Tribes ask for review of salmon restoration programs
Story-Date: 12:43 p.m. PST Friday   , November 14, 1997

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Tribes ask for review of salmon restoration programs


By Bob Baum
Associated Press Writer


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Northwest Power Planning Council is standing
firm in its bid to block $35 million in new salmon restoration projects by
Columbia River Indian tribes, even though the tribes have taken their case
to federal court.

At the center of the controversy is the scientific validity of tribal plans
to expand fish hatchery operations.

"It is extremely disappointing that the tribes are attempting to use the
courts to shield certain projects from scientific review," said power
council chairman John Etchart.

The four tribes with treaty rights to the river's salmon asked the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday to review the power council's
recommendation that the financing be halted pending further study.

Proponents say the study would make sure the efforts are scientifically
sound and fit in with overall salmon recovery work in the region.

Bill Yallup, chairman of the Yakama Indian Nation Fish and Wildlife
Committee, said far too much time has been wasted on studies and reviews as
the salmon runs in the Columbia and Snake rivers continue to dwindle.

"Now is the time for action," Yallup said. "Anyone who has followed this
issue for even a few months knows that the last thing the salmon need is
more process and bureaucracy."

The power council, made up of two representatives each from the four
Northwest states, makes recommendations to the Bonneville Power
Administration on money for tribal fishery projects. The BPA has said it
will go along with the recommendation.

Etchart said the council stands by its actions as part of its attempt to
improve accountability for spending on fish and wildlife recovery.

Most of the money being deferred is for tribal salmon hatcheries, which
tribal officials say already have been reviewed repeatedly by federal and
state agencies.

"The tribal hatcheries are the most studied and reviewed projects in the
Columbia Basin without exception," Yallup said. "Those studies included
genetic risk assessments, species interaction studies, environmental impact
statements, to name just some of them. How many layers of review are
necessary?"

Ted Strong, executive director of the Columbia Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission, said the tribes are being unfairly singled out while others,
including the National Marine Fisheries Service, go ahead with recovery
efforts that also have been criticized for lacking a coherent vision.

"The council has not convinced me that cutting funding for tribal projects
and requiring more reviews is anything other than discrimination against
the tribes," Strong said.

Etchart, however, said the tribes were chosen simply because they are
involved in most hatchery and habitat projects paid for by the BPA.

The question of where hatcheries fit in the salmon recovery effort is a
matter of great debate among biologists. The tribes say the hatcheries are
crucial to make sure some fish are available to Indians with century-old
treaty rights to catch them.

Other biologists, however, worry that hatchery-raised salmon are
genetically weaker than natural runs and damage efforts to restore the
native fish. Members of an independent scientific panel that reviewed
proposed projects for 1998 advised the council to hold off on the tribal
projects.

"New hatchery production and new habitat projects are two areas that the
scientists said need careful scrutiny," Etchart said. "We share the same
goal with the tribes -- to recover fish and wildlife populations -- but we
have an obligation to the citizens of the Northwest to ensure their money
is not wasted on ineffective projects."

The Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Nez Perce tribes have their own
sophisticated network of biologists and other fishery experts and have
developed their own salmon recovery plan. The Indians want the appeals
court not only to overturn the council's action but also to make sure the
council abandons its new effort to subject proposed recovery projects to
another layer of scientific review.



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