Inept Management Encouraged by Endangered Species Act Litigation is Killing Idaho Fish Claims CSRIA

Fish Managers Failed to Utilize Successful Juvenile Fish Transportation Program in 2015

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Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association

Oct 03, 2017, 09:30 ET

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an evidentiary hearing motion brought before U.S. Federal District (Oregon) Judge Michael Simon, the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association (CSRIA) presented very strong evidence that fish managers' 2015 decisions decimated about 65% of the wild, spring chinook returns to Idaho (2017 adult fish returns). Other hatchery fish suffered as well, and the final numbers for returning Idaho steelhead will document further losses.

USACE Juvenile Fish Transportation Program Barge

The records confirm that the Columbia River fish managers allowed Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed salmon and steelhead migrations to remain in the Lower Snake River, during extremely poor in-river conditions, rather than rely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' successful juvenile fish transportation program. The fish were exposed to adverse river conditions that proved fatal, as documented by the fish managers' recently released evaluation (Comparative Survival Study, 2017).

The evidence clearly shows that the Fish Managers ignored the legally required, ESA (Biological Opinion) 'spread the risk' policy, in the spring 2015, when they transported only 13% of juvenile salmon/steelhead during low flow and high temperature conditions, when young fish are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of remaining in-river. This was the lowest percent transported since records were first kept in 1993.

NOAA Fisheries' scientists attempted to obtain an early spring 2015 start date for transportation to get the juvenile fish out of the river during poor survival conditions, but other state agency fish managers defiantly blocked this crucial action.

CSRIA representative Darryll Olsen characterized the 2015 fish kill, "as defying every manner of sound judgement, and the sad product of 25-years of irrational ESA litigation in the Oregon District Court. The Federal Administration, faced with fish managers' stark incompetence, must invoke a formal ESA Committee (God Squad) Review action, as required by the ESA statutes."

For more information, contact Darryll Olsen of Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association at 509-783-1623 or [email protected].

About CSRIA

The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association (www.csria.org) is a leading organization in promoting water conservation and water efficiency in the Pacific Northwest. CSRIA's membership includes row crop, vineyard, orchard and livestock operations and we irrigate about 250,000 acres of prime agricultural lands in Washington State and primarily consist of operations along the Columbia-Snake River system, relying almost exclusively on private investment to build and operate highly efficient, state-of-the-art river pump stations and water distribution systems. Additionally, many municipalities and port districts are members of CSRIA. In economic terms, CSRIA members annually generate about $475-600 million in state and local income by purchasing goods and services from numerous economic sectors, ranging from paper products and food packaging to financial, legal and marketing services.

SOURCE Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association