News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 6, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Reaffirms Commitment to Salmon Recovery Efforts

Gov. Gary Locke today reaffirmed his commitment to statewide salmon recovery at the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound Conference in Tacoma.

“Salmon recovery goes hand-in-hand with quality of life in our state,” Locke said. “Our obligation to salmon has to be long-term, sustained and designed to protect and restore Puget Sound and the Columbia Basin. As I have said before, extinction is not an option.”

The conference brought salmon planners, scientists, advocates and elected officials together with farmers, timberland owners, developers and port representatives to examine and identify the elements needed to build a strong regional salmon recovery plan for Puget Sound.

Locke also outlined salmon recovery goals he would like to see accomplished in the next two years. These include fostering a closer working relationship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as getting as many credible draft fish recovery plans to NOAA as possible.

The governor also stressed his desire to work with state agencies and the Legislature to address regulatory and permitting issues and to better integrate watershed-based strategies.

“While salmon is still our focus, it is important that we find solutions that involve the partnering of local and tribal governments, citizen groups, agriculture and business. Developing collaborative goals is one critical way salmon recovery will be successful,” Locke said.


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