[ODFW-News] Hatchery and Wild Fish to Benefit from Dam Removal

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife =09
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356=09
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 872-5700
=09

For Release	3 p.m. Thursday, October 24, 2002

Hatchery and Wild Fish to Benefit from Dam Removal

PORTLAND - With the 1999 announcement that Portland General Electric would =
remove Marmot Dam in the Sandy River, hundreds of anglers said the action =
would jeopardize sport fishing due to the loss of Marmot's fish sorting =
facility and that state officials did not know the long-term negative =
consequences of the sediment behind the dam. Planning meetings were =
contentious enough to derail the whole idea.=20

Fast forward to today. Fishing advocates, wild fish conservation groups, =
agency biologists, and PGE praise a solution that emerged to preserve =
fishing seasons on hatchery fish, enhance wild fish habitat, return the =
Sandy River to natural flow conditions and turn 1,500 acres into public =
recreation lands.

"The solution that has been crafted is a success," said Jim Muck, a =
biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife who participated =
in the early contentious meetings of two years ago. "Success to the =
angler, success for hatchery management that no longer relies on the dam, =
success for wild fish and success for a free-flowing river."

PGE owns Marmot Dam and other facilities as part of the Bull Run Hydroelect=
ric Project in the Sandy River Basin. The company decided in 1999 not to =
renew its license to generate electric power, and to remove Marmot Dam. =
The decision set in motion activities that resulted in today's signing of =
a historic negotiated settlement between Gov. John Kitzhaber, PGE, ODFW, =
National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 18 =
other organizations.=20

The Association of Northwest Steelheaders uses the word "thrilled" to =
describe the organization's reaction to the signing of the settlement =
today. "We worked collaboratively for better sport fishing and wild fish =
protection in the Sandy River," said Norm Ritchie, President of the NW =
Steelheaders, a fishing organization that actively participated on the =
effort to remove Marmot Dam.

The settlement was not possible without a revised Sandy Basin Fish =
Management Plan, adopted in February 2001 by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife =
Commission. The basin plan identifies hatchery production targets, wild =
fish management strategies and furthers the goals of the Oregon Plan for =
Salmon and Watersheds, the state's plan for salmon recovery and watershed =
restoration. Public concern about potential hatchery reductions due to the =
lack of a sorting facility caused the heated public meetings.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife uses a sorting facility at =
Marmot Dam to separate adult wild fish from adult hatchery fish in the =
Sandy River. Hatchery fish, identified by a clipped adipose fin, are =
trucked downstream for anglers and wild fish are returned to the river =
above the dam to spawn. With the sorting facility, ODFW stocked salmon and =
steelhead not native to the basin while prohibiting interbreeding with =
wild stocks. The wild stocks - winter steelhead, spring chinook, coho, and =
fall chinook - are protected under the federal and/or state endangered =
species act. State policy currently prohibits more than 10 percent of the =
naturally-spawning fish to spawn with hatchery fish.=20

"We took away the single biggest public concern with removing the dam by =
finding a way to maintain hatchery production," said Dave McAllister, =
ODFW's Habitat Division administrator. "People were afraid that anglers =
would suffer. With dam removal, we are going to maintain recreational =
opportunities with a healthier fishery. We also have a real opportunity to =
address factors limiting wild fish and move toward recovery."

In implementing the amended Sandy Basin Plan, ODFW has taken the following =
measures to prepare for the decommissioning of the Bull Run Project, =
scheduled for 2007:

=B7	Winter steelhead: ODFW initiated the conversion to a hatchery =
stock native to the Sandy Basin in 2001. In 2004, all returning winter =
steelhead will be Sandy stock. In addition, ODFW shifted the annual =
release locations of the 160,000 smolts away from Marmot Dam to  ODFW's =
Sandy Hatchery in the lower river. This shift will acclimate the fish to a =
lower section of the river and help maintain the wild fish sanctuary in =
the upper river. The conversion to a local broodstock reduces risks to the =
wild population by more closely mimicking the habits of wild fish.=20

=B7	Spring chinook: The conversion to Sandy River stock began this =
year with creation of a new brood stock from wild fish sorted at Marmot =
Dam. By 2007, the brood conversion will be completed and out-of-basin =
stocks will have been removed. Like the winter steelhead, the annual =
release site for the 300,000 smolts was moved to the lower river in 2001.

=B7	Coho: ODFW will continue producing 700,000 smolts per year of =
Sandy Basin coho and releasing them at Sandy Hatchery. Less than 2 percent =
of hatchery coho currently attempt to spawn above Marmot Dam, which meets =
recovery goals.

=B7	Summer steelhead: ODFW will continue releasing 75,000 Skamania =
stock summer steelhead smolts in the lower river at Sandy Hatchery for the =
next three years. In 2005, ODFW will bring to the Commission the results =
of a five-year evaluation of the number of hatchery summer steelhead =
attempting to spawn above Marmot Dam and available solutions. The =
Commission will make a decision at that time on the future of the summer =
steelhead program. Summer steelhead historically did not spawn in the =
Sandy Basin.=20

ODFW was an active participant on the 20-member Decommissioning Work Group =
that developed the dam removal plan and long-term management strategies to =
protect natural resources in the Sandy Basin. The strategies will benefit =
fish and wildlife species and recreational opportunities for the long =
term. Strategies include:
=B7	Adding about 6 miles of new anadromous fish habitat in the Little =
Sandy River in 2008.
=B7	Increasing the instream water flows in the mainstem Sandy and the =
Little Sandy.
=B7	Removing "false attraction" water flows to Bull Run River, which =
can strand fish.
=B7	Developing a hatchery conservation program to rear 100,000 Sandy =
River wild fall chinook at Sandy Hatchery to ensure preservation of a wild =
run facing risks during dam removal.
=B7	Conducting research with a $300,000 grant from PGE to enable fish =
managers and river restorers to learn from the experience of removing a =
dam.
=B7	Protecting native fish habitat during dam removal.
=B7	Re-establishing natural river conditions.
=B7	Moving more than 1,500 acres to public ownership through a =
cooperative agreement between PGE and Western Rivers Conservancy.

More information about the settlement and the decommissioning plan can be =
found on PGE's Web site at www.PortlandGeneral.com.
###


Information and Education Section
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 872-5264 ext 5528