Federal officials are crafting an agreement to divide the steelhead and salmon catch in the Columbia River watershed between tribal, sport and commercial fishermen, says The Seattle Times. The plan would cover fishing rights in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington State, probably for the next 10 years if the length of previous agreements is any indicator.
Even though 13 of the salmon and steelhead runs are covered by the Endangered Species Act, this new plan is expected to be more generous than the last, since the populations of both species of fish are on the rise.
“We have a whole lot more fish than we had before,” said Mark Bagdovitz of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “Over the last 10 years, we have really been surprised at how well the fish have responded to all the things we’re doing in the basin.” That includes habitat restoration, changes to hydroelectric operations, improved ocean conditions, and modified hatchery production. Of the adult fish that swim up the Columbia each year, only 20 percent are wild. The rest come from hatcheries.
“Courts have previously found tribes are entitled to half the harvestable return of salmon and steelhead, which are fish in excess of what is needed to sustain or increase populations,” says the Times. Sport and commercial fishermen say they want to make sure that their share isn’t cut in order to guarantee tribal rights, while state fisheries managers—especially in Idaho— have voiced concerns that too many fish are harvested before they reach the upper stretches of the river to spawn.