Habitat Hotline AtlanticSummer 2008, Volume XV, Number 2

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Please PPlease PPlease PPlease PPlease Pass the Fass the Fass the Fass the Fass the Fishishishishish

Working towards healthy, self-sustaining populations of all Atlantic coast fish speciesor successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

ASMFC Hosts Workshop on Fish Passage Issues Impacting AtlanticCoast States

Why is the Commission Concerned About FishPassage?

Millions of artificial barriers have beenconstructed along the Atlantic coast to impoundand redirect water for irrigation, flood control,electricity, drinking water, and transportation—all altering natural features of rivers andstreams. Recently, many Americans havebecome increasingly concerned about effects ofimpoundments on fish and other aquatic species.Many dams are obsolete and no longer servetheir original purpose. In many cases, theseimpoundments serve as a barrier to fish

migration, which is fundamental to the lifehistory of many species. As a result, somepopulations of native fish are gone and othersare on the brink of disappearing.

The Commission is particularly concerned aboutthe migrations to spawning habitat for Atlanticsturgeon, American shad, hickory shad, alewife,blueback herring, and striped bass, andmigrations to long-term growth areas forAmerican eel. Without access to these habitats,it will be very difficult to restore populations ofthese very important diadromous species.

Workshop Overview

On April 3 & 4, 2008,the Atlantic States MarineFisheries Commission (ASMFC) held aworkshop for Commissioners and TechnicalCommittee members on fish passage issuesimpacting Atlantic coast states. The workshopwas held in Jacksonville, Florida. The goals ofthe workshop were:

Source: A. Haro

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1. To initiate development of an ASMFC fishpassage protocol that can be applied bythe states when addressing future passageissues.

2. To provide a summary of current fishpassage technologies and techniques toCommissioners and Technical Committeemembers.

3. To provide a forum to discuss recentexperiences with dam re-licensing andpotential future ASMFC/state involvement.

4. To discuss species-specific fish passageconcerns and solutions.

This workshop began with George Lapointe,Commission Chair, introducing these concerns,and noting that for some species, fish passageimprovement might be the only option to helpadvance their recovery. Following the openingremarks, a series of presentations were given ona variety of topics (see below).

Throughout the workshop, opportunities weregiven for discussion of the issues presented, anddevelopment of recommendations (32 total; seepage 5 for a few examples) to be brought beforethe Commission's Interstate FisheriesManagement Program (ISFMP) Policy Board.The workshop was very successful, withparticipants gaining and sharing knowledge onhow to improve the fish passage situation alongthe Atlantic coast.

Listing of Presentations

Session 1. Background on fish passage,focusing on ASMFC managed species

1. State of the Art of Fish Passage by SteveGephard: Brief talk on the common designsfor fish passage available today (e.g., damremoval, pool-and-weir, roughened chutes,elevators, nature-like, trap & truck, eelpasses) and downstream passage structures.

2. Fish Passage Concerns for Striped Bassby Wilson Laney: Overview of the fishpassage designs that work for striped bass,and those that do not. Also covered specificchallenges in passage of striped bass.Examples were given of successful andunsuccessful passage projects.

3. Fish Passage Concerns for Shad andRiver Herring, Atlantic (and Shortnose)Sturgeon, and American Eel by AlexHaro: Overview of the fish passage designsthat work for shad and river herring, Atlanticsturgeon, and American eel, and those that donot. Also covered specific passage challenges.Examples were given of successful andunsuccessful passage projects.

Session 2. Summary and Experiences withthe FERC Re-licensing Process

4. General FERC Process by MarkPawlowski: Overview of how hydroelectricprojects are licensed and re-licensed, whatthe prescriptive powers are of USFWS andNMFS, how state agencies are consulted andinteract with the federal agencies, and whatareoptions for involvement.

Source: A. Haro

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5. Federal FERC Experiences from theNortheast by Melissa Grader: Buildt uponthe previous descriptive talk to discussexperiences with FERC in the northeast overthe years, including what works and whatdoes not. Speaker also discussed theadvantages of watershed management plansprior to FERC licensing, the advantages ofhaving multiple interveners, how multiplestate agencies get involved, how NGOs getinvolved, where 401 Clean WaterCertifications come into play, pre-licensingagreements among parties, evaluationstudies, etc.

6. Federal FERC Experiences from theSoutheast by Prescott Brownell (WilsonLaney coauthor): Buildt upon the previoustalk to discuss NMFS and USFWSexperiences with FERC in the southeast overthe years, including what works and whatdoes not.

7. Federal FERC Experiences from theWest Coast by Steve Edmondson: Buildtupon the previous talk to discuss NMFSexperiences with FERC in the west over theyears, including what works and what doesnot.

8. FERC Case Studies: Kennebec Riverby Gail Wippelhauser

9. FERC Case Studies: Connecticut Riverby Melissa Grader

10. FERC Case Studies: Susquehanna Riverby Mike Hendricks

11. FERC Case Studies: Santee-CooperRiver by Prescott Brownell

12. Federal Perspective on Non-Hydropower Dams by John Catena: Overview ofprogram, process, and examples of passageon non-hydropower dams along the EastCoast from a federal perspective throughvoluntary projects.

13. State Perspective on Non-HydropowerDams by Steve Gephard: Overview ofprogram, process, and examples of passageon non-hydropower dams along the EastCoast from a state perspective-both throughtheConnecticut regulatory process andthrough strictly voluntary projects.

14. NGO Perspective on Non-HydropowerDams by Brian Graber: Overview ofprogram, process, and examples of passageon non-hydropower dams along the EastCoast from a NGO perspective-both throughtheregulatory process and through strictlyvoluntary projects.

Session 3. ASMFC/State Involvement inImproving Fish Passage

15. Projects on the Horizon by Alex Hoar:Map of upcoming FERC relicensings anddiscussion of projects in progress, includingan overview of fish passage work at theConowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River,Maryland.

Source: A. Haro

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Session 4. Technical Issues SurroundingPassage of American Eel

16. Presentation on Barrier Effects onAmerican Eel Populations by LeonardMachut: An examination of the ability ofAmerican eel to pass barriers in tributaries ofthe Hudson River that lack eel passagestructures, as well as the effects of passageefficiency on demographic characteristics ofthe eel populations along the length of eachriver.

17. American Eel Passage Issues Follow-upby Alex Haro: More in-depth discussion ofthe passage issues presented for Americaneel in Session 1 of this workshop.

18. Case Study: Upper Potomac River byAlex Hoar: Success story of cooperationbetween federal agencies, state agencies, theenergy industry, and non-governmentalorganizations to implement goals of theAmerican Eel Fishery Management Plan andrestore population abundance in the PotomacRiver.

Example Recommendations

1. Develop a policy for passage efficiency fordiadromous fishes in cooperation withUSFWS and NOAA.

2. Help design and implement monitoringprotocols to measure fish passage success.

3. Support fish passage projects as they comeup for public comment.

4. Provide training (in partnership withUSFWS,NMFS, etc.) on FERC re-licensing issues andprocess, dam removal, instream flowassessments, conflict resolution, projectnegotiation techniques, etc.

5. Develop a tool to evaluate positive andnegative consequences of providing fishpassage so that managers can makeappropriate decisions and lobby effectivelyfor a project.

6. Develop an East Coast Fish Passage Plan,whereby each state partner should work withfederal agencies to develop a roadmap of fishpassage priorities in each state, and developcriteria to rank which sites are highestpriority for involvement.

Next Steps for Commission Involvement

On May 8, 2008, the full list of workshoprecommendations were brought to the ISFMPPolicy Board for their consideration.Subsequently, the ISFMP Policy Board requestedthat staff prioritize the list of recommendationsfrom the workshop, and present them at theCommission meeting in August 2008.

For workshop proceedings, includingabstracts, full presentations, and a com-plete list of recommendations, please visitthe Commission’s website at: http://www.asmfc.org/researchStatistics.htm. Ifyou have questions, please contact JessieThomas, ASMFC Habitat Coordinator, atJThomas@asmfc.org, or call (202) 289-6400.Source: A. Haro

Summer 2008, Volume XV, Number 2 Habitat Hotline Atlantic 5

Spotlight: MORE on FISHERIES AND CLIMATE CHANGETemperature and other variations resulting from climatechange will have a strong impact on fisheries andaquaculture, with significant food security consequencesfor certain populations, FAO said. The UN food agency’snote of caution came at the start of a four day scientificsymposium on climate change and marine fisheries beingheld at its Rome headquarters (8-11 July 2008). Theevent, which involves over 200 experts and policymakersfrom around the globe, aims to paint a fuller picture of thechallenges that climate change poses to marine fisheriesand the millions of people who depend on them for foodand income.

Although large regional differences exist, the world is likely to see significant changes in fisheries production inthe seas and oceans, FAO says. For communities who heavily rely on fisheries, any decreases in the localavailability or quality of fish for food or increases in their livelihoods’ instability will pose even more seriousproblems. Fishing communities located in the high latitudes and those that rely on climate change-susceptiblesystems, such as upwelling or coral reef systems, will have the greatest exposure to climate-related impacts. Inaddition, fisheries communities located in deltas, coral atolls, and ice-dominated coasts will be particularlyvulnerable to sea level rise and associated risks of flooding, saline intrusion and coastal erosion. But countrieswith limited ability to adapt to the changes, even if located in low risk areas, are also vulnerable. FAO also notedhowever that the impacts of climate-related physical and biological changes in fisheries on the communities thatdepend on them will be as varied as the changes themselves. Both negative and positive impacts are likely,depending on local circumstances and the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the affected communities.

At both the local and global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles in providing food andgenerating income. Some 42 million people work directly in the sector, the great majority in developing countries.Adding those who work in associated processing, marketing, distribution, and supply industries, the sectorsupports several hundred million livelihoods. Aquatic foods have high nutritional quality, contributing 20% ormore of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 2.8 billion people, again mostly in developingcountries. Fish is also the world’s most widely traded foodstuff and a key source of export earnings for manypoorer countries. The sector has particular significance for small island states. Accordingly, FAO is increasinglyfocusing its attention on how climate change will affect fisheries and aquaculture.

In April, the agency convened a workshop of experts to look at climate change implications for fisheries andaquaculture in advance of the June 2008 summit on food security, climate change, and bioenergy. That groupgenerated an overview document which looks at the issues and risks involved, and also outlined possibleresponses governments and policymakers could make to begin to adapt, as well as highlighting the responsibilityof the sector vis-à-vis its role in minimizing its carbon footprint. The July symposium was intended to deepen andbroaden scientific knowledge on how climate change is affecting marine ecoystems and the communities thatdepend on them.

Source: FAO Media Office; Email: FAONewsroom@fao.org; Phone: (+39) 06 570 53625

In the NewsIn the NewsIn the NewsIn the NewsIn the NewsAnnotated Bibliography of ASMFC HabitatProgram Documents AvailableAn annotated bibliography of all Commission habitat-related documents has been compiled. The bibliographycontains a listing of the document title, author(s),editor(s), publication date, and a brief summary.Electronic copies of this document, and all documentsreferenced therein, can be obtained at: http://www.asmfc.org/educationOutreach.htm. If you have anyquestions, please contact Jessie Thomas, HabitatCoordinator, at JThomas@asmfc.org, or (202) 289-6400.

Stream Barrier Removal Monitoring GuidePublished

A lack of standardized monitoring data has promptedresource managers in the Gulf of Maine to develop aregional guide to monitoring parameters for streambarrier removal projects. In December 2007, the Gulf ofMaine Council on the Marine Environment published thisguide to provide the scientific context of stream barrierremoval and information on eight critical monitoringparameters. This guide can be found at: http://www.gulfofmaine.org/streambarrierremoval/.

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Around the Coast:Around the Coast:Around the Coast:Around the Coast:Around the Coast:a bag reva bag reva bag reva bag reva bag revolutionolutionolutionolutionolution

FactsWorldwide: 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags consumedper year (or over 1 million/minute); billions become litter

U.S.: Over 380 billion plastic bags/sacks/wrapsconsumed per year; use 100 billion plastic shopping bagsannually (cost to retailers = $4 billion)

Plastic bags photodegrade—breaking down into smallerand smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterwaysand becoming ingested by animals.

In Ireland, an extremely successful plastic bagconsumption tax, or PlasTax (2002), reducedconsumption by 90%. Approximately 18 million liters ofoil have been saved due to this reduced production.Governments around the world are consideringimplementing similar measures. Additionally, somemunicipalities in the U.S. are considering similar taxes, orbanning the use of plastic bags altogether.

Remember: Each high quality reusable shopping bag youuse has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if notthousands, of plastic bags over its lifetime.