HERE IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL I GOT TONIGHT FROM NSIA. WITHOUT FALLOWING THROUGH WITH THIS THERE COULD BE NO MORE FISHING BECUASE THERE WILL BE NO MORE FIN CLIPPING.
Urgent to NSIA Members and Friends.
Have you been enjoying the bountiful, marked hatchery fish in the Columbia over the last several years? Well, every year, we have to go to Congress to get the dollars to fund the Mitchell Act Hatcheries. I am leaving for DC tomorrow, and I am carrying a package to the NW Delegation (Senators and Representatives). The cover letter is pasted below. I met this week with in-state staff from Senators Murray, Smith, Cantwell and Wyden, plus staff from Reps. Hooley, Baird and Wu. We have all gone over the projections for the Federal Funding year '02 (October 02 to October 03) and the outlook is GRIM. The Presidents budget level funds the $16.522 M 02 budget for '03. Since the program is entirely underfunded now, this will mean either HATCHERY CLOSURES, (2 to 3 NMFS estimates) OR WE RELEASE FISH THAT ARE NOT MARKED!
If your Senators (2) and Representative don't hear from you, these hatcheries will be in a world of hurt and so will you. I asked what was best, and was told that faxed letters were best. If you address and write the letters, you can send them to NSIA and we will forward them. USE YOUR BUSINESS LETTERHEAD. (If your business is out of the NW, Address the letters Sens. Murray and Smith) To fax them directly, the congressional contact information is pasted. PLEASE CC NSIA ON ALL LETTERS, so we can hold Congress accountable! Call Frances while I am out if you want copies of any of the attachments faxed to you. v- 503 631 8859 f- 503 631 3887. Thanks for your help. --Liz
PS DO NOT CALL ME NEXT YEAR ABOUT CLOSURES, IF YOU DIDN'T WRITE A LETTER THIS YEAR!!
Member State Address Phone Fax
Maria Cantwell WA 714 Hart, Zip 20510 202-224-3441 228-0514
Patty Murray WA 173 Russell, Zip 20510 202-224-2621 224-0238
Jay Inslee WA-1 308 Cannon, Zip 20515 202-225-6311 226-1606
Rick Larsen WA-2 1529 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-2605 225-4420
Brian Baird WA-3 1721 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-3536 225-3478
Richard Hastings WA-4 1323 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-5816 225-3251
George Nethercutt WA-5 223 Canon, Zip 20515 202-225-2006 225-3392
Norm Dicks WA-6 2467 Rayburn, Zip 20515 202-225-5916 226-1176
Jim McDermott WA-7 1035 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-3106 225-6197
Jennifer Dunn WA-8 1501 Longworth , Zip 20515 202-225-7761 225-8673
Adam Smith WA-9 116 Cannon, Zip 20515 202-225-8901 225-5893
Ron Wyden OR 516 Hart, Zip 20505 202-224-5244 228-2717
Gordon Smith OR 404 Russell, Zip 20505 202-224-3753 228-3997
David Wu OR-1 510 Cannon, Zip 20515 202-225-0855 225-9497
Greg Walden OR-2 1404 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-6730 225-5774
Earl Blumenauer OR-3 1406 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-4811 225-8941
Peter DeFazio OR-4 2134 Rayburn, Zip 20515 202-225-6416 225-0032
Darlene Hooley OR-5 1130 Longworth, Zip 20515 202-225-5711 225-5699
March 7, 2002
Re: Mitchell Act Funding FFY 03
The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA) consists of over 250 businesses, groups and individuals dedicated to the enhancement of the economic, cultural and environmental health that quality sport fisheries represent to the northwest and the nation. (A partial listing of our membership is enclosed)
2001 was a banner business year, unlike anything the sportfishing industry has experienced in decades!
I'll bet you haven't heard that story from many of your other constituents… I'd like to share with you the reasons behind last year's successes, and how you can support this kind of economic opportunity for the future. Quite simply, there were three reasons why Columbia River sport fisheries were larger than ever.
1. The Ocean. The ocean upwelling off the Oregon and Washington coast is bountiful for salmon/steelhead populations. Like the stock market of the 90's most everything we do is wildly successful.
2. Hatchery Production. Between 80-90% of our recreational catch consists of hatchery produced fish, and these fish are mass-marked or adipose fin clipped.
3. Selective Fisheries. Thanks to marking of hatchery fish, we are able to fish selectively for hatchery fish and release wild fish.
We need your support for a fully funded ($24,544,000) program to keep our businesses prospering and on track. Stable funding for the Mitchell Act hatcheries and mass marking, with monitoring and evaluation, will help secure jobs for the northwest, keep citizens connected with our icon, and stay the course for wild salmon recovery.
For the economies of Washington and Oregon, this cannot come at a more needed time and you have the ability to protect and grow this valuable sector. Decisions for future funding of the Mitchell Act will light this bright spot or extinguish it.. We are at a critical crossroads.
Since FFY '96 the funding for Mitchell Act Hatcheries has been in a spiral. (see attachment) The budget for hatchery operations has been cut to the bone. The National Marine Fisheries Service, at a recent meeting with their state, federal and tribal partners, informed us that the FFY '03 was level funded from FFY '02. This will require choices between closing facilities or marking fish.
Neither of these options should be acceptable! The fishing community has lowered our harvest rates dramatically, closing many fisheries. The ones that have reopened are selective. Producing fish in hatcheries that are not adipose clipped leaves them unavailable for public benefits.
The investment of federal dollars in Mitchell Act hatcheries:
Support thousands of jobs in rural and urban communities for Oregon and Washington. Together with nearly 40,000 jobs in the NW, are income taxes, sales taxes, and federal excise taxes. Sportfishing maintains jobs and community infrastructure.
Support the program changes to keep Mitchell Act facilities consistent with basin-wide salmon recovery efforts.
Maintain treaty and non treaty obligations for federal projects in the Columbia Basin.
Funding Mitchell Act is not just about funding mitigation. You are sustaining thousands of angler trips each and every year (see attached). You are sustaining communities and their infrastructure. You are supporting basin wide recovery goals. Most important, you are supporting a leisure activity that provides unparalleled quality family time. The northwest economy, environment and culture all win from your support.
We thank you for your serious attention to this matter and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Liz Hamilton
Executive Director
503 631 8859
nsializ@aol.com
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