With salmon runs at their highest numbers in decades -- and a presidential campaign looming -- the Bush administration has begun calling attention to salmon recovery in the Northwest as a sign of its environmental stewardship.


Monday at Bonneville Dam, senior administration officials announced a proposed $10 million increase for salmon habitat restoration and called the Northwest's endangered species efforts a model for the nation.

The funding increase is relatively small in comparison with the $700 million spent annually on Columbia Basin salmon


But administration officials emphasize the stunning salmon returns -- a simple and direct measure of results.


"We must celebrate our successes to give us the impetus to carry forward," said James Connaughton, chairman of the president's Council on Environmental Quality, in a speech Monday at Bonneville.

Conservation groups questioned Bush's commitment to protecting salmon and other endangered species.

"We're glad that the proposed spending increased is happening. But we don't want that to obscure the fact that overall the Bush administration's salmon policy is causing more harm than good," said Michael Garrity of American Rivers.

According to the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, a collection of more than 50 conservation organizations and fishing associations, the Bush administration has allocated about half the money needed during the past three years to fully carry out the plan issued by federal biologists in 2000 for recovery of Columbia Basin salmon.


U.S. District Judge James Redden said the government's attempt to use habitat restoration and other steps to compensate for the harm caused by dams fell short of the standards required by the Endangered Species Act. The judge gave the government a year to reshape the plan.


Scientists, including biologists with the National Marine Fisheries Service, think many factors account for salmon gains, including a natural shift in ocean conditions about 1998 that has dramatically increased survival of salmon and steelhead at sea.


Gee another four years of G.W. Jr. and we will all be neck deep in salmon. Given the fact the chinook in question were born before he took office, G.W. Jr.'s policies must heve been retroactive.

Come on Grandpa, give me hell, I'm already wrapped in tinfoil to ward off your assalut.

What party held the office of president when Grand Coulee was built? Novermind, I don't want to cloud the issue with facts.

Seriously though, do you really think the environment will be a significant campaign issue?

JimH:

I'm not certain, but I suspect the dams have been built by both administrations.

No I don't think the environment will be a major campaign issue. Fishermen just don't have much clout. Unfortunatly, we have proven that time and time again.

But I was surprised last fall whne one of my fishing buddies, who is a staunch republican told me he cannot vote for Bush again becasue of his environmental policies.

Perhaps, if it turns to to be a close election environmental issues will have an effect. I know that Ralph Nader siphoned off enough votes to give Bush the presidency.

Dave,

I recommend 5 layers of foil.

Unless you go with the heavy-duty.

Then 3 layers should suffice.

Well, if we're starting a pool on it, I'm pretty sure I could get a lock thrown on it in mere minutes.

Of course, I'd never stoop to such a level.

AuntyM: I had the same thought. I will PROMISE I will NOT be the one to get nasty.

But it bugs me when any politician takes credit for something they had no hand in. I know they all do it. In fact, I'm ready to admit the left-wingers are as bad or even worse than the rightists about bragging about stuff they had nothing to do with. Wouldn't it be great for some politician somewhere to stand up and say, "Yeah, I screwed up." Or "Yeah, it's great but we had nothing to do with it.' I guess I'm dreaming again, huh?

Did I read the original post correctly that the Bush Administration actually put $10M into salmon restoration (NW?)? If that's true, I could care less what his intentions were and have to give him an attaboy.

I'm all for getting more funds for salmon. I won't even ask the uncomfortable question of how the Administration can take credit for fish that were hatched two years before Bush even filed to run.

Dave..Grandpa won't take the bait on this one. In a previous thread I covered this issue when Bush himself was out here pledging to never breach the dams and bragging about the improvements to salmon runs. I said that the Bush Administration and the president himself are not responsible for the recent successes in NW fisheries anymore than they are resposible for the declines. Just think about how small of a blip on the radar screens we are here. The dams are advocated by big businesses and the fish are advocated by little people like us. I suspect that if the Bush administration had allocated 50 million for our fisheries enhancemnent programs there would be just as big a cadre of nay sayers.

There are plenty of politicians here in Washington on both sides of the aisle that can do us alot more good than the president. We need to plead our cases to them and educate them. We need to call them on their gaffs...

All politicians like to get their pictures taken and take credit for anything that any voter is for. Like kissing babies. I know we all get mailers from our notorious politicians pointing out all the good things going on in your districts. They ALWAYS have their picture on these flyers...usually taking credit for something they really did not do. Ceertainly not by themselves. The little people make things happen over time but the big money (commercial fishing) (tribes) get the attention of the policy makers. We can change that by identifying the real casues and effect of things and pointing out the facts in a non political manner. We are starting to gain momentum doing just that.

No need to waste good foil in this one.

Question grandpa........is the foil reusable? My wife used up the last of the roll making dinner, of all things, and I already used the piece I have now to block the SOTU speech. Think I can get away with used foil tonight? Thanks.


You are a funny guy. I'm gonna have to join you and eddie for a brew some time.

I am known to reuse foil if the vibes from Vedder and Eddie get too strong. Watch out for gravy though....It is a good conductor of gamma rays. Foil is washable I think. I am designing a special helmet and will debut it here in the near future. Right now I am testing it by listening to Dennis Kucinich speeches.

I try to avoid the political discussions on this bb, but...............c'mon people! I think that "some of us" need to go down to your local Fred Meyer and buy the game called Clue because that's the only way your going to get one!

Hmmmm, let's see here:

Can we all say coincidence? The reason that the runs have been good is due to favorable ocean conditions....period.

Nice claim there, Bush admin. , but your wool hat is pulled down too far and must be blocking your eyesight. This kid knows it all and I'm callin' BS Since Bush is claiming to be responsible for the high numbers of returning salmon, then I might as well just go ahead and take credit for the high returns too....why? Because I rubbed my crystal ball and told the salmon to come back fierce! Honestly! And if you buy that, then I have two bridges to sell you too


Got foil? Let the sparks fly!

Aside from who gets credit for what, the issue remains how do we as sportsfishers get more money allocated to the Columbia Salmon recovery effort. The dams aren't going away, the tribes aren't going away, and the commercials aren't going away anytime soon. There's way too much money involved coming from them.

Granted sportsfishing dumps billions into the economy, but we lack lobbyists. We have no one in DC bending ears on our behalf.

But what we do have are Congressional Representitives that should fight to get money to support local interests. I mentioned in another thread about the $50 million going to Iowa to build a domed rain forest. That's the kind of money the reps from Oregon and Washington should be fighting for to improve our recreational fishing opportunity on the Columbia.

Both states should be hammering their respective representitives to make the environment a leading issue on Capital Hill.

"Aside from who gets credit for what, the issue remains how do we as sportsfishers get more money allocated to the Columbia Salmon recovery effort. The dams aren't going away, the tribes aren't going away, and the commercials aren't going away anytime soon."

Maybe its time for the co-managers to belly up to the bar?

The Tribes get half the harvest.
The Tribes vote equally in management decisions.

Why are they not ponying up some of those casino profits to cover half the research and management and recovery costs?

Hmmm! Maybe that would be too fair of a split?

Good question.

Somehow we as sportsfishers need to figure out how to become a "special interest group" so we can reap some of the benefits from politicians, too.

It's still open at 5:17

This would be a good thread to bring up where all of our money goes..THAT could get JG to shut er down....

We have no money for fisheries...No money for enforcement...Not enough money to support a viable Sockeye fishery on Lake Washington this summer....so on and so on....

I will start by pointing the finger at DSHS....Just the lawsuits alone that siphon off millions account for a huge slice of the state's budget...that's just a warm up..Anyone have any other examples?

Pass the foil, please.

The #1 cause of rising health care costs is skyrocketing malpractice insurance premiums.
Your doctor pays over $30/hour just for insurance.

Greedy lawyers and a lawsuit-friendly (Democrats) government have discovered that using the OJ Simpson legal format and a suffering client they can they can get a huge jury award (and keep 1/3 for themselves) for pretty much anyone. I mean, if the client is suffering, then SOMEONE has to pay, right?

I'm going into my foil-lined (8 layers) closet now....

If we as fishers want to get what is best for the fish, (or maybe just our greedy selves), we need to become one of those big money groups.

There is a lot of talk about the big money in commerical fishing and all its clout, but we all know the sportsfishers generate much more economic acitvity than commercial fishing. Yet we have little political influence.

We as a group need to hire some lobbyists in DC that pounds this message into the heads of the politicians. The commercials have lobbyists, the tribes have lobyists.

Its time for all of us sportfishers to chip in and go buy some lobbyists so the politicans pay attention to us and our issues.


Unfortunately voting won't cut it, we need full time lobyists to look after our interests. That's the way the game is played.

The tricky part is getting a significant portion of sportfishers to agree and put forward a little bit of effort and money.