SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP
COUNCIL
National Fish Hatchery Project Steering Committee Special Report
ATTACHMENT 5
SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING THE NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY SYSTEM
A myriad of studies, reports and recommendations from outside groups and from Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) appointed committees and task forces have been undertaken in an
attempt to help guide the FWS and the National Fish Hatchery System. The most prominent of
those reports are discussed here, briefly. A comprehensive compilation of recommendations
from the principal reports review by the Steering Committee follows this discussion.
The Calhoun Report: In January 1974, a task force of
five individuals was formed, representing the American Fisheries Society, the
International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, state game and fish agencies, and
the Sport Fishing Institute. Fisheries consultant, Dr. Alex Calhoun, chaired it. The task
force was asked to "....examine the national program for fish culture and directly
related activities....to review state and federal roles and responsibilities and to
recommend any changes needed to achieve maximum efficiency through a coordinated national
program whose state and federal components supplement each other fully while avoiding
duplication of effort."
The Report concluded that longstanding policy assigning top priority for distribution
of National Fish Hatchery System fish to waters under federal jurisdiction was poorly
implemented and needed to be "....reviewed and revised to provide more substantial
and meaningful program goals...." (Calhoun report). The report made 31
recommendations to better define federal/state roles.
Responsibilities and Roles Document: In 1985, in the
face of declining budgets, the FWS reviewed its Fishery Resources Program, with a goal of
assuring its responsibilities and role were properly "scoped and focused." The
result was identification of responsibilities that would "henceforth be the focus of
the Service's reoriented Fishery Resources Program": Facilitate restoration of
depleted, nationally significant fishery resources; seek mitigation for fishery resource
impairment due to federal water-related development; assist with management of fishery
resources of federal (primarily FWS) and Indian lands; and maintain federal leadership in
scientific management of national fishery resources.
These standards continue to guide the FWS Fisheries Program. Although the document
contained little discussion of the role of NFHs, it recognized their role in fish health
and technology development as part of FWS leadership in scientifically based management.
The Action Plan for Fishery Resources and Aquatic Ecosystems: In
May 1994, the FWS once again examined its Fisheries program, to redirect activities toward
an "ecosystem approach," based on healthy aquatic habitats. The
Action Plan delineated program elements for the National Fish Hatchery System, some of
which are followed today: "....an innovative propagation program that supports native
species restoration; endangered species recovery; Federal mitigation responsibilities;
subsistence, commercial, and recreational fishing; monitoring and assessment programs; and
National Wildlife Refuge and Tribal needs" One of the highest priorities was
"maintaining healthy wild populations through genetic diversity, harvest management,
habitat improvements, and judicious use of hatchery stocks."
Components 4 and 5 in the "Fishery Management Support" section of the Action
Plan provided priorities for the National Fish Hatchery System. What is implicit in these
was affirmation that National Fish Hatcheries should support fishery and aquatic resource
management. Only species, stocks, strains, races and numbers of fish deemed compatible
with and identified in ecosystem management plans would be produced.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Report: That
same year, the FWS Director also asked the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
convene a review panel to do an "outside objective evaluation" of the National
Fish Hatchery System and make recommendations for its future role in ecosystem management.
The report concluded that "....it is clear the National Fish Hatchery program needs a
new edict. That edict must recognize the need for fundamental redirection of programs,
personnel, and facilities toward supporting ecosystem management whether it relates to
restoring depleted populations of anadromous fishes or the recovery of threatened and
endangered species." This report focused on outside reactions as to what National
Fish Hatcheries were doing, and illustrated that there is a lack of
understanding of how National Fish Hatcheries fit into a fishery management program.
The Foundation's report concluded that, despite the existence of program management
documents, vision statements, policy statements and generic management plans, a
"...well-defined national fisheries program with definite goals, objectives,
implementation and evaluation strategies does not appear to exist." This statement
accurately characterizes the FWS program, of which National Fish Hatcheries are only the
production component.
ATTACHMENT 5
Part 2
COMPILATION OF PREVIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS
AND CONCLUSIONS FROM REPORTS
REGARDING THE NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY SYSTEM
Documents reviewed to compile this comparison included:
1974 Report of National Task Force for Public Fish Hatchery Policy (Calhoun)
1985 FWS Statement of Responsibilities and Role (R&R)
1991 DOI-IG Audit on Recovery of Mitigation Costs for BuRec Projects (IG)
1994 Action Plan for Fishery Resources and Aquatic Ecosystems (AP)
1994 Report of the National Fish Hatchery Review Panel (NFWF)
1996-97 Recommendations from FWS Stakeholders Meetings (SM)
1999 GAO Report on Distribution of Fish and Fish Eggs Needs (GAO)
The compilation is arranged by category to facilitate use by Steering Committee Work
Groups: Introduction; Scientific Leadership and Stocking Protocols; Mitigation and
Recreation; Threatened, Endangered and Native Species; Funding Considerations.
Recommendations are duplicated where they may apply to more than one category. When they
didn't seem to fit our existing categories, I put them in the Introduction section.
Recommendations are paraphrased to save my typing time.
INTRODUCTION (and miscellaneous):
FWS and NMFS, in concert with states, define problems associated with inadequate
inter-communications in the national program for fish culture, and formulate solutions.
(Calhoun)
- A position/policy statement should be made by the FWS declaring the primary mission of
hatcheries into the next century will be to provide fish for support of ecosystem
management and habitat restoration. (NFWF)
- Hatcheries not needed to meet current, or redirected, program needs should be considered
candidates for closure or transfer to states. (NFWF)
- Changes in FWS policies and provision of hatchery fish should be done with discussion
and negotiations with affected states and other partners. Proposed changes should be
time-phased to accommodate needs of states or tribes. (NFWF)
- Changes in policies regarding providing or using federally-produced fish by states
should be implemented only after states have been fully informed well in advance. Adequate
lead time should be allowed for states to assume any new responsibilities. If the change
involves transfer of a facility to a state, a negotiated phase-in should be part of the
change over from full federal support through shared cost to full state takeover. (NFWF)
- Lead federal responsibility of assisting private aquaculture should be in USDA. (NFWF)
- A new public outreach and education approach is needed to emphasize the role of federal
hatcheries as vital support to resource managers in aquatic ecosystem stewardship, not
just as fish-raising and stocking stations. (NFWF)
- At the national meeting in Phoenix, stakeholders strongly suggested other taking the
lead in providing general aquatic education. (SM)
- The Service will develop a process to ensure timely and effective stakeholder input into
Service decisions on a continuing basis. (SM)
- Establish partnerships with the private aquaculture community to ensure industry
development that is economically viable and compatible with protection of native and wild
fish populations. (AP)
- Establish environmental awareness and outreach programs to develop an informed and
involved citizenry that supports aquatic ecosystem conservation and fishery stewardship.
(AP)
- Stakeholders felt Service legislative authorities for fishery responsibilities are
vague. They offered to work with the Service to establish clear authorities and pursue
legislation where appropriate. The Service said it was receptive to pursuing clarifying
legislative authority and would support the effort of others to develop and submit
legislation to establish specific authorities for fishery activities, particularly those
not covered by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. (SM)
- Deciding what course of action to take in the face of declining operations and
maintenance appropriations requires, month other things, a clear understanding of the role
and responsibilities of federal hatcheries. However, information on how federal hatcheries
have been supporting the Service's programs through the distribution of fish and fish eggs
has not been reliable…………and does not provide a clear picture of the
unique role that federal hatcheries are supposed to fill. To provide the Congress with the
information needed to evaluate the appropriate role of the National Fish Hatchery System,
we recommend that the Secretary of the Interior direct the Director of the Fish and
Wildlife Service to take steps to refine the classification system for fish and fish egg
distribution and help ensure that hatchery managers appropriately classify all fish and
fish egg distribution by its principal purpose. (GAO)
SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP AND STOCKING PROTOCOLS:
- Explore in concert with states, various ways in which the federal level can assist in
coordinating fish culture programs which interlock many states. (Calhoun)
- FWS and NMFS increase emphasis on research and development related to culture of Pacific
salmon and steelhead; encourage and participate in state-federal review of existing and
proposed projects in this fields; further, encourage and participate in development of a
state-federal system for jointly assigning priorities and responsibilities for research
and development. (Calhoun)
- Strengthen role in research and development relating to fish culture; further state and
federal agencies look to advantages of geographical and problem coordination of research
and development efforts. (Calhoun)
- FWS review goals and operations of its developmental program for fish culture to
determine whether it will function better under regional or central leadership. (Calhoun)
- FWS, with NMFS, assign a much higher priority to development of procedures for culturing
larvae of striped bass and midrange species using artificial diets. (Calhoun)
- Each state or federal agency assume responsibility for routine disease control in its
own hatchery system. (Calhoun)
- FWS, with NMFS and in concert with states and private sector, set up a problem solving
team of individuals knowledgeable about technical, social, and political aspects of
national fish disease problems, directing this team to develop plans for an action
program, including any corrective legislation which may be necessary to control the spread
of the more serious diseases. (Calhoun)
- FWS, in concert with states, continue to develop and strengthen national system for
disease appraisal and certification of salmonid eggs. (Calhoun)
- FWS continue important role of maintaining disease free broodstocks and providing states
with disease free eggs to start their own broodstocks; but FWS not attempt to become a
routine source of supply for disease free eggs or fingerlings for production purposes.
(Calhoun)
- States and FWS assume responsibility for training their respective employees; FWS
continue to provide opportunities for non-federal workers to participate in its training
sessions related to fish culture and disease control. (Calhoun)
- Work more closely with other governmental agencies and private organization to restore
habitat of depleted native stocks, rather than rely on hatchery fish to compensate for
habitat losses. (NFWF)
- Maintain and make available the full range of expertise required to protect and manage
fishery resources, including that in fish culture and fishery resource management;
maintain the well-established scientific institution it now represents, with core
capability in all the disciplines required, to effectively contribute to protecting the
productivity and maximizing the potential of fishery resources. (R&R):
-
Maintain broodstocks representing all major species for use in special management
situations, giving development of different strains or modification of genetic character
major consideration
-
Develop new concepts and improved technology in fishery resource management and fish
propagation (stock assessment, allocation options, chemical/drug registration)
-
Provide leadership in technology of fish disease diagnosis and fish health practice, for
application in cooperation with other entities to control spread of diseases, including
certification of fish disease inspectors.
-
Develop policies to address introduction and control of exotic species, uniform
practices in fish health, and standardization of fishery statistics.
-
Make technical assistance available to other natural resource agencies and
organizations, transfer technical information through advanced training in fishery
management and fish culture through the Fisheries Academy.
- Stocking fish on federal lands should be consistent with an approved aquatic ecosystem
management plan, precluding deleterious competitive and genetic effects of stocked fish on
native species. Fish from wild populations should be used as broodstock to maintain
genetic diversity. When species or stocks are brought into captivity, fish health
personnel should be involved so vital data on disease status, habitat requirements,
behavior and spawning habits will be available when needed. (NFWF)
- Develop a comprehensive fisheries program that defines the numbers and stocks of fish
needed to support an ecosystem management concept, and define how to better integrate
hatchery products and fish hatchery expertise into the ecosystem management program.
(NFWF)
- Integrate and implement the Action Plan for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources into the new
ecosystem management concept immediately. (NFWF)
- Regional ecosystem management teams should evaluate each hatchery in a region and
determine if the unit and its products are compatible with resource and ecosystem needs.
Any unit that fails to meet these tests should be considered as potentially excess to the
Service. (NFWF)
- Evaluate hatcheries to determine if production could be consolidated with another, to
increase efficiency without loss in quality, no net loss in production needs, and no loss
in genetic diversity of species, stocks, or strains. (NFWF)
- As part of reprogramming fund and divesting facilities; hatcheries not needed to meet
specific program needs, or to assist in prevention of further stock decline, or to
propagate T&E species should be evaluated for possible use as research sites for
development of culture methods for non-traditional aquatic organisms, as study sites or
centers for habitat evaluation and restoration. Realignment of facility uses should be
tied to Technology Development Center programs. (NFWF).
- Fisheries Resources in the Regional offices should determine the numbers, species,
stocks, strains, races, etc., needed to support and achieve goals and objectives of
ecosystem management in the regions. (NFWF)
- Using native populations for broodfish requires knowledge of the health status of the
wild fish. Fish Disease Control Center personnel should be involved in health evaluations
and selection of potential broodfish so ensure hatcheries produce fish free of introduced
diseases and parasites. (NFWF)
- After-stocking evaluations should be conducted to evaluate how well hatchery-produced
fish achieve program goals. (NFWF)
- Do not discontinue fish health services to non-federal clients until state or private
capabilities are in place. Once they are, fish health centers should decline to provide
further assistance. (NFWF)
- Private aquaculture should be given greater access to disease-free stocks and strains
maintained in the federal broodstock registry and to other stocks in national fish
hatcheries to help control spread of specific pathogens to native populations and
ecosystems. (NFWF)
- Establish an interagency group with USDA to ensure goals and activities of private
aquaculture include consideration and prevention of potential impacts from accidental
establishment of feral populations on native populations. (NFWF)
- Encourage and increase efforts to share federal hatchery expertise with others through
publications in journals, newsletters, workshops, etc. Strategic outreach for
dissemination of scientific and public education materials should be developed. (NFWF)
- Hatchery managers and employees must be kept informed as to their roles in the Service's
ecosystem approach. Hatcheries have the capability to reprogram and are ready to become an
integral part of ecosystem management. (NFWF)
- Ensure that Service hatchery and management programs are based on approved management
plans and are compatible with preservation of native and wild populations. (AP)
- Ensure production of hatchery fish and associated management are based on integrated
principles of conservation genetics and ecology. (AP)
- Develop and implement monitoring, sampling, and reporting systems to evaluate
effectiveness of (1) fishery restoration, mitigation and enhancement programs and (2)
hatchery programs in achieving specific management objectives, especially in conserving
wild stocks, maintaining the diversity of native fish communities, and contributing to
stable, productive fisheries. (AP)
- Develop and implement a Service conservation genetics policy to ensure that management
and hatchery programs contribute to: (1) national fishery objectives, (2) fishery
objectives for specific ecosystems, and (3) preservation of genetic diversity and
integrity. (AP)
- Develop and use captive propagation techniques for fishes and other aquatic species
listed as threatened, endangered, or candidate under the Endangered Species Act, when
specifically prescribed in recovery plans. Other techniques that are in accordance with
conservation genetic principles and in conjunction with habitat restoration may be
approved by the Director. (AP)
- Support investigations in genetics, threatened and endangered fish, drug and chemical
management, water and effluent management, wild and cultured fish interactions, hatchery
product evaluation, and non-indigenous aquatic nuisance species management. (AP)
-
Design and implement innovative fishery technology development activities to support
conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.
-
Establish fish health programs and protocols to protect wild and hatchery populations
from diseases. Develop technologies and procedures to minimize risk of pathogen transfer
to avoid or minimize epizootic outbreaks.
-
Develop predictive capabilities to determine the cumulative effects of habitat
degradation and alteration on fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems.
-
Develop assessment and predictive capabilities to determine methods of preventing
introductions of and controlling or eliminating nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species as
well as determining their effects on aquatic resources.
-
Develop and implement protocols to ensure that fish, fish pathogens, and fish products
from private aquaculture operations do not pose unacceptable risks to natural ecosystems.
(AP)
- Provide fish culture information, fish containment techniques, results of fish health
research, technical training, and technical assistance to private aquaculture consistent
with Service fishery stewardship objectives. (AP)
- Tribal leaders want the Service to emphasize training in natural resource management to
enable Tribes to become self-sufficient in managing their own resources. (SM)
- Fish health support from the Service is highly valued by States, private aquaculture,
and others, with emphasis on wild fish in rivers and coastal areas, and cultured fish.
Because alternative sources for fish health inspections currently exist, the Service does
not see providing inspections to States and private aquaculture as a high priority
responsibility. However, the Service will continue to provide diagnostic support and
virology inspections as resources permit, until alternate sources are available. (SM)
- Identify, in conjunction with stakeholders, future needs for technology, technical
assistance, data management, and research for fishery resources, and identify alternative
ways of meeting those needs. (SM)
MITIGATION AND RECREATION:
- States assume full management and financial responsibility for stocking inland public
fishing waters within their boundaries except for special situations which justify
assistance from federal or local government or private utilities or other appropriate
sources. (Calhoun)
- Public fishing waters on federal lands be treated like any other public waters for
purposes of fishery management, and state assume full responsibility for stocking them,
except for large federally developed reservoirs or situations where such action is
precluded by statute; further, that responsibilities be shifted in a manner that does not
abruptly burden any state financially. (Calhoun)
- States assume full responsibility for managing fisheries in federal reservoirs within
their boundaries, but FWS assist with stocking programs as required to develop and
maintain optimal recreational potential of such waters. However, in line with the heavy
state responsibility, federal contribution should not exceed the state contribution. All
cooperative stocking programs for federal reservoirs should be formalized by interagency
agreements defining justification and the kinds and amounts of fish to be provided by the
state and the Service. (Calhoun)
- States be responsible for stocking public fishing waters on state boundaries, which
should be treated like other public fishing waters. However, the FWS should stand ready to
coordinate stocking programs involving a number of states, when asked. (Calhoun)
- States assume responsibility for providing fish for initial stocking of warmwater fishes
on military reservations with restricted public access; further the users assume financial
responsibility for stocking such waters with trout and other fish which need to be planted
repeatedly. (Calhoun)
- When national policy dictates that fish reared at public expense be stocked on Indian
lands, federal hatcheries provide such fish in situations where the state desires them to
do so, but only in accordance with a sound, predeveloped fishery management plan.
(Calhoun)
- Existing federal stocking programs for Indian lands be evaluated from economic and
fishery management standpoints. (Calhoun)
- Decisions concerning stocking responsibilities on national parks and monuments be made
by federal and state agencies concerned with them, on the basis of local circumstances.
(Calhoun)
- FWS continue to implement decision to remove federal responsibility for stocking farm
ponds, in a manner that does not abruptly burden any state financially. (Calhoun)
- FWS adopt a policy prohibiting stocking federal fish in private waters lacking public
access. (Calhoun)
- FWS not provide fish for put-and-take programs, except in large federal reservoirs under
heavy fishing pressure when the state cannot develop optimal recreational potential
without assistance; provided FWS should not provide more than half the fish. (Calhoun)
- FWS not provide fish for put-and-take stocking in urban areas or for urban recreational
programs. (Calhoun)
- Federal and state governments continue to share responsibility for culture of Pacific
salmon and steelhead. (Calhoun)
- Federal and state governments continue to share responsibility for producing Atlantic
salmon smolts needed to restore runs in Northeastern watersheds.
- The two federal fisheries services, in concert with the New England states, develop a
comprehensive state-federal-international Atlantic salmon plan for New England, giving
careful attention to evaluation and restoration of river environments, hatchery production
and smolt distribution. (Calhoun)
- Service participation in rebuilding certain major, economically valuable fishery
resources to full, self-sustainable productivity. Emphasis on anadromous and Great Lakes
resources represented by indigenous, or native, species within their original ranges.
Re-creation of harvestable surpluses produced by self-replenishing fish stocks.
Irreversible habitat loss will proscribe restoration of some stocks to former
productivity, necessitation augmentation by mitigation stocking, in perpetuity. (R&R)
- Establish cooperative restoration goals and targets for depleted fishery resources, and
determine the level of FWS contribution. The Service does not view as a federal
obligation, "enhancement" by artificial means of fishery resources in whose
restoration it participated. Costs related to providing hatchery fish for augmentation,
creation, and non-mitigation maintenance of fishery resources are properly borne by
beneficiaries through the States and tribes. (R&R)
- FWS restoration responsibilities for depleted, interjurisdictional resources are
(R&R):
-
Anadromous non-salmonid Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
fishes (e.g., striped bass, shads,
herrings, sturgeons)
- FWS involvement, underwritten by the development agency, must continue for as long as
mitigation requirements have to be satisfied, entailing a perpetual need to stock
hatchery-produced fish where anadromous runs have been blocked by high dams. There is a
corresponding need for continuous evaluation of the performance of both the mitigation
product and that of the fisheries that it benefits. (R&R)
- In the specific case of existing defacto mitigation facilities, it is the Department and
Service intent to pursue cost-sharing arrangements for their future operation and
maintenance with the agencies representing project beneficiaries…..with full state
and tribal participation, as appropriate. (R&R)
- Assistance is provided through participating tribes and states, for maintenance and
enhancement of fishery resources in waters on Federal land when the Service is requested
to do so and is funded by the respective land management agency. (R&R)
- Defer to states and others, the operation of new fish propagation facilities serving
mitigation purposes (R&R)
- Artificial propagation should not be used as a substitute for an aggressive program of
habitat restoration or habitat protection. (NFWF)
- The obligation to stock federal fish should end as soon as self-sustaining populations
are achieved or it is determined such populations are not possible. The use of non-FWS
funding sources and organizations should be considered for covering the costs of annual
stock, if it is to continue. (NFWF)
- Stocking propagated fish in ecosystem management, in restoration of depleted stocks, or
for threatened and endangered species should only be done in areas determined to have
suitable habitat, adequate food base, and appropriate spawning areas, and based on
specific analyses and implementation plans, such as endangered species recovery plans.
Appropriate inland and marine harvest regimes should be an agreed upon element of an
ecosystem management plan (NFWF)
- Mitigation hatcheries should be reviewed to determine of original goal is being
achieved. If not, determine why, and take appropriate corrective action in concert with
affected state/tribe. (NFWF)
- No private waters should be stocked with federally-produced fish for recreational
fishing. (NFWF)
- Enhancement of fish populations beyond natural production levels in order to provide
greater recreational opportunities (put-and-take) is not a federal responsibility.
Requests for federal hatchery fish to enhance recreational fishing should be accompanied
by a willingness to assume the cost of production. (This was not a consensus
recommendation) (NFWF)
- The Service will aggressively pursue implementation of the Recreational Fishery
Resources Conservation Plan and subsequent Service plan developed under Executive
Order 12962, Recreational Fisheries. (SM)
- Where Service hatchery production is the agreed upon tool for mitigating impacts, the
Service will continue production until a better tool becomes available, or there is no
longer a need to mitigate. (SM)
- The Service will work with partners, including pursuit of new legislation, to establish
adequate and stable funding sources that minimize reliance on public funds appropriated to
the Service for past, present and future mitigation projects. (SM)
- Stakeholders view fish culture support for restoring and/or managing interjurisdictional
species as an important Service role, and recommend the Service provide cultured fish
where needed for interjurisdictional fishery restoration and/or management programs. (SM)
- Stakeholders do not place high value on the Service for urban fishing programs off
Service lands, and recommend that urban fishing programs be primarily State and local
responsibilities. (SM)
- Beyond Service activities identified as high priority, the Service will provide
assistance for fish and wildlife management and stock cultured fish on non-Service federal
lands and waters only where requested and reimbursed. However, whether reimbursed or not,
such activities will not be considered a priority if they would detract from high priority
Service activities. (SM)
THREATENED, ENDANGERED AND NATIVE SPECIES:
- Substantial fish cultural operations involving endangered species which are found to be
necessary be carried on in new facilities built and operated for that purpose. (Calhoun).
- FWS and NMFS increase emphasis on research and development related to culture of Pacific
salmon and steelhead; encourage and participate in state-federal review of existing and
proposed projects in this fields; further, encourage and participate in development of a
state-federal system for jointly assigning priorities and responsibilities for research
and development. (Calhoun)
- The custody of gene pool remnants of fishes with no hope of reestablishment in the wild
be assigned to special facilities established for that purpose rather than to hatcheries
geared to routine production of game fish. (Calhoun)
- Federal and state governments continue to share responsibility for culture of Pacific
salmon and steelhead. (Calhoun)
- Stocking propagated fish in ecosystem management, in restoration of depleted stocks, or
for threatened and endangered species should only be done in areas determined to have
suitable habitat, adequate food base, and appropriate spawning areas, and based on
specific analyses and implementation plans, such as endangered species recovery plans.
Appropriate inland and marine harvest regimes should be an agreed upon element of an
ecosystem management plan (NFWF)
- Federally-produced T&E species may be stocked in private waters if part of a
recovery plan, and agreed to by private land owners of waters in question. (NFWF)
- Develop a planning process for captive protection of T&E species for possible future
propagation before a species is listed to assure adequate population numbers are available
to maintain heterozygosity in future broodstock (should a decision be made that
propagation is needed). (NFWF)
- Develop and use captive propagation techniques for fishes and other aquatic species
listed as threatened, endangered, or candidate under the Endangered Species Act, when
specifically prescribed in recovery plans. Other techniques that are in accordance with
conservation genetic principles and in conjunction with habitat restoration may be
approved by the Director. (AP)
- All future funding for endangered species work conducted by the Fisheries Program will
be requested discretely and not displace funding for work with non-listed fishes. (SM)
FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS:
- National Fish Hatchery operations should become a more defined part of the Regional FWS
budgets. (NFWF)
- Efforts should be made to re-visit all mitigation mandates with the intent of having the
developing agency underwrite all operational costs, needed maintenance, plus any expenses
to correct failed mitigations efforts. (NFWF)
- Following a DOI-IG review of FWS's attempts to recovery costs for hatchery operations at
National Fish Hatcheries used to mitigate Bureau of Reclamation (BuRec) project, the IG
recommended that:
-
Get a Solicitor's opinion concerning recoverability of expenditures at Coleman Hatchery
from 1950-1989, under the present agreement with BuRec. If recoverable, coordinate with
BuRec to ensure all reimbursable costs are identified and assessed to project
beneficiaries.
- All future funding for endangered species work conducted by the Fisheries Program will
be requested discretely and not displace funding for work with non-listed fishes. (SM)