NOAA to hold coho salmon recovery meeting; encourages public input on draft plan

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is scheduled to hold a public meeting on Tuesday in Bayside to discuss its draft coho salmon recovery plan.

The agency is seeking public comment on its draft plan for threatened coho salmon in Northern California and Southern Oregon rivers and streams. The meeting is scheduled for 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Area Foundation's Emmerson Room, 373 Indianola Road.

Public comment and information relevant to this recovery plan will be accepted until 5 p.m. on March 5.

According to NOAA, coho salmon were once abundant in the rivers and streams from Cape Blanco, Ore., to Punta Gorda, Calif. Habitat degradation, harvest and water diversion have added to the negative effects of natural events such as drought, floods and poor ocean conditions, leading to the depletion of coho salmon. The population has continued to decline after being listed as threatened under the endangered Species Act in 1997.

The draft recovery plan is a guidance document rather than a regulation and identifies the activities and recovery actions that could rebuild coho populations.

The Siskiyou Land Conservancy -- which serves Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, Trinity and Siskiyou -- said the 1,400-page document lists the Smith River's coho salmon population as a high extinction risk.

According to the organization's blog, what the draft plan “makes clear is that Coho numbers are plummeting on the Smith River as well, veering toward extinction.” The conservancy is encouraging people to attend the meeting and speak out about their concerns with the condition of the watershed.

One of the conservancy's main concerns is the potential threat of pesticides used to produce 90 percent of the U.S. production of Easter lilies.

”Siskiyou Land Conservancy supports farmers, lily growers included,” the blog entry said. “If analyses of pesticide use and their effects on the Smith River estuary show a need to transition toward less chemically intensive agricultural practices, then we are committed to assisting lily growers do so without impacting their livelihoods.”

Electronic copies of the draft plan are available at www.swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery or on a CD by contacting Cynthia Anderson at 825-5162 or by sending an email with “CD ROM request for SONCC coho salmon draft recovery plan” to cynthia.anderson@noaa.gov.

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IF YOU GO:

What: Meeting on draft recovery plan for Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon

Where: Emmerson Room, Humboldt Area Foundation, 373 Emmerson Road, Bayside

When: 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday