Judge Lets Tribe’s Hatchery-Bred Fish Stay In Swim
Leaders of Idaho’s Nez Perce Indian Tribe claimed victory after a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction barring Oregon from destroying 700 hatchery-bred steelhead in the Imnaha River.
U.S. District Judge Malcolm Marsh ruled in favor of the Nez Perce in a case that centered on whether hatchery-bred fish should be used to bolster natural runs.
Indian tribal biologists have generally favored using hatchery fish. State biologists from Oregon and Washington have opposed their use, saying interbreeding between hatchery fish and wild fish weakens the stock.
“This was a real victory for tribal efforts to logically restore salmon and steelhead,” said Tim Weaver, attorney for the Yakama Indian Nation, a participant in the suit. “It indicates a more real-world view of what needs to be done to save fish, as opposed to the laboratory view.”
The steelhead are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Marsh’s decision could affect how other states develop similar plans. Washington is working out a plan with the Yakama Indian Nation to supplement wild runs with hatchery fish in eastern Washington.