Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Sandy River Hatchery Ruling


Sandy River hatchery lawsuit ruling: U.S. District Court Judge Ancer Haggerty ruled last week on a preliminary injunction that requested a halt to this spring’s releases of salmon and steelhead from the Sandy River hatchery by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
The legal action was filed by the Native Fish Society, a non‐profit fish conservation group, based in Oregon City. The ruling restricts ODFW to no more than 132,000 smolt releases in 2013 - a reduction from the 300,000 called for in the hatchery plan. In a preliminary ruling, Judge Haggerty also found that it is likely that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in approving the Hatchery’s operation plans. A final decision on the case will be issued later this year.
The Oregonian also covered the story