Letter from NOAA Fisheries to WA Fish and Wildlife Regarding the Skamania Summer-steelhead program

A letter delivered by NOAA Fisheries to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in July 2017 notifying the agency that they have not submitted Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) for the Skamania summer-steelhead hatchery program, federal authorization required for all hatcheries programs with the potential to impact threatened and endangered species. The letter expresses concern over the potential impacts of the Skamania summer-steelhead hatchery program in Puget Sound. The letter states that “the production and release of hatchery-origin Skamania stock early summer steelhead into the Snohomish basin has negatively affected the abundance, diversity, spatial structure, and productivity of the winter and summer steelhead populations…”.

Download and read the full letter below.