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Letter asks legislators to protect and restore declining Columbia and Snake River salmon runs by restoring habitat for wild salmon
SEATTLE, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 100 chefs and food professionals from across Washington State have come together to urge Northwest members of Congress to restore wild salmon and protect the fisheries and communities that depend on them.
"Wild Pacific salmon is one of our last great wild foods. When I decided to serve only wild salmon at Flying Fish, it really meant we were focusing more on our local food connection," said Chris Keff, Chef and Owner of Flying Fish. "People enjoy coming to the table and being able to identify not only where their fish came from, but how it was harvested and sometimes even the name of the fisher. Although this demand is rising, our salmon fishery is collapsing and only a long-term commitment to protecting and restoring salmon habitat will ensure that wild Pacific salmon continue to grace our table."
The comments from the chefs and food professionals delivered in a letter to Northwest members of Congress and NOAA regional administrator Robert Lohn, came in response to the Oct. 31 release of a new draft Biological Opinion from NOAA Fisheries for Columbia-Snake river salmon management. Salmon advocates say the new plan, the result of a court-ordered rewrite of an earlier, illegal 2004 federal salmon plan, fails to do enough to recover imperiled salmon in the seven-state Columbia-Snake River basin, and ignores altogether the four dams on the lower Snake River that pack the biggest punch.
"When a species as iconic as Pacific salmon is depleted or brought to the brink of extinction, this loss causes culinary and cultural consequences that may be too deep to immediately realize," said David Hill, Chef and Owner of Hill's Restaurant and Lounge in Spokane. "Washington chefs, fishermen and farmers should be united in keeping quality local food coming to the table."
The Columbia River Basin used to boast the largest salmon runs in the world, with 10 to 16 million salmon returning annually. Today, returns linger near 1 percent of that historic abundance. The Snake River, the Columbia's largest tributary used to produce half the Columbia Basin's salmon and still has more acres of pristine salmon habitat than any watershed in the lower 48 states. But more than 200 dams clog the Columbia-Snake Basin, creating a massive obstacle for returning salmon and killing 80 to 90 percent of ocean-going young salmon. Thirteen Columbia River salmon populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act, with four directly impacted by the lower Snake River dams. Those four populations represent more than half the stocks in the Columbia Basin.
Coastal fishing communities from Alaska to California are hit hard by the loss of these salmon. Fishermen are prevented from fishing on healthy stocks in order to protect weaker runs mixed with them in the ocean. In the early 1970s, before the four lower Snake River dams were built to allow barge traffic to the inland port of Lewiston, Idaho, more than 1,700 Washington trollers were registered. In 2007, only 60 boats fished the waters of the Washington Coast according to Joel Kawahara, a member of the Washington Trollers Association and lifetime Seattle-area fisherman.
"If salmon runs are being degraded by the transportation of wheat, we need to talk about it and come to a solution that allows both fishing and farming communities to thrive," said Washington State fisherman Jeremy Brown of Bellingham. "We need to come to the table, break some bread, eat some smoked salmon and start talking."
Brown, who has traveled to meet with Eastern Washington farmers, added "we need to give farmers some alternatives, something that will keep the fishermen from bearing the brunt. The federal government will not step up to recover salmon, but the Northwest delegation can decide to tackle this issue -- it's a tough one, but it's their job."
"I have been purchasing Washington salmon for the past two years and I proudly let my customers know what they are eating. I have met many coastal fishermen and they are proud of their product and the manners with which the product is delivered," said Seth Caswell, Stumbling Goat Bistro Chef and president of the Seattle's Chefs Collaborative. "The care and quality of these fish represent the labor and devotion to maintaining a sustainable fishery."
The Seattle Chefs Collaborative partnered with Save Our Wild Salmon in October to bring more attention to the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis.
Joined by fishermen, farmers and conservationists across the state, the chefs will meet with Northwest members of Congress in December to urge them to take steps to protect declining west coast fisheries by restoring Columbia and Snake River habitat.
"Wild salmon are one of the most magnificent and culturally significant fish in the world. They have nourished the people of our region and nation for centuries," said Gerry Warren, co-leader of Slow Food Seattle, a national organization dedicated to restoring America's food traditions. "As consumers of this Northwest treasure, we also have the responsibility to support efforts that will assure that future generations have the opportunity to have these fish on their tables."
For full text of the letter, please visit www.wildsalmon.org.
Save Our Wild Salmon is a nationwide coalition of businesses, conservation organizations, commercial and sportfishing associations, river groups and taxpayer advocates working collectively to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon to the rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest. For more information, please visit http://www.wildsalmon.org/.
Source: Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition
Web Site: http://www.wildsalmon.org/
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