The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association wants the government to convene a Cabinet-level committee with the power to allow exemptions to the Endangered Species Act. Known as the “God squad” because its decisions can lead to extinctions of threatened wildlife, it has only gathered three times – the last 25 years ago during a controversy over spotted owl habitat in the Northwest.
The Army Corps of Engineers kills the birds to reduce predation on runs of threatened and endangered juvenile salmon.
More than 1 million trout, salmon and walleye destined for state’s lakes, rivers and streams.
Corps officials say the birds eat up to 11 million juvenile salmon annually.
No chinook and coho salmon fishing for sport and commercial fishers for 2017.
Fish could face a potentially lethal problem in spillways at dams where increased nitrogen in the water can cause tissue-damaging gas bubble trauma.
Students who participate in Salmon in the Classroom curriculum start out raising coho salmon eggs in the fall, learn more about fish with dissection lessons, and practice catching fish during the ice fishing field trips before coming together in the spring for a celebration during which mature fry are released.
Broadens impact to other species after anglers and charter captains voiced objections to early proposals.
Also a top shellfish-growing area in the state
Comes after last year’s harvests in Kodiak, Prince William Sound, Chignik and lower Cook Inlet came in far below forecast
They work with homeowners to identify what kinds of salmon were in the stream and what they could do to protect the habitat
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