Meeting explores report on hatcheries

Part of the presentation at Monday's meeting of the Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team.

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Story Published: Sep 29, 2008 at 10:07 PM PST

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 2:03 AM PST

By Matt Loveless

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LEWISTON - Area hatcheries were put under the microscope Monday at Lewiston's Red Lion Hotel.

A group of wildlife officials, known as the Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team, met to talk about a recently published draft report reviewing the Dworshak, Kooskia, and Hagerman National Fish Hatcheries.

"...how to meet the mitigation goals for these hatcheries, which are to provide fishing opportunities," said Review Team Co-chair Douglas DeHart. "To do it in a way that doesn't pose risks to rebuilding the numbers of naturally spawning fish in the Clearwater and the Salmon River Basins."

The project started three years ago this month, and officials said it's not a performance review, but a scientific review. The full document is more than 200 pages long, and in a two-hour meeting with wildlife personnel, the review team touched on the major points of the review.

DeHart said recommendations should help fish populations.

"We think, if all of our recommendations are accepted, those fishing benefits that provide for things like annual fishing derbies would be maintained," said DeHart.

Co-chair Don Campton said they want to make sure to maintain the harvest, but without destroying the legacy of fish in the region.

"The hatchery reform effort looks at not only the role that hatcheries play for providing fish for harvest, it looks at the role they play for maintaining this resource in perpetuity," said Campton.

To read about the report, it's background, and how the reviews are approached go to www.fws.gov/pacific. The Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team is also taking comment on the report until October 27.

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