Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 26, 1998
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke calls for local partnerships to save salmon and preserve quality of life

SEATTLE - Gov. Gary Locke called on the people of the Puget Sound region to become his partners in saving troubled salmon runs and preserving the state's unique quality of life. The governor extended the invitation after the National Marine Fisheries Service today proposed listing Puget Sound chinook and five other species of Washington salmon for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

"It isn't just our salmon that are in trouble - it's our Northwest quality of life that is in trouble," Locke said. "We're all connected by our land and water. When rivers flood and our lakes are polluted, people and fish are hurt.

"People throughout Puget Sound and Western Washington will have to work with their local elected leaders and community groups to change the things that are harming our quality of life and our salmon runs."

Locke spoke at a news conference at the Seattle Aquarium where fourth graders from Seattle's Sacajawea Elementary School showed him water samples under microscopes. The students were identifying algae and microscopic animals that salmon feed on.

The governor was joined by representatives of the state congressional delegation, legislators, local elected leaders, tribal leaders and representatives of business, timber, agriculture, environmental and fishing interests.

In addition to Puget Sound chinook, Hood Canal summer chum, Lake Ozette sockeye, upper Columbia spring chinook, middle Columbia steelhead, lower Columbia chum and lower Columbia chinook were proposed for listing as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act.

The listing proposals require the state, in cooperation with local governments, to develop salmon recovery plans that address what are called "factors for decline." The factors fall into four categories: habitat, harvest, hatcheries and hydroelectricity. Draft recovery plans will be finished this fall.

Locke said the State Salmon Strategy will serve as a blueprint to develop effective local recovery plans needed to prevent the federal government from stepping in and directing local water and land use decisions. Locke's supplemental budget proposed $21 million for salmon recovery.

King, Pierce and Snohomish counties are among the most urbanized areas to be considered for action under the Endangered Species Act. The three counties' elected leaders met earlier this week with local government and tribal leaders, as well as stakeholder groups, to begin planning a tri-county approach to salmon recovery.

Speaking on behalf of the tri-county effort, King County Executive Ron Sims said, "Our salmon and the waters they live in don't recognize jurisdictional boundaries, and neither can we. We will work together to create a plan that will work best for the salmon and for the people of our region."

Locke noted the decline of prized salmon runs are only one indication that the state's environment is suffering from the pressures of more people living in the Puget Sound area. The population will have grown by 1 million people this decade. Two thirds of the growth will be in the Puget Sound counties affected by the chinook ESA listing. Water pollution and more frequent and more destructive flooding cost individuals and taxpayers millions of dollars each year and contribute to the decline of once abundant fish populations.

Department of Ecology studies in 1997 show pollution in 65 percent of the state's marine estuaries, 59 percent of the state's streams and 35 percent of the state's lakes. Such pollution creates unhealthy conditions for fish and human health.

Currently, 20 communities, including North Bend, Concrete and LaConner, have sewage hookups moratoriums because wastewater treatment plants are at capacity or not properly treating sewage. In Eastern Washington, sewer hookup moritoriums are in effect for the cities of Tieton and Kittitas.

Additionally, cheap available water is no longer available when and where it is needed. Communities are responding to water availability in a variety of ways. King County's Sammamish Plateau and Clark County's Battleground have imposed moratoriums for water hookups.

State Rep. Jim Buck (R-Joyce), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, said, "I am looking forward to an effort that unites the governor's office, the Legislature, the tribes and the user groups in an all-out effort to restore our salmon and steelhead runs."

"This listing signals that it's time to really get down to business," said Sen. Dan Swecker (R-Rochester), co-chair of the Legislature's Salmon Restoration Task Force. "All of us have been a part of the problem, and we all need to be part of the solution."

Rep. Debbie Regala, (D-Tacoma) said, "This proposed listing of salmon gives us the unique opportunity to come together at all levels of government to demonstrate our commitment to be good stewards of our resources."

"People want a Washington where their grandchildren can fish for salmon, not just read about them in their history books," said Sen. Harriet Spanel, (D-Bellingham). "But they have to be willing to make the investment to protect and restore salmon habitat."

"If we want to protect salmon and the health of our entire region, we need to implement the salmon protection laws we have," said Sen. Karen Fraser (D-Lacey). "We must also restore funding cuts to those agencies charged with protecting and restoring salmon."

"We must do more than just delay the extinction of the salmon by preserving small populations under the ESA," said Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. "We must restore wild salmon populations to healthy levels that can once again support fisheries. We can only accomplish this by continuing to work together to address the many factors that have contributed to the decline of these fish."

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