving mother, decline in their available forage, according John McManus, President of the Golden starving killer whales and smaller and less Tahlequah, carried her body for 17 days to Julie Teel Simmonds, a Center attorney. Gate Salmon Association (GGSA) said his abundant Chinook are merely symptoms of over hundreds of miles.” “These whales eat 100 percent fish, preliminary assessment is there is not likely the problems created by harvest manage- In January 2019 scientists confirmed mostly salmon,” she said. “The whales are to be any near-term impact on salmon ment that is fundamentally broken.” the birth of a baby orca. This orca is the found all of the way from British Columbia fisheries. Noah Oppenheim, Executive Director of first calf to survive past birth since 2015. to Southern California. They not only feed “What really needs to happen is for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s The young orca and its pod were sighted on the Washington, Columbia and Fraser the Center to realize the real problem for Associations, disagrees strongly with the recently in Monterey Bay, River chinooks, but also on Central Valley salmon availability doesn’t come from reasoning behind the lawsuit. In August 2018 the Center sued the and Klamath salmon. They are the only fisheries or fishermen but comes from He said the solution to the orca decline Trump administration for “failing to orcas that east only fish – other orcas eat major dams on rivers from throughout the is to “put more salmon in the ocean, not protect” the Southern Residents’ full sea lions and seals and whales.” Pacific Northwest, along with other types destroying coastal communities by closing West Coast habitat. The Center launched The groups filed the litigation in federal of development that have harmed salmon’s down fisheries.” another lawsuit in August 2018 to establish court in the Western District of Wash- freshwater habitat. Anywhere you go in “Commercial salmon fisheries are among a “whale protection zone” to shield orcas ington. The lawsuit seeks to compel the most sustainable on the planet. West from boat noise and disturbance in the heart the Northwest the problem is the same – the National Marine Fisheries Service the diversion of the rivers they rely on to Coast seafood consumers should be proud of their Puget Sound habitat. to “assess and reduce the threat to the survive. The problem is not fishing.” of their fishermen neighbors and confident “We know federal, state, tribal and endangered orcas from salmon fishing off in their fishery managers for the work they Canadian managers Washington, Oregon and California,” said do to preserve salmon. Managers have are talking about Simmonds. already started the process of re-consulta- different possibil- The suit focuses on the administra- tion for southern resident killer whales,” ities of reducing tion’s obligation under the Endangered said Oppenheim. harm to the orcas, *Trolling Species Act to “ensure that the Pacific Oppenheim said it’s not clear at this time including consid- Motors Coast salmon fisheries do not jeopardize where whether there will be recreational of ering season times the Southern Resident killer whales. That *Fishfinders commercial curtailments at this time. and other measures includes a requirement to use the best “We don’t know whether or not the such as reducing *GPS available science on orcas to manage the southern residents have a nutritional bycatch of Chinooks *VHF salmon fishery.” requirement that could be augmented by in Pacific Northwest Radios She also noted that Southern Residents fewer fish being caught by fishermen,” salmon fisheries. *Radar are also threatened by pollution and said Oppenheim. “I do know that more fish Everybody is looking *Batteries disturbance from vessel traffic, but the suit in the ocean is a good thing. Rather than at next year as to and doesn’t address those issues. losing a season, we need to increase water when would have a Chargers “The Southern Resident killer whale flows and augment hatchery production. management regime population is headed for extinction unless The Southern Resident population that would take orcas ONE DAY SERVICE Largest Service we take urgent actions to save them,” said reached a 34-year low in 2018 after the loss into account. We’d on Installations with appointment Center Simmonds. “That means making sure of a newborn calf and a young female, like to get more in the West! they have enough to eat and that they’re “Making sure the federal government salmon for everyone: protected from vessel disturbance and revisits its outdated Pacific salmon fisheries for the orcas, for noise. 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