Stelle’S Plan Should Be Given A Chance

Will Stelle, overseer of the federal government’s salmon recovery plan, has resigned his post as regional director for the National Marine Fisheries Service. His next career, poetically enough, will be in the prominent Seattle law firm of Preston Gates Ellis - giving advice to government agencies and the private sector on how to deal with the Endangered Species Act.

He’ll have no lack of work in that new career. The salmon controversy is headed for a litigation crisis that could have huge consequences for the Northwest’s economy.

Before Stelle makes the jump from fame to fortune, let it be said he earned our region’s respect during his six-year tenure in the lightning-rod job he leaves this Friday. After his agency listed Northwest salmon runs as threatened, public debate seized on dramatic, simplistic proposals to breach Snake and Columbia river dams. But under his leadership, the feds followed science and common sense to a different approach that just might work. It could work because it demands change from a salmon’s point of view - that is, change in every realm affecting a salmon’s survival. Spawning and rearing habitat. Hatchery practices. Harvest by sport, commercial and tribal fishermen. Operation and design of dams.

Although Stelle clearly is a friend of endangered critters, he became a critic of environmental groups for their obsession with dam breaching. Breaching would devour available dollars, would take too long to implement, would help only four of the 12 endangered salmon runs, would threaten major industries and would worsen the Northwest’s electricity shortage, guaranteeing fierce opposition. Plus, research indicates that other, more doable tactics could work as well, for all 12 salmon runs.

Stelle cites one more reason for his approach: Under terms of the Endangered Species Act a breaching plan would go to the so-called God Squad, a federal committee with power to balance economic impacts against species survival. It’s premature, Stelle contends, to force the issue before the God Squad. It’s premature because there are other, more doable options. It’s premature because the salmon plan also is destined for federal court, where a judge will examine whether the recovery plan is reasonable and comprehensive.

This spring and summer, salmon runs have boomed, surprising biologists and giving reason to hope Stelle’s balanced recovery plan, if it’s funded well, might take effect at a lucky moment when it could do a lot of good for the fish.

Litigation will go on for years, keeping lawyers well fed. But from a salmon’s-eye view, the issue is whether the region now will fund and implement Stelle’s legacy, the recovery plan. At this point it’s not only the best hope for salmon, it’s the best hope for heading off debacle in the courts.