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February 12, 2008
NEWS
RELEASE
Salmon
Treaty must do more to protect wild salmon
Scientific review needed to
ensure conservation objectives are met
For Immediate
Release February 11, 2008
VANCOUVER – A
coalition of conservation groups is calling for a scientific review of
the Pacific Salmon Treaty to ensure that it is meeting the conservation
objectives required to protect wild salmon, including the protection of
salmon habitat. Pacific Salmon Commission representatives from the U.S.
and Canada are meeting in Vancouver, B.C. this week to discuss the
renegotiation of the treaty. A 10-year agreement forged between the two
countries is due to expire at the end of 2008.
Trout
Unlimited, the Wild Salmon Center, and Canada’s David Suzuki Foundation
have formed the Pacific Salmon Treaty Reform Coalition to advocate for
a more sustainable and comprehensive approach to salmon management
under the Canada – U.S. treaty. They are being assisted by legal
experts from the International Environmental Law Project at Lewis and
Clark Law School.
"In the past
year our coalition brought together salmon scientists to identify
principles for an effective treaty, and Stanford University held a
treaty workshop with scientists, managers and stakeholders," said David
Suzuki Foundation salmon biologist Jeffery Young. "It is now time for
the Pacific Salmon Commission to take this information and lead its own
review of the treaty, with participation of external scientists, to
ensure conservation objectives are met."
Declines in
many salmon runs, including Fraser River coho, California and Oregon
chinook, and a number of Puget Sound stocks, have raised concerns among
salmon scientists and fisheries managers about the long-term survival
of Pacific salmon. Changes in ocean conditions, most likely related to
global warming, are an added challenge to the health of salmon
coast-wide, making this round of negotiations especially critical.
"We all want
our great-grandchildren to experience wild salmon," said Guido Rahr,
CEO of the Wild Salmon Center. "With so many stocks of wild salmon in
decline, now is the time to integrate strong conservation principles
into international agreements on salmon management. It is
critical that this process be both transparent and scientifically
sound."
"As a
coalition, we are particularly concerned about the protection of salmon
habitat, since healthy habitat is critical to facing these known and
unknown challenges ahead," said Jeff Curtis, senior salmon policy
advisor for Trout Unlimited. "The treaty provides an important
opportunity for both countries to work together to ensure a productive
future for Pacific salmon and our shared fisheries."
Representatives
of the Coalition will attend Pacific Salmon Commission meetings this
week in Vancouver, B.C., and will be speaking at a public meeting of
the commission on the morning of February 13 (meeting details available
at www.psc.org).
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For more
information, contact:
Jeff Curtis,
Senior Salmon Policy Advisor, Trout Unlimited, (503) 419-7105
Jeffery Young,
Aquatic Biologist, David Suzuki Foundation, (604) 732-4228
Ian Hanington,
Communications Specialist, David Suzuki Foundation, (604) 732-4228,
ext. 238
Greg Block, VP
for Conservation Programs, Wild Salmon Center, (503) 222-1804
The David
Suzuki Foundation is committed to achieving sustainability within a
generation in Canada. Abundant and diverse stocks of Pacific wild
salmon are a vital part of this sustainable and prosperous future. The
Foundation works closely with other conservation organizations, all
levels of government, industry and first nations to achieve
science-based solutions that will lead to a sustainable future for
Pacific salmon in Canada.
The Wild Salmon
Center is the only international conservation organization working to
protect wild Pacific salmon throughout their entire range. We partner
with governments, local communities, and businesses to create a network
of healthy salmon ecosystems across the North Pacific. Our work is
based on the best available science and our conservation solutions
support sustainable economies, regional cultures, and the great rivers
of the Pacific Rim.
Trout Unlimited
works across the United States at the local, state and federal level,
to ensure that, by the next generation, robust populations of native
and wild trout, salmon and steelhead will once again thrive within
their North American Range. TU strives to achieve this vision by
protecting, reconnecting and restoring the habitat necessary to sustain
wild fish populations so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries
in their home waters.
Trout Unlimited Washington News Release
With over 6000 members, Trout Unlimited is alive
and well in Washington state. On the ground, where it matters most, our
members and chapters are continuing to restore streams, educate the
public about trout and salmon issues, and advocate for responsible
conservation practices. Using the time provided by the temporary
suspension of the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited, members from
Washington chapters are working on an organizational restructuring with
the help and guidance of Trout Unlimited National. Members plan to make
Trout Unlimited Washington into an even more effective voice for
salmon, trout, and steelhead.
September 2006 will see the Council restarted and
more effectively support the conservation projects of chapters,
coordinate and facilitate communication within the organization, and
engage in active membership recruitment. Trout Unlimited Washington is
the leading cold-water conservation organization in the state of
Washington and will continue to work with other organizations and
agencies at the local, state, regional and national levels to conserve,
protect and restore our cold-water fisheries.
For more information contact Captain Mark Taylor,
TU's NLC rep. for Trout Unlimited Washington at emtbuckt@msn.com.
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