Peninsula Pointers a series of informational resource bites appearing in the Peninsula Daily News and theSequim Gazette provided as a public service by PPF

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3/799 Peninsula Pointers WILD ABOUT SALMON Results of a survey of 500 Washington residents in Jan. '98 by a professional polling firm: 70%: It is extremely or very important that wild salmon be restored in WA. 80%: One of the most effective means to this end is "Protections of natural habitat by restricting industrial agricultural, and forestry practices in streamside and shoreline areas." Over 80% agreed: "The unique quality of Washington's environment is critical to our state's economic health, attracting new businesses, such as high tech industry, and creating new jobs." The importance of restoring wild salmon was endorsed by 84% of (self-characterized) liberals, 65% of moderates, and 68% of conservatives. REF: Voices. Washington Environmental Council, Spring '98, page 3.

2/28/99 Peninsula Pointers NEW ENGLAND EXPERIENCES Most Atlantic salmon populations were lost in the 1700s and early 1800s. Hatcheries and fish ladders were unsuccessful. "Despite renewed efforts over the last several decades, Atlantic salmon have not responded as many had expected." (1) "The: Task Force on Atlantic Salmon Restoration (1995) realize that the cultural traditions associated with Atlantic salmon are nearly lost in New England.". To most New Englanders now, salmon is a farmed, imported, purchased fish. Most importantly, support for salmon recovery programs has eroded. In the Northwest, family river trips, festivals , art, even ancient myths of a salmon people converted to fish and running up rivers to nourish people, are part of our traditional culture. "Without the bond of salmon tradition, Northwestern rivers, forests, and fishermen become expendable." (1) REF.: "Restoring Salmon Ecosystems, Myth and Reality". Daniel L. Bottom. Restoration Management Notes, 13:2, pp. 160-170, Winter 1995

2/21/99 Peninsula Pointers (oxygen) DEFICIT From DEPOSITS Port Angeles (P.A.) Harbor is proposed as critical estuarine habitat for Puget Sound Chinook salmon.(I) It is an important part of the food chain for migrating juvenile and adult inner Puget Sound salmon and juvenile salmon turning east from Elwha River. (2) Some 25% of the P. A. Harbor bottom, 500 acres, is covered with wood from fine particles to logs. The wood decays, consumes oxygen, chokes off other life, and produces methane gas. Bacterial mats grow over the worst areas.(3) The harbor is listed as not meeting standards for dissolved oxygen.(4) - A video and still photographic study, including pictures angled into the top 6 to 13 inches of bottom sediments, disclosed concentrations of decaying woodwaste at historic booming areas near K-Ply, Rayonier (55 acres) and log dumping grounds (30 acres). The greatest accumulation, which included fresh wood, covered the 400 acres in the N.W. part of the harbor, next to Daishowa and presently active log booms. "Wood debris was very sparse or nonexistent in the central and outer harbor." (3) Ref.: (1) Federal Register Vol. 63, No. 45, 3/9/98, pg. 11515. (2) Dick Goin, personal communication 8/28/98 (3) Science Applications International Corp. Environmental Science Div., "Port Angeles Harbor Wood Waste Study", Final, Feb. 5, 1999. (4) Section 303(d) List, Dept. of Ecology, WA-18-0020.

2/14/99 Peninsula Pointers BAD WATERS-- BAD FOOD The Environmental Protection Agency's contractor reported dioxin activity ("TEQ") in crab muscle meat as 0.07 and 0.06 parts per trillion (ppt or nanogram per kg) from sites nearest Rayonier's discharges. Tests of "crab butter" (digestive organs) done in 1991 revealed 7.0 ppt, or 100 times more. (1) EPA reevaluated dioxin risks in 1994 (2.) In industrialized areas estimated average human body content of dioxin is 40-60 ppt. Toxic levels are elevated 20 fold in consumers of fish and seafood such as Inuit women of arctic Quebec or fishermen in contaminated areas. (p 9-24,25). People with exposures from 3 to 7 times average " may be at risk for a number of adverse effects, including developmental toxicity.... reduced reproductive capacity in males ... higher probability of - -endometriosis in women, reduced ability to withstand immunological challenge..." (p. 9-78) Dioxins interact with hormones and may even reduce breast cancer, while causing others. Toxic effects in animals are now reported below the formerly assumed "no observed adverse effect level" of intake of 1-10 ng TEQ/kg/day. (p. 9-80) REF: (1) Rayonier Pulp Mll Expanded Site Inspection Report for Phase III Tissue Sampling,Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team, Jan. 1999. (2)1994 EPA Dioxin Re-Assessment, Draft, from Web site.

2/7/99 Peninsula Pointers HASTY EXIT Rayonier was notified on 2/7/97 and 9/21/98 of a need for a permit for any over water mill demolition. They proceeded without even applying for the permit. "Fish life was potentially impacted as a result."(1) In response to Rayonier's plans to salvage logs from Port Angeles harbor; the City on 1/18/99 issued a Mitigated Determination of Non-significance. State Dept. Fish/Wildlife objected due to failure to completely remove debris and deleterious materials, and due to plans allowing contaminated mud to run off the logs above a critical sandlance bed. Environmental documents ignored Presence of "dangerous toxins, specifically dioxin,... (which) may occur in the sediments in which the logs proposed for salvage are embedded..." Much more sampling and planning is recommended. (I) We note: no one--local or state--stopped the earlier violations during demolition, The City failed to include in key environmental documents the pollution reported by EPA last fall. REF: (1) Burkle, WDFW, 1/29/99 to City of Port Angeles Re: SEPA, "Rayonier, Log and Rock Salvage..."

1/31/99 Peninsula Pointers BODY COUNTS A link is suspected between pulp mill pollution and illnesses. Deaths by place of residence is compared for Port Angeles, population 18,890, Oak Harbor, pop. 20,190, and state averages. Rates, not age-adjusted, are calculated per theoretic 100,000 residents. Death Rate due to: Port Angeles Oak Harbor State Avg. Heart Diseases 360 178.3 198.1 Cerebrovascular 153.5 34.7 60.2 Pneumonia/influenza 47.6 Under 5 cases 29.4 Chronic obstructive lung disease 105.9 Under 5 cases 41.9 Malignancies, all sites 328.2 109.0 179.5 (1) Between 1985 and 1996 Dept. of Ecology lists 42 air, 12 water, and 3 toxics citations for Rayonier, Inc., Port Angeles. Penalties averaged under $22,000/yr. (2) REF: State Vital Statistics 1997, publ. 12/98. (2) Dept. of Ecology. Industrial Sector, Rayonier-Inc. Port Angeles, 1/1/95-1/14/95

1/24/99 Peninsula Pointers DAM SHAME Hatcheries formerly were thought able to sustain replacement of wild fish losses caused by power dam obstruction to streams. Water for hatcheries is usually taken from a stream behind a diversion dam. At Icicle Creek "the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery has blocked 21 miles of pristine habitat to steelhead and bull trout for over 58 years". In September almost all the water is diverted--and without screening out wild fish--to the hatchery, leaving insufficient water in the main stem to support native fish. The fish ladder is left dry. These violations of state laws by US Fish/Wildlife Service are ignored by our enforcement agency, Wa. Dept. Fish/Wildlife (WDFW) which has its own hatcheries. Of 91 WDFW hatcheries, 38 are similarly blocking fish passage. The WDFW water diversion dam for the Dungeness River hatchery totally blocks access to 2 miles of Canyon Creek for steelhead, chum, Dolly Varden/bull trout and pinks. Ref.: K. Beardslee, "Icicle Creek", pg. 1, Washington Trout Report, Winter, 1998.

1/17/99--Note due to a Peninsula Daily News error this Pointer did not get published. Peninsula Pointers How YOU Can Help Salmon recovery needs actions by individuals as well as governments. Using but not wasting water helps. Preventing pollution means not dumping oils, and reducing use of pesticide; and herbicides. Soil and dust carried by water or wind, end up in streams and rivers. Mulches, plantings, windbreaks and covers reduce sediment pollution from roads, construction, gardens, and open soils. Natural vegetation along streams and rivers retain soils and stabilize stream banks. Both people and fish benefit from abundant, clean water, "The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program ... provides an incentive to farmers. An offshoot of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, it will pay farmers to establish buffers along streams rather than planting crops to the water's edge. For forest land owners, the Stewardship Incentive Program provides up to 75 per cent reimbursement for instream and riparian improvement projects. "(1) REF: (1) Tom Gentle, "What can you and I do to help salmon?",Salmon in Oregon. Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon State University.

1/10/99 Peninsula Pointers FAMILY DIFFERENCES Nine species of salmon are recognized in Oregon: genus Oncorhynchus includes Chinook, coho, sockeye, chum, pink, steelhead and cutthroat trout, genus Salvelinus is the bull trout, a char, and genus Prosopium or whitefish. There are subgroups, as spring and fall chinook, which migrate from sea to fresh water at different times. Differences in parts of the system occupied and in timing maximizes the use of space and food. "...maintaining the diverse forms of distinct population segments has been deemed essential to the fish's existence." Coastal populations are better off than those that spawn in interior drainages. "Salmon species spending more of their life in fresh water, such as spring and summer chinook, coho, sockeye, sea-run cutthroat and steelhead are generally in greater trouble than those that spend less time in fresh water, such as fall chinook, chum, and pink salmon." REF.: Salmon in Oregon. Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon State University.

1/3/99 Peninsula Pointers CEOs for SALMON "Healthy salmon are a sign of a robust, livable business climate," according to Duncan Wyse, the executive director of the Oregon Business Council. The group represents the chief executive officers of Oregon's 45 largest companies. Saving the salmon is a practical decision that the CEOs endorsed two years ago. ...Companies locate in the Northwest mainly because it has a reputation as a wholesome place to live and work. Lose the wild salmon, and Oregon's livable reputation is damaged as well". Economist Hans Radke calculated that as of 1996, decline fisheries cost 25,000 family-wage jobs, and about $500 million earning power in the Columbia River Basin coimmunities alone. In the Klamath Basin, 1600 jobs have gone along with annual income of up to $32 million/year. REF.: Salmon in Oregon. Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon State University.

12/20/98 Peninsula Pointers LOST HERITAGE Salmon ancestors show up in fossils 40 million years old. Salmon appeared 6 million years ago; they survived volcanos, mud flows, ice sheets, and floods. It is thought they survived the Ice Ages, the last one about 9,000 years ago, by taking refuge in southern Oregon, California and the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. Salmon supported up to 100,000 human residents of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. "Nine of ten wild salmon runs and 100 distinct salmon stocks have vanished in our region since Europe settlement. Three times that many are at risk of disappearing. Habitat is disappearing.".(I) REF.: (1) Salmon in Oregon. Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon State University, 1998.

12/13/98 Peninsula Pointers DIOXIN FOR DINNER? Port Angeles Harbor sediments contain as much as 230 parts per trillion dioxin near the Rayonier mill site.(I) This class of pollutants is rated one of the most potent known and is picked up and concentrated in shellfish, particularly in their organs ("crab butter"). Fish also absorb it. (2) The initial step in toxicity is the binding of a dioxin to a receptor structure called "Ah", which carries dioxin into the nucleus of the cell, It then associates with DNA and can activate one or more genes. It is a carcinogen. Effects, typically delayed, are "surprisingly consistent across vertebrate phylogenetic lines". In addition to lethality, common effects include weight loss (wasting syndrome), decreased immune function and shrinkage of the thymus gland, swelling under the skin, toxic and malformation effects to the fetus, and changes in metabolism of sugar and of fats (lipids) (3) (1) J. LaBaw, "Rayonier Pulp Mill Expanded Site Inspection", TDD 97-06-0010 EPA Region X, Oct. '98. (2)Puget Sound Health 1998. Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team Office of the Governor, (3) EPA/600/R-93/055, Interim report on Data and Methods for Assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Risks to Acquatic Life and Associated Wildlife."

12/6/98 Peninsula Pointers YUCK MUCK Dioxin was found in sediments in Port Angeles Harbor in concentrations as much as 230 nanograms per kilogram or 230 ppt (parts per trillion). (1) This toxin lasts for decades, is accumulated with rising concentrations at each stage as it is passed from tiny critters that live in the sea bottom, to fish, then to mammals, and finally man. Average American tissues now contain from 40 to 60 ppt of Dioxin, probably sufficient to cause hormone and immune system problems. Daily human exposure is from 3 to 6 ppt, mostly from food, (2) Sediment levels of only 25 ppt are sufficient to cause severe damage to mammalian wildlife, 100 ppt to fish, and 210 ppt to avian wildlife. Sediment levels below 2.5 ppt for mammalian wildlife, 60 ppt for fish and 21 ppt for avian wildlife are considered "low risk" or relatively safe. (3) REF. (1) J. LaBaw , "Rayoriier Pulp Mill Expanded Site Inspection", TDD 97-05-0010 EPA Region X,. Oct. '98. (2) Washington Toxics Coalition, "Injuries Associated vhth Dioxins" and Ted Schettler. 10/16/98, presentation at Olympic Memorial Hospital, (3) EPA/600/R-93/055, Interim report on Data and Methods for Assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Risks to Acquatic Life and Associated Wildlife."

11/29/98 Peninsula Pointers TOXIC TAXIS Arctic grayling from two Alaskan lakes were examined for body content of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). One lake served as spawning area for salmon, the other had no salmon. Both had equivalent exposure to airborne PCBs and DDT. A much higher concentration of PCBs and DDT was found in grayling from the lake with the salmon. "Salmon take up pollutants that remain in their systems while migrating to fresh water to spawn. These pollutants are then transferred to the fresh water lake through the salmon roe and their decaying bodies." (1a.) PCBs are used in insulating materials, coolants and lubricants. They "...build up in fish and mammals, cause cancer in laboratory animals, impair infant development, reduce memory and physical abilities, and may reduce immune system efficiency." (l,b) REF.: 1: Salmon and Toxic Chemicals, A Review of the Scientific Literature. A. Vollbracht. People for Puget Sound, July, 1998. Citations: 1,a) Ewald, Goran et al. 1998, Biotransport of Organic Pollutants to an Inland Alaska Lake by Migrating Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Arctic Magazine vol. 51, no. 1 March 1998 p. 40-47; (1,b) Kyle, Amy. 1998. Contaminated Catch, The Public Health Threat from Toxics in Fish. Natural Resources Defense Council, April, 1998.

11/22/98 Peninsula Pointers FISH OR FOUL A study in 1990 of juvenile salmon passing through industrially polluted Duwamish Waterway showed stomach concentrations of PCBS (polychlorinated biphenyls) and AH (aromatic hydrocarbons) elevated four fold and 650 fold respectively, compared to salmon migrating through the Nisqually estuary. Liver concentrations of PCBS were three fold higher in fish using the Duwamish Waterway. (1,a) A review in National Marine Fisheries Service Quarterly Report, Fall Issue, 1991, reported much higher levels of PCBs and AH in salmon livers from the Duwamish and Puyallup Waterways than from other sites. "The salmon from the Duwamish and Puyallup had increased levels of an enzyme activity that causes toxins to bind to DNA, which is believed to be an early step of carcinogenesis." (1,b) A third study in 1990 found depressed immune system and much lower growth and survival rates in salmon from the polluted waters cited above. (1,c) REF.: 1: Salmon and Toxic Chemicals, A Review of the Scientific Literature. A. Vollbracht, People for Puget Sound, July, 1998. Citations: a) Environmental Conservation Division (ECD) of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 1990, Uptake of Aromatic and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons by Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Onocorhynchus tshawytscha) in an Urban Estuary. b) NOAA, ECD, 1991, The Effects of Contaminated Estuaries on Juvenile Chinook Salmon. c) NOAA, ECD, 1990, The Effects of Contaminated Estuaries on Juvenile Chinook Salmon.

11/15/98 Peninsula Pointers RIPRAP ANARCHY In Wyoming, some 23 miles of the upper Snake River have been reduced to a nearly barren wasteland by levees and riprap channeling the river. Cottonwood, which need disturbed wet soil for seeds to gerrminate, and other trees have disappeared along the river.. "With no flooding behind the levees, no crop of young trees grows each year, and eventually, the old ones will die". "Once a landowner ripraps a bank, the water bounces off the wall and hits other stretches of unprotected river downstream even harder, causing more damage. Other landowners feel forced to riprap and the de facto levee spreads in a domino effect..." "In some ways riprap is an even thornier problem than the levees because it occurs on one part of the river at a time, pitting the rights of landowners to keep property from being devoured by the river against other landowners and against the public, which has a stake in a healthy river." REF. New York Times, 5/12/98, Jim Robbins, Jackson, Wyoming,"Engineers Plan to send a River Flowing Back to Nature."

11/8/98 Peninsula Pointers UNSOUND SOUND Trends in Puget Sound populations of fish and wildlife: A steady decline in herring with 22% of 18 stocks depressed (production below expected long-term averages) or critical (probable permanent damage to stock). They are food for fish, birds and marine mammals. Wild salmon/steelhead dramatically decreased; a quater of the 209 stocks critical or depressed. Scoters, the only diving duck that eats shellfish and the most numerous diving duck in Puget Sound, numbers declined at least 50% since 1979. Harbor seals are increasing at a rate of 6%/yr. since 1983. But the levels of dioxins and PCBs in the blubber of seals in southern Puget Sound is 3-fold greater than in seals taken from the Strait of Georgia. REF.: Puget Sound Health 1998. A Special Report on the Status and Trends of Key Indicators of Puget Sound's Health. Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team- Office of the Governor

11/1/98 Peninsula Pointers WHOOPEE And THANKS Whoopee and thanks to the following ... To Dick Goin and Elwha Tribal biologist Mike McHenry who identified and appreciated the need to put back into the Elwha River water running off the big pipe at the now-closed Rayonier mill ... to Maria Peters of Dept., of Ecology for nudging the fix up process along ... to Public Works director Jack Pettis of the City of Port Angeles, and Dean Reed of Daishowa for planning, engineering and constructing an alternate surge relief system, cutting out the major leak, while continuing necessary water to Daishowa. The results achieved in mid-September is 13 to 16 million gallons per day left in the Elwha, an amount important in low flow, hot summer weather when high river temperatures sustain disease organisms which have been responsible for death of as much as 70% of adult salmon returning to spawn. And not spilling the wasted Elwha water on the beach at the mill site means not attracting returning salmon to spawn in that spill stream thinking it is the Elwha river. REF.- See "Peninsula Pointers," Sequim Gazette "Chill Out,"7/1, Peninsula Daily News "Lethal Leak in the Elwha" 7/26, and "Fish in Hot Water,"8/2/98. 10/25/98

10/25/98 Peninsula Pointers BEST HATCHED PLANS A valuable world wide recreational fishery in lakes has resulted from planting hatchery produced trout. Most evidence suggests that while hatcheries may work initially, their success decreases after a few years." Pacific salmon have thrived in the Great Lakes, but survivals are declining and "it is uncertain if this policy is sustainable." Now the trend is towards enhancement of habitat for wild fish. Production from Japanese chum salmon hatcheries resulted in large commercial catches "but the total yield of salmon from northwest Pacific waters has not increased. It is quite possible that Japanese chum have simply replaced the naturally occurring mix of six species of salmon with a single species." REF: Ray Hilborn. "Hatcheries and the Future of Salmon & Steelhead in the Northwest." Pg. 1. The Osprey (publ of Feder. of Flyfishers) Issue #11, Jan. '91.

10/11/98 Peninsula Pointers ARTIFICIAL SPAWNING CHANNELS The numbers of sockeye salmon from Babine Lake, tributary to the Skeena River B.C., were increased using artificial spawning channels. "The more fish that left Babine Lake... the smaller proportion of them survived their ocean life. A major impact of this change is that the wild runs from the Skeena River have declined approximately 50%. Presumably the other sockeye on the Skeena were affected by the competition..." Ref.: Ray Tilborn, "Hatcheries and the Future of Salmon & Steelhead in the Northwest." pg.1, The Osprey (publication of the Federation of Flyfishers) Issue #11, Jan, 1991

10/4/98 Peninsula Pointers FIELDS FLIP for FISH Dikes have been removed at South Slope Slough to allow tidal waters to flood lands formerly turned into pasture by early settlers. Salt marsh disappearance in the last 100 years is estimated at 75% for Oregon (1) and 70% for Washington (2). Salt marsh estuaries provide critical nurseries for salmon, including food, protection from predators, and adjustment to changing salinity. Pasture lands in a 12 acre project near Coos Bay, Oregon have been recontoured at different elevations to examine how best to reestablish the salt marsh. Soon after dike removal,amphipods (shrimplike food for birds and fish) have returned to the mud. Sediments are accumulating. "Salt marsh plants are taking hold and spreading; tide channels are forming and will provide resting places for juvenile fish... Now the federal government pays landowners to restore salt marshes." (1) REF (1) Assoc. Press. Peninsula Daily News pg. A6, 3/30/98. (2) Puget Sound Update, PSWQA, May, l990 pg. 66 In memory of Polly Ball.

9/20/98 Peninsula Pointers GRAVEL ON THE MOVE Large rivers typically deposit about 3/4 of the sediment carried down from mountains on to their flood plain; 1/4 is carried to sea. Where river banks are confined, gravel cannot spread out, and the river bed rises. Confining a river has an effect like a faucet, faster flow scours and deepens the river bottom. Both riverbed downcutting and aggradation (bed rising) can be seen in the lower I 0 miles of the Dungeness River. "Extremely high rates of gravel removal since 1992 from the Dungeness River have probably contributed to downcutting in the downcutting reaches, but have not prevented aggradation in the aggrading reaches except perhaps in the vicinity of Olympic Game Farm."(1) REF: (1) Randy Johnson, WDFW, "Dungeness Irrigation and Gravel Removal," presented to Dungeness River Management Team. 6/3/98 In memory of Polly Ball.

9/6/98 Peninsula Pointers DIKED TO DEATH Some 329 county and state permits for projects on the Dungeness River were issued from 1974-1997. Only a third of the 105 permits for bank protection specified length. This 1/3rd of projects totaled 9,055 linear feet--nearly 2 miles. Further, these numbers do not include Dept. of Fisheries records prior to 1980, dikes built without permits or dikes constructed prior to 1974. Construction included an organic (wood) component in 45% of the dikes, inorganic in 45%, and 10% unspecified. (1) "Important river processes are altered when a dike is built that doesn't allow flood waters to dissipate energy by spreading out across the floodplain, or that inhibits the river's natural ability to store excessive sediment outside of the channel ... These problems are the primary causes for increased flooding risks and declining fish populations in the Dungeness." (2) REF: (1) Summary of Permit Activity on the Dungeness River, June 15,'98, Compiled by Clallam Co. Dept. of Community Development. (2) Recommended Restoration Projects for the Dungeness River. Dungeness River Restoration Work Group, adopted by Dungeness River Management Team July, '98, pg. 2 In memory of Polly Ball.

8/30/98 Peninsula Pointers A CHUM IN NEED Chum were believed to have once been the, most numerous of all salmonids in the Pacific Ocean, and were second only to Chinook in adult size. The genetically similar summer run chum which spawn in tributaries of Hood Canal, Discovery and Sequim Bay is proposed for listing as a threatened species. After hatching, the tiny and vulnerable fry soon migrate to estuarine and marine areas. Their freshwater and estuary habitat is also proposed for listing as critical habitat. Concern focuses on gravel build up (due to logging in some areas), channel shifting, and diking. Bank protection (such as bulkheads) damages intertidal and nearshore areas "due to loss of riparian vegetation, burial of the upper beach areas,altered wave interaction with the shoreline, and obstruction of sediment movement." (1) REF. (1) Federal Register vol. 63, No. 46/Tuesday March 10, 1998/Proposed Rules Pg. 11774--11795, esp. Pg. 11784. In memory of Polly Ball.

8/23/98 Peninsula Pointers IT DIDN'T WORK "The decline in the abundance of native, wild Chinook salmon stocks in Puget Sound is attributable to the degradation of essential freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitat, declining marine survival, and harvest management practices. Artificial propagation... may have affected the genetic integrity of some wild stocks, and reduced their abundance in cases where competition and predation occurred." (1) Regionally and locally salmon stocks have plunged despite heavy additions from hatcheries. "Total annual production of juvenile hatchery Chinook salmon, coho salmon , and steelhead from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia increased from about 400 million to 1,300 million between 1970 and 1990."(2) Hatchery releases in the Dungeness River numbered 1.8 million in '97 and 2.2 Million in 1998. (3) REF: (1) Factors contributing to the decline of Puget Sound Chinook, Will Beattie NWIFC, Don Haring and Carol Smith, WDFW, pg. 2. (2) Density Dependence, Ecological Carrying Capacity, and Pacific Salmon, A Summary Report, J.J.Hard, NMFS October '94. pg. 10 (3) WA Dept. Fish & Wildlife, verbal, June '98. In memory of Polly Ball.

8/16/98 Peninsula Pointers PREDESTINATIONS   National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has grouped Pacific salmon into 15 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) of similar biologic and genetic characteristics. Puget Sound Chinook, proposed for listing as "threatened", occur from the North Fork Nooksak to the Elwha River. They migrate into estuaries, and follow the coast northward. In contrast, Washington Coastal Chinook, from streams west of the Elwha to the Columbia River, range far across the Pacific Ocean; overall this group is not considered threatened. (It is not stated whether river and estuary habitat, harvesting, or other ocean survival factors explain the differences. Ed.) Ref. NOAA, Endangered and Threatened Species: Proposed Endangered Status for Two Chinook Salmon ESUs and Proposed Threatened Status for Five Chinook Salmon ESUs....Federal Register vol. 63, No. 45/Monday, March 9/Proposed Rules. pp. 11492-11488 A birthday memorial for Polly Ball.

8/9/98 Peninsula Pointers Dead logs-- Live fish   In earlier times, logjams were formed on a base of 5 to 15 ft, diameter trees which were swept into the river and caught on snags or at corners. Smaller debris was caught and even when whole rivers were jammed, fish thrived. Insects fed on the decaying logs and fell in the water; salmon carcasses were snagged. Flowing waters curl around the ends of log jams which protrude above the water. The turbulence digs holes in the riverbed below the jam; momentum of downstream flow is neutralized. Fish can hide from predators, rest and feed inside the jam or in the pool. Rushing waters in floods carry debris which rakes and shreds fish, killing large numbers of juvenile and even adult fish, Big logjams provide a lifesaving refuge. REF: Salmon in the Dungeness, a Presentation to the Dungeness River Management Team, Dick Goin, June '98 and personal communication, Goin, July '98.

8/2/98 Peninsula Pointers FISH IN HOT WATER Water temperatures for rearing Chinook salmon are ideally 39-52° F. Water over 60° encourages fatal parasitic disease, and lowers dissolved oxygen.(1) In July, temperatures in the Dungeness River, at 60° and Elwha river at 63° are already at the danger point, with worse expected. Dead fish have been observed in the Elwha.(2) Factors leading to increased temperature are low rainfall/snow pack, water withdrawals, loss of deep pools, loss of shade from vegetation, and, in the Dungeness, deposition of gravel causing the river to split into shallow segments--"braids."(1) REF: (1) Factors contributing to the decline of Puget Sound Chinook, Beattie, Haring, Smith, Draft 5/27/98 Chapter III, NWIFC/WDFW, (2) Dick Goin personal communication, 7/29/98.

7/26/98 Peninsula Pointers LETHAL LEAK ON THE ELWHA Every day 13 to 16 million gallons of Elwha River water spills on the ground at Rayonier mill. In low water years this may be from 10 to 25% of all the water in the river (1). With reduced water, in summer the river becomes too warm for fish. "In 1992 over 60% of the adult Chinook salmon that returned to the river died prior to spawning as a result of disease (e.g. Dermosystidium salmonis and Ichthyophthirius), which is exacerbated by high water temperatures. Juvenile Chinook at the WDF Rearing Channel on the Elwha River are also affected by these diseases" (2). In 1995 mortality was 70% (1). REF: (1) Elwha Tribal Fishery Biologist M. McHenry, personal communication,7/16/98; (2) The Elwha Report--Restoration of the Elwha River Ecosystem & Native Anadromous Fisheries, pg. 55, Jan., '94.

7/15/98 Peninsula Pointers MEANDERS NURTURE FISH The serpentine path of rivers migrates downstream like a sidewinder snake (1). Faster water on the outer margin of the curve cuts into banks and the bottom to form pools which give resting/feeding places for fish. On the inside curve, sediments are deposited. The meander acts much like a switchback trail to slow velocity. Where one meander migrates and catches up with another, as in an oxbow, wetlands are formed, often with groundwater springs. Plants in the wetland provide cover and food (insects, e.g.), and in floods they slow rushing water and catch debris and sediment. Side channels of bypassed meander wetlands, formed when their groundwater flows connect with the river, provide refuge for fish during floods, and cool water during summer low flows. They also serve as rearing areas for young fish and spawning areas for pinks, chum, and if big enough, for steelhead and particularly coho. (2) REF: (1) Randy Johnson, WDFW; (2) Dick Goin in presentations to the Dungeness River Management Team, March and April,1998.

7/8/98 Peninsula Pointers LOGJAMS = FOOD + SHELTER Log jams on rivers once built up on a base of 5 to 15 ft. diameter conifers, and could remain in place for decades. Some spanned an entire tributary or even a river. When the height of the logs exceeds that of the water, water rushes around the sides, curls towards the middle of the jam and digs a deep pool. Backwater eddies neutralize river flows so fish can rest in the tangle of logs and in the downstream pool. Log jams are a life saving refuge from rushing flood waters carrying debris which rakes and shreds the fish. At low flows, pool and shade protect from heat. The log jam serves as a cafeteria. Spawned out fish carcasses catch in the jam. Insects feed on and drop from the logs. Little fish duck into nooks and crannies to avoid larger fish; the pile up protects from animal predators. REF: Salmon in the Dungeness: A Presentation to the Dungeness River Management Team. Dick Goin June, 1998.

6/24/98 Peninsula Pointers   Chill Out Water temperature is ideally from 39-52 degrees Fahrenheit for rearing Chinook salmon. The Dungeness River exceeds temperature standards at times. Warmer water encourages often fatal parasitic diseases of the fish. It carries less dissolved oxygen, limiting salmon growth, development and activity. Fertilizer runoff or liquid from failing septic tanks reaching the river will further reduce available oxygen as their nutrients interact with oxygen. Factors leading to increased temperatures are: low rainfall/pack, water withdrawals during time of low flows, loss of deep pools, loss of shade from trees and other vegetation, and deposition of gravel so the river splits into shallow segments ("braids"). Ref.: Draft 5/27/98,Chapter II, Factors contributing to the decline of Puget Sound Chinook. Beatie, Haring, Smith, NWIFC/WDFW

6/24/98 Peninsula Pointers   FIXER UPPER (BUT NOT CHEAP)   Listing as Threatened Species is proposed for that group of genetically similar fish known as Puget Sound chinook. These inhabit an area from the north fork Nooksak River to the Elwha river, and is designated "an environmentally significant unit" (ESU). Numbers of fish have decreased for years, but recently the decrease has become precipitous. Habitat in the entire ESU is in bad shape: upper tributaries have been impacted by forest practices and lower tributaries and mainstem rivers have been impacted by agriculture and/or urbanization. diking for flood control, draining and filling of freshwater and estuarine wetlands, and sedimentation due to forest practices and urban development are cited as problems throughout the ESU (1). In addition at local problems include high temperatures in the Dungeness and Elwha Rivers, and the dams on the latter. The filling in of Dungeness bay removes important support for young salmon. Ref. (1): NOAA, Endangered and Threatened Species: Proposed Endangered Status for Two Chinook Salmon ESUs and Proposed Threatened Status for Five Chinook Salmon on ESUs, Federal Register vol. 63, No. 45/Monday, March 9, Proposed Rules p. 1494

6/17/98 Peninsula Pointers   Rock-A-BYE BABY...   Five hatchery programs in Washington--one for Dungeness River Chinook--are aimed at saving endangered salmon. Risks of hatchery supplementation are many, but may be justified when extinction looms. Hatchery programs can maintain population for a number of generations in captivity, but once the hatchery program ceases, there are few instances of continuation of anadromous species, successes being fish planted in formerly barren areas. This success "must be viewed in the context of the hundreds of thousands of attempts at stock transfers of salmon and steelhead that have not succeeded... We have not found a single example where a hatchery program was used to increase the abundance of naturally spawning fish and the population remained stable at the higher level of abundance after the program was terminated." (pg. 8) Ref.: R.S. Waples, Draft : Towards a risk/benefit analysis for salmon supplementation. National Marine Fisheries Svc., May 1996.

6/10/98 Peninsula Pointers AND THE WEAK SHALL INHERIT...   Hatchery rearing of salmon eventually results in large numbers of fish, genetically selected by hatchery conditions. They respond to served food, hatchery currents, need frequent medication and haven't a clue how to avoid predators. "Fleming and Gross (1993) found reduced reproductive success in hatchery coho salmon in British Columbia, Reisenbichler and McIntre (1977) and Reisenbichler... have identified three controlled experiments, all involving steelhead,... Collectively, these studies showed that survival of hatchery fish was less than natural fish at each life stage, and the fitness reductions increased with the length of time a population had been cultured." (pg. 19) Reduced fitness in hatchery fish spawning in the wild "would reduce productivity of the population as a whole and might also suppress productivity of the natural fish if they interbred with hatchery fish to any appreciable degree." (pg. 21). Ref.: R.S.Waples, Draft : Towards a risk/benefit analysis for salmon supplementation. NMFS, May 1996.

6/3/98 Peninsula Pointers HATCHERY MIS-CONCEPTION   Hatcheries try to increase numbers of salmon. Survival of eggs to smolt or release size is much greater in the hatchery than in the wild. Large numbers of hatchery fish, produced from very few parents and often taken from just one time-segment of a run, are released, and return with wild fish for the cycle to be repeated. Eventually most of the broodstock consists of hatchery fish. Hatchery fish, genetic diversity lessening with successive cycles, lack vigor and skills for survival in the wild. One cause is broodstock selection. Natural selection favors fish selected by ability to compete for mates, to actively dig redds (nests), to spawn in different parts of the river, and to spread spawning times so emerging young will have food and space available. "Any sample of broodstock from a population will not capture all the important variability of the natural population." (pg. 16) Ref. R.S.Wapies, Draft :Towards a risk/benefit analysis for salmon supplementation, NMFS, May 1996.	5/13/98 Peninsula Pointers BOOM THEN BUST   For hundreds of years before 1780 the 340,000 natives resident in the Pacific Salmon Area (Monterey Bay to Alaska) were able to consume between 100-130 million pounds of salmon annually. Salmon boomed when harvest pressure was reduced as native population was decimated by European diseases. From 1899 to 1919 Puget Sound alone averaged a pack of nearly 1 million 48 lb.-cases/year, utilizing 68 pounds live wt./ case. The boom ended because of over harvesting, and damage to essential habitat from gold mines,forestry, dredging, dams, roads and agriculture. Puget Sound's cannery pack dropped to 400,000 cases in 1939 and 121,000 in 1940. (1). Today our salmon are in deep trouble. REF! (1) Gordon W. Howes, Indian Fisheries Productivity in Pre-Contact Times in the Pacific Salmon Area. Anthropological Research Notes, Fall, 1973 pp 133-156. Submitted in memory of Polly Ball.	5/6/98 Peninsula Pointers OUT DAMMED SPOT   For decades Canyon Creek, the largest of the lower tributaries of the Dungeness River, has been completely blocked to salmon passage by a 10 ft- tall dam, Thus more than two miles of prime spawning grounds are denied to them. The dam, now almost completely silted in, was built for the purpose of supplying the nearby Dungeness fish hatchery with clear water. But the hatchery subsequently added a large pond to clarify river water. Even so, hatchery managers in the past have ignored requests to remove the dam. Fish, including the endangered native wild steelhead, have been observed tryng in vain to get up this stream to spawn. It is now recognized widely that native wild fish have superior vigor and survival characteristics. They urgently need support. It is time for the dam to go. REF. Field trip led by Dick Coin 5/2/98. Submitted in memory of Polly Ball.
4/29/98 Peninsula Pointers LOOKOUT BELOW!   A proposal to reduce Dungeness River flow into "Kincaid Creek" is being promoted as a fish enhancement project justifying public costs of about $160,000. Seven homes are in danger if the river establishes itself in this overflow river channel. Placing obstructions at the channel entry and setting back a dike, on the island would direct more flow down the present main channel (1). Every unit of water diverted from the creek during floods will add to the erosive force of that volume to the main stream. Furthermore removal of the return flow from the creek back to the river would reduce the energy absorption which occurs because flow from the creek exits at a sharp angle to the main river flow. This flow deflects some of the river's downstream energy. The combined result would be substantially increased erosion in the main river channel downstream, at points which endanger other homes (2). REF. (1) Meeting, Dungeness River Management Team 4/8/98; (2) Letter 4/21/98 Wa. Dept. Fish & Wildlife to Clallam County. Submitted in memory of Polly Ball.	4/22/98 Peninsula Pointers ESTUARY NURTURES SALMON   Chinook salmon depend on feeding and growth in estuaries for up to a month before heading into salt water; they also use the estuary on their way back to spawn.. Puget Sound in the last 100 years has lost over 70% of its critical estuaries and 30% of its historic eelgrass beds due to diking, filling, dredging and development. Dungeness Bay and the associated marshes around it are being filled with sediment carried from the river. It is no coincidence that Chinook, one of the most estuary dependent species of salmon, were reduced to only 20 redds (nests) in the Dungeness River last year and that the species in Puget Sound is threatened with extinction. REF. Habifacts, vol.3, page 1, March 1,1998, and Wa. Dept. Fish &Wildlife reports. Submitted in memory of Polly Ball.	4/15/98 Peninsula Pointers HAVOC IN THE HABITAT   Decline of Pink and Chinook salmon in the Dungeness River have been increased by: absence of stable mainstem spawning habitat, lack of shelter during high and low flows, lack of good quality pool habitat for juvenile rearing, adult holding and stream energy dissipation extremes of low flow (summer) Artificial structures such as levees and narrow bridges constrict and confine the channel, causing increased sediment deposition and the associated consequences of increased aggradation (bed buildup), bank erosion and increased flood risk. REF: Recommended Restoration Projects for the Dungeness River, 7/1/97. pp 14, 15. Submitted in memory of Polly Ball.
4/8/98 Peninsula Pointers TIDAL PRISMS   The tidal prism of a river is where tides flow in and out--its tidal delta and estuary. The volume and shape of the tidal prism are important for flushing away sediments which have been carried down river. The Dungeness River has many dikes, some of which restrict its tidal prism. Delta cones of sediment develop rapidly at the mouth of "developed" rivers--those that have been diked and/or channelized, such as the Big and Little Quilcene Rivers, Snow Creek, Morse Creek, and the Dungeness River. These delta cones cause the river to flood and its bed to build up ever higher. Conversely, streams with their flood plains and estuaries intact, such as Salmon Creek and Salt Creek, do not have this problem. Despite sediments caused by some of the heaviest logging on the Olympic Peninsula, the Pysht River, where tidal prism is adequate, is clear of build-up. REF. Randy Johnson, WA Dept. Fish & Wildlife, FAX, Feb. 5, 1998. Submitted in Memory of Polly Ball	4/1/98 Peninsula Pointers HATCHERY FISH DIE OFF Successive Generations of hatchery fish become less attuned to survival skills. After a few years of increased fish production, for nearly every hatchery program in North America fewer and fewer fish subsequently return. Causes for the decline "may be genetic changes, predator build up, disease accumulation, or a host of other potential problems." (1) "The concept that naturally produced salmonids limit fisheries and hatchery production can sustain harvest levels in spite of continued habitat degradation has been shown to be false." (2) REF. (1) Ray Hilbom, U. W. School of Fisheries; Fisheries, vol.17 No. 1, pp 5-8 (2) Bern Shanks, Dir. WDFW,9/8/97. Draft Policy of WDFW Concerning Wild Salmonids Submitted in Memory of Polly Ball	3/4&11/98 Peninsula Pointers GRAVEL REMOVAL is PROBLEMATIC   In the last three years over 40 hydraulic project approvals were given to remove gravel from the Dungeness river. Scour monitors were placed at 2 redds (fish nests)--one at an entry to a gravel pit, the other 20 feet away. Both were destroyed by scour and gravel build up. Salmon are attracted to the excavations. The nearby river bed is destabilized due to the sorting associated with gravel removal. "We recommend that no further gravel mining permits be allowed unless and until a more organized approach is developed to: (1) assess the direct and indirect risks to spawning salmon, and (2) strategically place the locations and volumes of materials removed..." REF. Ralph and Orsborn, Dungeness River Report, Phases II and III,11/94. Page 7-13
2/25/98 Peninsula Pointers WILDLIFE OPINION POLL   In 1996, a random survey of 801 Washington residents revealed: 25% said they frequently fish or hunt. 58% said they frequently observe wildlife. 85% agreed that hunting, fishing or non-consumptive wildlife activity is an important part of their life. 50% rated decline in fish/wildlife in the past 2O years as "severe " or "extreme." 75% rated loss of habitat as very important to the decline. For better protection of wildlife, three quarters said they would support an annual tax increase of $100 or less, and two thirds would support an increase of $200. REF. WA Dept. Fish & Wildlife Opinon Survey, l996.	2/18/98 Peninsula Pointers DIKES, BAYS AND MUD FLATS   Dikes along rivers prevent flood waters from overflowing flood plains where water spreads out, slows, and sediments drop out. Dikes leave the river-borne sediment nowhere to settle except in the river channel or bay. Near the river mouth, river and bay dikes reduce the area where tides may flow. This part of the river, its tidal delta and estuary, are known as the tidal prism. The volume and shape of tidal prism is important to carry sediments away from the delta. The Dungeness River has many dikes, some of which restrict its tidal prism. Approximately 70 acres of Dungeness Bay have become delta cone. The bay is now so severely silted-in, that it can be waded across in areas that used to be over 10 feet deep during lowest tides. In places its shores now extend a half mile seaward of their 1855 location. The entrance to Dungeness Bay, once a deep water port, is becoming a mud flat.. REF:Randy Johnson, Wa.St. Fish/Wildlife,Sequim Gazette 9/3/97, and Joel Freudenthal,verbal communication. 2/4/98	2/11/98 Peninsula Pointers FISH BENEFIT OUR ECONOMY   Sports fishing in 1996 resulted in an economic gain in Washington State of almost $1.4 BILLION. Effects reach down to manufacturers and their suppliers, and into service industries. Angler expenditures were over $704 million and include motels, meals, auto, fishing gear, cameras, boats, motors, guides etc. The equivalent of 16,713 full time jobs were generated. State tax produced was nearly $46 million. "Many angler expenditures occur in rural areas, thus providing a boost to small communities."(1) We are in Region One of IAC., which notes: "The region's households create 9 percent of the state's demand for fishing while the region is a destination for 30 percent of the state's fishing activity."(2) REF: (1) 1996 Economic impact of sport fishing in the United States. American Sportsfishing Ass'n. (2) The Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation Assessment and Policy Plan 1009--95
2/4/98 Peninsula Pointers DEATH IN THE REDD   Increased flood water velocities due to river constrictions (dikes, bridges) ruin the reproductive success of fish. River bed instability is the problem. In a recent study, 1.5 inch balls were threaded on a steel cable, which was then planted vertically next to fish redds (nests) in the lower Dungeness River. Of 12 redds, 5 showed substantial scour 4 were buried under gravel, and 3 were lost after winter floods. All but one chinook redd in the lower 10.8 miles of river failed to yield viable progeny. In addition to tumbling rocks, fish redds are also destroyed if gravels are clogged with excessive fine sediments. REF. Dungeness River Report, Orsborn and Ralph, Chapter 7. Nov.'94	1/28/98 Peninsula Pointers BRIDGES KILL FISH   Bridge spans are made as short as possible, and banks of river crossings are armored, restricting and speeding up water flow. When floods hit the restriction transported rocks are dumped. The river then jets through the narrows, digging at sides and bottom, picking up other rocks. In a flood the depth of spots in the river bed can change two feet or more. Fish redds (nests) are tumbled washed out or buried as a result of bridge and other river constrictions. Fish stocks reproducing in side channels are o.k.; those that spawn in the main channel of the river where the restrictions are approaching extinction. REF.Dungeness River Report, Orsborn and Ralph, 11/94, and testimony R. Peters USFWS 11/25/98	2/21/98 Peninsula Pointers DIKES CAUSE FLOODS   Dikes cut the river off from its historic floodplain. This concentrates flood waters and increases its speed and energy. Gravel and cobbles are picked up and carried downstream. The rocks settle out as river slope decreases downstream. The Corps of Engineers' dike in the lower Dungeness was built to contain a 200 year flood. Now the river is clogged with rock and can only contain a 25 year flood. REF: Recommended Restoration Projects for the Dungeness River, July, 1997, pg 20.

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