Group comments on NMFS proposal to add 23 hatchery populations to listed Evolutionarily Significant Units (‘ESUs’) and Distinct Population Segments (‘DPSs’) in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposal to include hatchery programs as part of Pacific salmon and steelhead species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We are writing to express our strong opposition to the proposal to list 23 hatchery programs, the majority of which serve no conservation purpose, as protected species under the ESA. Additionally, we respectfully
request that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conduct a thorough environmental impact statement (EIS) for this proposal and develop a formal and public process to reconsider the
2005 Hatchery Listing Policy.