A coalition of 24 fishing and conservation groups, including the Mendocino Environmental Center, filed suit on June 1, 1995 against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for its failure to act in response to a petition by many of the groups to protect coho salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
"We've given them more than enough time to release their proposal to preserve plummeting coastal coho runs," said Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund salmon specialist Tryg Sletteland. "With wild coho populations plunging in California, Oregon and Washington, our coastal economies need the protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act today," Sletteland said.
"This is a case of jobs being saved by the ESA - jobs in the sport and commercial fishing industry," said Oregon Natural Resources Council's (ONRC) Diane Valantine. "During the 1970's coho fishing brought about $70 million/year to the region," Valantine said, "but the dwindling numbers of coho have decimated the fishing industry."
"It is past time to protect coho, the ESA, and our coastal communities," Valantine added.
Once a petition is filed, the ESA gives NMFS one year to decide whether to propose a species for listing. The agency is now between 7 and 14 months late in determining whether a listing is warranted.
"The law is crystal clear on this matter and the government has broken it," said Legal Defense Fund attorney Mike Sherwood. "It is time for the federal government to comply with the law, and take action before coho are gone for- ever."
Coho are currently threatened by many human actions, including destruction of their habitat by logging and other activities, water diversion for power production and agriculture, poor hatchery practices, and over-fishing in Canada.
COHO SALMON FACTS
´ Status of the fish. Coho (silver) salmon population numbers are down 90 to 95% in the "lower 48". California had 500,000 fish in the 1940s, but only a few thousand remain. Oregon's coastal rivers produced 1.4 million coho in 1900; fewer than 50,000 are left today. The Columbia Basin once hosted runs of 1.2 million fish; coho are now virtually extinct there. Wild coho are depressed or declining and face the risk of extinction in about half of Washington's rivers, including an estimated 75% decline in Puget Sound.
´ Economic impact. These declines have been disastrous for the fishing industry. During the 1970s, coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest received between $60 and $70 million per year from the coho commercial fishery. (This is the direct value to commercial fishermen; it includes no multipliers, indirect or induced effects. The figure includes the troll fishery only. This information is from a personal communication to Pacific Rivers Council by Hans Radkte.) Today that number is essentially zero. According to a 1994 report by Anthony J. Fedler, Ph.D., titled "Economic Value of Recreational and Commercial Use of Pacific Anadromous Fish in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho", published by the American Sportfishing Association, the total net economic value of salmon and steelhead fisheries in the 3 states in 1990 was estimated at $280 million.
´ Status of the fisheries. The sport and commercial coho fisheries have been eliminated in Oregon and California in 1994 and 1995 - a huge loss. The limited coho fisheries allowed in Washington in 1995 are greatly reduced from historic levels.
´ Causes of decline. Coho are endangered by a combination of human-caused problems including habitat destruction, overharvest, and poor hatchery management. These factors have eliminated the coho's ability to withstand adverse natural conditions like the "El Nino" ocean currents. Coho are particularly sensitive to habitat damage since they stay in rivers longer than other salmon species before migrating to sea. Habitat has been destroyed by poor logging practices, agricultural diversions, and urbanization. Hatchery fish pose serious threats to wild stocks in spawning and rearing areas, and they also lead to overharvesting of wild stocks.
´ History of attempt to list coho. Three petitions to list coho were filed in 1993: by Santa Cruz County on central California coast stocks in March; by Oregon Trout on Oregon coastal stocks in July; and by Pacific Rivers Council on Washington, Oregon and California stocks on October 15, 1993. By law, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) had one year from that date to complete its status review and recommend for or against listing as a threatened or endangered species. A 60-day notice of intent to sue for missing this deadline was sent to NMFS February 9, 1995.
´ Co-plaintiffs on the current lawsuit. The following 24 nonprofit organizations make up the coalition filing suit: Coast Action Group, Coast Range Association, Environmental Protection Information Center, Friends of the Garcia River, Friends of the River, Greater Ecosystem Alliance, Klamath Forest Alliance, Marble Mountain Audubon, Mendocino Environmental Center, Mount Shasta Area Audubon Society, National Audubon Society, Northcoast Environmental Center, Oregon Natural Resources Council, Oregon Trout, Pilchuck Audubon Society, Portland Audubon Society, Save the West, Sierra Club, Siskiyou Audubon Society, Siskiyou Regional Education Project, Tenmile Creek Association, Trout Unlimited of California, Washington Trout, and the Western Ancient Forest Campaign.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1995