12.11.01:
Saumons de l'Adour
Les captures 2001 sont les suivantes : 167 à
la ligne, 118 pour les professionnels en rivière et 700 à
800 dans l'estuaire !
Source Lettre sea river No 29
12.11.01: Judge refuses to
reinstitute Oregon Coho protections
On 10 September, U. S. District Court Judge Michael
Hogan in the case Alsea Valley Alliance v. Evans (District of Oregon
Case No. 99-6265-HO), revoked the National Marine Fisheries Service's
(NMFS) listing, under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), of
all central Oregon coho (silver) salmon. The federal government has
until 9 November to appeal the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals and ask for a stay of his order (which if granted would
reinstate ESA protection), but as of this date had not yet decided
its course of action. Unless NMFS does appeal, however, ESA protections
for these coho will no longer apply, at least until NMFS can issue
a new decision in accordance with Judge Hogan's order. As a result
of Judge Hogan's dissolution of ESA protections, however, several
federal timber sales, grazing allotment sales and other federal activities
that biologists have stated would seriously harm coho salmon can now
proceed without the need for a consultation or any changes required
by the ESA. On 30 October, a motion by several groups (including PCFFA
and IFR) to stay Judge Hogan's order pending an appeal and to intervene
in that case for purposes of appeal were heard in Judge Hogan's courtroom.
Hogan denied the request for a stay, but took the request to intervene
for purposes of appeal under consideration, to rule on or before the
9 November appeals deadline. For further information contact Patti
Goldman, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, (206)343-7340 or pgoldman@earthjustice.org.
07.11.01 :
La situation du saumon en France
La pêche du saumon en France est particulièrement
démocratique surtout par rapport à d'autres pays. Le
bilan 2000 de sa pêche est à la fois encourageant et
inquiétant. Voici les chiffres et les remarques en provenance
du Conseil supérieur de la Pêche.
Le nombre de pêcheurs de saumon à augmenté en
2000 (+ 23%) avec 2761 personnes ayant acquitté le timbre "migrateur".
Certes le nombre de pêcheurs de saumon a chuté depuis
1987 mais la pêche est fermée sur l'Allier. Il est aussi
difficile de connaître le nombre exact de pêcheurs de
saumons puisque depuis 2000, la taxe "saumon" et celle pour
"truite de mer" sont regroupées en une seule taxe
dite "migrateur".
2244 captures ont eu lieu en 2000 soit environ 4 prises pour 5 pêcheurs.
Le nombre moyen de saumons par pêcheur repasse sous l'unité
(il était supérieur à 1 entre 1994 et 1996).
L'exploitation des carnets de pêche montre que 43 % des pêcheurs
sont restés bredouilles! Les cours d'eau normands ont vu leurs
prises croître essentiellement grâce à une prolongation
de la pêche des castillons (petits saumons ayant passé
une seule année en mer). Presque 1 000 saumons sont capturés
dans les estuaires. Ces chiffres sont proches des valeurs des 10 dernières
années.
La durée totale de pratique pour une capture est descendue
à 94 heures (elle dépassait 150 heures les années
précédentes). La pêche plus importante des castillons
(en été) explique cette diminution. La capture des saumons
de printemps demande deux fois plus d'efforts que celle des castillons.
Des maxima de capture (TAC) ont été mis en place pour
les saumons de printemps qui semblent les plus vulnérables
et les plus intéressants au plan reproduction. Lorsque ces
quantités sont atteintes, la pêche est fermée.
Ce qui a été le cas sur 6 cours d'eau : Sée,
Léguer, Sélune et Douron en particulier. Cette disposition
a permis de protéger une bonne trentaine de géniteurs.
A noter que dans les bassins où cette disposition a été
prise, les stocks augmentent.
Le groupe de travail saumon atlantique du Conseil international pour
l'exploitation de la mer a établi qu'en Europe du nord (Scandinavie,
Russie, Islande), les effectifs demeurent équilibrés
entre saumons de printemps et d'été, peut être
en raison de la proximité des zones de grossissement (mer de
Norvège, îles Féroé). En revanche, les
stocks de l'Europe du sud (France, Espagne, Royaume-Uni) sont plus
déséquilibrés, les saumons de printemps sont
de plus en plus rares et les castillons de plus en plus nombreux.
Au point que le nombre de poissons remontant en eau douce est inférieur
au seuil de conservation. Autrement dit : la quantité d'oeufs
déposée ne peut plus assurer un nombre suffisant de
poissons pour les années suivantes.
Le groupe de travail saumon atlantique du Conseil international pour
l'exploitation de la mer a établi qu'en Europe du nord (Scandinavie,
Russie, Islande), les effectifs demeurent équilibrés
entre saumons de printemps et d'été, peut être
en raison de la proximité des zones de grossissement (mer de
Norvège, îles Féroé). En revanche, les
stocks de l'Europe du sud (France, Espagne, Royaume-Uni) sont plus
déséquilibrés, les saumons de printemps sont
de plus en plus rares et les castillons de plus en plus nombreux.
Au point que le nombre de poissons remontant en eau douce est inférieur
au seuil de conservation. Autrement dit : la quantité d'oeufs
déposée ne peut plus assurer un nombre suffisant de
poissons pour les années suivantes.
Le point le plus inquiétant est certainement la diminution
de la survie en mer. Pour obtenir une remontée équivalente
il faut de plus en plus de smolts descendant en mer. Une réduction
des prélèvements marins s'impose donc. Des quotas de
pêche ont été rachetés pour limiter la
pêche marine. Existe-t-il d'autres raisons? Maladies? Raréfaction
de la nourriture par fonte des glaciers? Beaucoup d'hypothèses
sont possibles, d'autant que la survie en mer diminue également
sur les castillons. La mise en place des TAC et les mesures prises
en eau douce ont permis de conserver une population de saumons d'été
stable.
Ces conclusions inquiétantes ne doivent pas nous faire oublier
les réussites sur la Dordogne et la Garonne (où la pêche
est fermée).
Source : la lettre de Sea-River
Semaine du 5 au 11 novembre 2001 - N° 28
15.10.01: Oregon river dam
giving way to salmon
USA, Oregon. - An 80-year-old dam that helps irrigate
Oregon farmland will be knocked down and replaced with a new pumping
station, boosting local fish runs, government officials and conservationists
said last week.
The concrete Savage Rapids Dam blocks migrating salmon and steelhead
on the Rogue River and can easily be replaced, officials said.
"The Rogue is one of Oregon's most spectacular natural treasures,
a waterway that is legendary for its scenic beauty, fish and wildlife,
and amazing whitewater," Gov. John Kitzhaber said at a news conference
in Salem, the Oregon state capital.
The agreement, he added, will "restore and protect this incredible
river, while still allowing farmers to meet their water needs."
Farmers dependent on water from the dam will be supplied by a new
pumping system that will divert water into irrigation canals without
disturbing the fish, including endangered salmon, in the river.
The dam, which stands 39 feet (13 metres) high and 460 feet (153 metres)
wide, would be the biggest ever removed from an Oregon river. It has
been a source of contention between farmers and conservationists for
10 years.
It was built in 1921 about five miles (8 kms) east of Grants Pass,
Oregon, to divert water for farmers.
But it serves no storage, flood control, or hydropower purpose. The
fisheries bureau said the dam was the "biggest killer" of
salmon and steelhead on the river.
Dam removal would result in an increase of about 114,000 more salmon
and steelhead each year, providing approximately $5 million annually
in economic benefits, the Bureau of Reclamation said.
A vote taken last year found 63 percent of the users of the irrigation
water supported removing the dam.
The removal could cost the federal government as much as $23 million.
Story by Bruce Olson
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
16.09.01 : Le gave de Pau
: les saumons prennent l'ascenseur
Le gave de Pau, rivière du Sud ouest de la
France, sera bientôt réouvert à la migration du
saumon. Des études sont actuellement conduites au niveau de
l'obstacle majeur, le barrage de Baigts, pour restaurer au mieux la
libre circulation des poissons. Elles ont pour objet d'installer une
nouvelle passe à poissons de type ascenseur. Ce dispositif
devrait être constitué par une successions de bassins
et terminé par une cage qui sera relevée régulièrement
afin de libérer les captifs à l'amont de l'ouvrage.
Cet aménagement fait suite au suivi par radiopistage du déplacement
des saumons effectué sous la responsabilité scientifique
et technique du Ghaappe (Groupe d'Hydraulique Appliquée aux
Aménagements Piscicoles et à la Protection de l'Environnement),
groupe de travail constitué par le Cemagref de Bordeaux, le
CSP (Conseil Supérieur de la Pêche) et l'INPT (Institut
National Polytechnique de Toulouse). Il a mis en évidence les
problèmes rencontrés par l'espèce lors de la
remontée du cours d'eau. En effet, ces 126 kilomètres
sont entrecoupés de 38 obstacles à franchir par les
poissons migrateurs. Le barrage de Baigts retenait à lui seul
près de 70% des candidats à la migration. Ce nouvel
aménagement devrait permettre d'augmenter considérablement
le nombre d'individus capables de franchir l'obstacle. Cela n'est
pas encore suffisant pour assurer la pérennité de l'espèce,
mais d'autres initiatives vont suivre. De même pour la quinzaine
d'ouvrages du gave de Pau qui posent des problèmes de migration
aux salmonidés. Contact Cemagref (service communication) :
veronique.leclerc@cemagref.fr
Source : La Lettre de Sea-River
n°20
14.09.01: European issuance
of patent for genetically-modified farmed salmon blasted.
On 10 September, the environmental organization, Greenpeace,
issued a scathing denunciation of the European Patent Office (EPO),
based in Munich, for issuing the first ever patent on genetically
modified (GMO) fish. The Canadian company Seabright, according to
Greenpeace, obtained patent EP 578 653 on Atlantic Salmon and all
other fish species carrying an additional gene for faster growth.
In the patent application the company reports on experiments leading
to fish eight times bigger than normal salmon. The patent was granted
under the controversial EU Directive on "Biotechnological Inventions"
(98/44/EC), which was implemented by the EPO (a non- EU body) in June
1999. Some EU member states, the Council of Europe, as well as expert
groups on ethics, churches, physician associations, fishermen and
farmer organizations have also voiced their opposition against patents
on plants, animals and genes. Until Monday, only a few member states
have implemented the EU Directive, which allows for such kinds of
patents.
"Several leading marine biologists and fishery organisations
have expressed strong concerns that, once released into the environment,
genetically modified fish could become invasive species and cause
irreversible damage to wild fish stocks and to the wider marine ecosystem",
said Greenpeace's Christoph Then. "Yet the granting of this patent
encourages the development and commercialisation of these 'monster'
salmon and any future genetically modified fish carrying the growth
hormone gene. The European governments and the EU should immediately
introduce legislation banning the release of this genetically manipulated
fish."
The patent was granted on 17 July. Seabright (now renamed "Genesis")
has licensed the use of the growth hormone genetic modification technology
to its related company, A/F Proteins. An application for the commercialization
of genetically modified salmon for use in aquaculture (fish farm)
operations has been recently filed also with the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) (see Sublegals, 4:02/06; 3:19/03). A/F Proteins
claims to have 15 million genetically modified fish eggs ready for
sale to fish farms around the world after being granted the authorities'
approval. For further information on Seabright and for their links
to AF/Proteins, go to: http://www.mun.ca/seabright/af_protn.html.
More information is also available at: http://www.mun.ca/seabright/AF_protn.html
2.
Copies of the patent documents are available at:
http://www.greenpeace.de/Intl-patents/patents.htm, also see: http://www.greenpeace.org/.
Source : Fishlink Sublegals
12.09.01:
Salmon life stories recorded in strontium
In work that has implications for sport fisherman,
scientists and natural resource agencies, University of Michigan researchers
have developed a method that lets them reconstruct the environmental
history of individual salmon and identify the juvenile habitat of
an adult fish returning from the ocean to spawn. In research to be
presented at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America
on Aug. 7, U-M researchers Brian Kennedy, Andrea Klaue, and Joel Blum,
along with Dartmouth College researcher Carol Folt, have found that
the element strontium, relatively common in bedrock beneath streams,
accumulates in the bony tissues of Atlantic salmon and leaves a specific
chemical signature, depending on the geology of the watershed in which
the fish is living. This discovery could reveal whether certain rivers
or tributaries produce fish that are more likely to survive their
time in the ocean and successfully make the return trip to spawn in
the stream where they hatched.
Conventional methods of tracing fish movements involve tagging thousands
of juvenile fish in hatcheries with fin clips, dyes, or PIT (passive
integrated transponder) tags and then hoping that the tagged fish
are among the fraction that get re-caught as returning adults years
later. It is a labor-intensive procedure that does not yield as much
information as scientists would like. Young fish do not necessarily
stay in the streams into which they are released, so the tag on a
recaptured adult fish may only indicate where the fish was released
as a juvenile, not where it spent most of its life. By taking advantage
of the natural variation in strontium isotopes (alternate forms of
the element that are present in different watersheds), scientists
now can differentiate fish from specific geologic areas without having
to use a man-made marker previously attached to a fish. "It's
a natural tag," says Kennedy, a research fellow in the Department
of Geological Sciences. "In addition to linking adult fish to
their juvenile stream, now we can look at juvenile movements between
streams, so it gives us a really good indication of where they are
spending their juvenile phase." At a given area in a watershed,
strontium isotope ratios are very stable and show little seasonal
or temporal variation. Kennedy and his colleagues identified 11 different
geologic signatures for 18 regions of the Connecticut River and its
tributaries in central and southern Vermont, an area that has been
the focus of Atlantic salmon restoration efforts for more than 30
years. Then they looked at the strontium isotope ratios in backbone
tissue of juvenile salmon and in otoliths---bits of bony material
near the brain known as "ear stones"---of adult salmon.
Additional tests with independently tagged fish provided a control
to measure the natural variability of isotope ratios for neighbor
fish.
The otoliths become a record of the fish's environment. "The
neat thing about it," says Kennedy, "is the chemical information
is laid down in the otoliths on a daily basis, and they can be 'read'
much like tree rings, but on an even finer scale."
Atlantic salmon generally spend two years inland in streams and rivers
as juveniles, and then head out to the ocean for a few years before
returning to their home stream to spawn. Knowing which streams produce
salmon that successfully make this round trip will enable specific
habitats to be targeted for protection and could provide valuable
information about where to release hatchery fish or how regional habitat
restoration efforts are influencing adult survival.
"We're letting nature apply the tag and then reading it, without
incurring the potentially high financial costs or mortality rates
of artificial tags," says Kennedy. "It could be very useful
for distinguishing fish populations in both wild and managed settings."
Source: European Water Management News
24.08.01: Judge rejects corps'
motion, case against Snake river dams goes on.
On 22 August, U.S. Federal District Court Judge Helen
Frye refused a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) motion to dismiss
the Clean Water Act (CWA) case against the Snake River Dams (National
Wildlife Federation et. al. v. US Army Corps of Engineers, US District
Court of Oregon, Civ. No. 99- 442-FR). The Judge allowed the plaintiffs
(which include PCFFA and IFR) leave to amend their complaint in light
of the recently issued Record of Decision (ROD) adopted by the Corps
in May 2001 on the various options available for the four lower Snake
River dams. The Corps has continued to refuse to address CWA violations
at the Snake Dams, maintaining in its ROD that the existence of the
dams actually made the water cooler, not warmer, a conclusion not
supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State
of Washington and the observed data. The Corps will have to file the
complete administrative record 60 days after the new complaint is
filed. The lower Snake River dams create long reservoirs of hot water
that often reach temperatures that are fatal to salmon and have never
met Washington's Clean Water Act standards since those standards were
adopted. For more information contact: Earthjustice Legal Defense
Fund, Attn: Kristin Boyles, Esq., 705 Second Ave, Suite 203, Seattle,
WA 98104 or call: (206) 343-7340.
Source : Fishlink Sublegals
24.08.01: WDFW says drought
and dam operations have killed millions of mid-columbia fall-run chinook
this year.
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)
estimates that as many as 3 million fall-run chinook died along a
51-mile stretch of the mid-Columbia River this year as the juvenile
salmon tried to migrate their way downstream, reported the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer on 22 August. WDFW found more than 1.6 million
dead juvenile salmon alone in a 17-mile stretch of river below the
Priest Rapids Dam, where the fish spawn each year between April and
June. While water fluctuations caused by dam operations were less
than in previous years, low water due to the drought exacerbated their
impact; as the river ebbed and flowed, shrinking pools trapped the
fish and suffocated or cooked them as Eastern Washington temperatures
soared, and additionally they became easy prey for birds, in the biggest
fish kill of the year in the Columbia Basin. The Hanford Reach salmon
that were killed here are the healthiest run of wild fall chinook
in the state. These salmon, which are not listed under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), are important to Washington's commercial, sport
and tribal fisheries.This fish kill was the largest loss of fry tabulated
in the fall chinook run since monitoring began three years ago. The
number of dead baby fish along the surveyed stretch of river increased
more than 2000 percent since last year, when 72,000 fry were killed.
Nearly 126,000 fry perished in 1999. However, more fry were hatched
this year than in recent seasons. Approximately 23.8 million fall-chinook
were hatched in 2001, up from an estimated 17.9 million fry in 2000.The
average number of fry since 1998 has been approximately 20.9 million
in what is the last successful naturally spawning population in the
Basin. Because of the huge loss of fry, fluctuations in flow will
need to be more stringently regulated, according to WDFW, and it will
monitor the number of juveniles hatched this year that return to the
river in coming years. Likewise, the number of wild fall chinook caught
by fishermen may need to be curtailed in the future, said a WDFW spokesman.
To see the full story go to: http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com.
Source : Fishlink Sublegals
24.08.01: Bush administration
pressures Europe to drop restrictions on genetically modified food,
NFI comes out with its guidebook.
Greenlines reports that the Administration of U.S.
President George W. Bush is pressing the European Union (EU) to drop
new restrictions on genetically modified food. Administration officials
claim the rules could cost U.S. companies $4 billion a year, and that
they violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. PCFFA and a number
of other U.S. fishermen's organizations, conservation and consumer
groups have raised concerns regarding the spread of genetically-modified
(GMO) foods, including plans to use genetically modified salmon in
fish farm operations.
There has been a growing reaction in Europe to U.S. fast food chains,
foods coming from large corporate food processors, foods treated with
chemicals and, now, opposition to genetically modified foods. The
movement is also growing in the U.S. with increased consumer demand
among high-end buyers for, among other items, wild fish in season
that are sustainably harvested (e.g., wild Pacific salmon, albacore,
Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut). The 20 August issue of The Nation
(pp.11-16) features an article by Alexander Stille "Slow Food
An Italian Answer to Globalization" on the movement. It can be
seen at: www.thenation.com or go directly to the organization's website
at: www.slowfood.com. In the
meantime, WorldCatch New Network reported 21 August that the National
Fisheries Institute (NFI) is offering free fact sheets to help chefs,
retailers and consumers in making seafood choices. "The fact
sheets describe the various seafood species, and explain the regulations
that govern their harvesting, growing or importation." There
are now 28 fact sheets published by NFI, presently the only U.S. national
fishery lobbying organization which represents, among others, major
fish and food processing companies, restaurant chains (e.g., Red Lobster)
and seafood importers (e.g., farmed shrimp, salmon). The fact sheets
are in response to a number of seafood guides that have been published
over the past year and to the Seafood Choices Alliance. For more information,
go to: www.seafoodchoices.com.
For more information on the NFI fact sheets, go to: www.worldcatch.com.
Source : Fishlink Sublegals
