Representatives from treaty tribes testified before a state legislative committee earlier this week, defending the use of hatcheries to provide fisheries for everyone. The hearing was held to address the ongoing debate about steelhead hatcheries and the federal permit process.
You can watch the tribal testimony here.
Scott Schuyler, natural resources director for the Upper Skagit Tribe, reminded legislators that hatcheries were created to mitigate for a much larger issue: damaged salmon habitat:
Step ahead to 2016, we are operating these programs in a way that is very scientifically defensible, that do not impede wild returns. Through a common-sense approach, again I like to look at the whole big picture, on the Skagit, we have five operational hydroelectric dams operating for 70-plus years. I can say without a doubt that they’ve killed hundreds of thousands of salmon in the Skagit. If you remove the hatchery programs that are mitigation for these hydroelectric projects, is it going to stop the millions of salmon that are being killed by the hydroelectric projects?’
Randy Kinley, policy representative for the Lummi Nation, pointed out the effects declining stocks have had on tribal and non-tribal fishermen:
Are we really here for fish? Do people understand what is at risk? Because it is not just the fishermen.
…
We used to fish steelhead from all the way in November all the way until April. Now we don’t even fish. We used to start fishing for chinook in March all the way until September. Now we don’t fish until August. We used to fish coho, but same thing. People didn’t realize that was 95 percent hatcheries.
