Passage of HJM9 Urges Feds to Process Salmon and Steelhead Permit

Today, IWF submitted testimony in support of House Joint Memorial 9 to urge NOAA to complete the review and processing of Idaho’s Fisheries Management and Evaluation Plan. It passed through the Senate Resources Committee and is on its way to the Senate floor.

The memorial asks NOAA Fisheries, the federal entity responsible for recovering ESA-listed salmon and steelhead, to promptly issue the incidental take permit required under the ESA. This would allow the state to comply with federal law to minimize and mitigate loss of a listed species while still allowing salmon and steelhead fishing in Idaho to continue. Idaho has applied for the permit since 2010 but delays in the permitting process, including a historic 35-day government shutdown, has put Idaho’s salmon and steelhead communities in jeopardy.

While this joint memorial is simply requesting a necessary process to be completed to permit the continuation of fishing seasons, even more pressing issues are before us: the federal recovery plan for our salmon and steelhead has failed Idahoans for more than 20 years.

Even with the permits in hand, Idaho may not see a salmon and steelhead season in 2019 because of the drastic decline in returns. The projections for this year look to be the third lowest return since the late 1930s, and possibly even lower than when our fish were listed. Only 8,200 wild spring/summer chinook are predicted to reach their spawning grounds in Idaho this year. The recovery goal is 80,000 wild adults per year.

$20 billion has been dumped into a failing federal recovery plan, yet Idaho’s anglers, guides, and outfitters are still left to fight over scraps compared to what our returns have the potential to look like. We cannot allow our prized salmon and steelhead runs to go belly up. Healthy runs are inextricably linked to our river communities, economy, and sporting heritage that Idahoans cherish so deeply.

Idaho Wildlife Federation was formed in 1936 in part to address the drastic decline of Idaho’s salmon and steelhead fishing heritage. We stand here today continuing to hold the federal government accountable and to advocate for strong runs returning to Idaho.