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Http://NWSSCS.blogspot.com

SSCS: Committed to a science-

based, ecosystem protection and

management approach that

integrates the human component

on a landscape scale

The Leader

May 2011

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101 Multimedia

Flyfishers’ Arte & Publishing

Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture

Site off-line

Alpine Experience

Lighthawk –

Flying for the environment

Featured Topics:

Norwegian owned Atlantic salmon feedlots in British Columbia , Chile, Scotland, Norway

Watch the informative video “Farmed Salmon Exposed”

here.

Update: Chehalis River Flood Risk Management

British Columbia

Federation of Fly Fishers

Natural Settings

Digital Imaging and Design

SSCS Corporate Sponsors

The only conservation

organization dedicated to a

science-based, ecosystem

protection and management

approach that integrates

the human component on a

landscape scale

http://NWSSCS.blogspot.com

m

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Richard Mayer

Senior Communication

and Marketing Advisor

Alexandra Morton

Senior Marine

Fisheries Advisor

Senior Communication

and Marketing Advisor

Dr. Robert Vadas, Jr.

Senior Fresh Water

Fisheries Advisor

Subject Matter Advisors

Conservation Directors

Joe Durham Don Schluter Alan Steeves Terry Turner

Executive Officers

Ric Abbett Bruce Treichler Jim Wilcox

President and CEO Vice President Treasurer and Secretary

2011 SSCS Board of Direction

Able--Committed--Experienced

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Introducing Alexandra Morton – SSCS Senior

Marine Fisheries Advisor

In 1984, I followed a family of orca into a beautiful cluster of islands in British Columbia, Canada. I am a biologist and with my husband and baby son we made our home there in Echo Bay. It had a one-room school, post office and about 100 people. It had abundant salmon, whales and wilderness. There were no roads to town, no electricity, no phones.

We dropped an underwater microphone and piped the ocean sounds into the boat we lived on. We heard the whales night or day as they passed. Over the years I learned how whales make a living. Their rhythms became mine as I became a widow, raised my children and took a stand.

When the first salmon farm moved in I thought it was a good idea, but swiftly and inexorably I joined the ranks of reluctant field biologists negotiating for the survival of life on earth. I wrote down this story in my book Listening to Whales.

Today I am toe to toe with three international corporations. I am determined to revive my community and the wild salmon that feed this part of the world. I have co-published a great deal of the Canadian science on impact of salmon farms on whales and wild salmon. I have successfully taken the industry to BC Supreme Court and changed the regulatory regime. My home is now a research station so scientists around the world can help me shine a light into the depths of this conflict.

Salmon farms break essential natural laws by holding this nomadic fish stationary and this has loosed epidemics of disease and sea lice upon the wild salmon. Wild salmon are an essential power cord carrying the energy this coastline requires to support life.

While I was studying whales I supported myself writing, taking pictures, deck-handing on a fish boat (Heart of the Raincoast) and making T shirts. This allowed me to stay in the field for the past 26 years!

When an individual takes on the task of bringing reason to governments and corporations there is a tendency to want to become big. But as a biologist I see far more value in remaining

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small and adaptable.

The legal challenges I have undertaken receive thousands of small donations at www.adopt-a-fry.org and the research receives charitable donations via www.raincoastresearch.org but this site allows me to put food on my table.

SSCS Membership Renewals

It„s exciting to realize the many SSCS achievements by our volunteers. These were only accomplished due to dedicated conservation leaders with support from SSCS members and from our greatly appreciated sponsors. It„s now time for existing SSCS members to renew our SSCS memberships and for those interested in supporting the SSCS to become a member or an SSCS sponsor.

Please take the time now to complete your SSCS Membership Application and return it with your check payable to the Steelhead and Salmon Conservation Society, a not-for-profit corporation registered with the Washington State Secretary of State.

Welcome Alpine Experience as the newest SSCS corporate sponsor

Late in March, Alpine Experience in Olympia came on board as a valued SSCS corporate sponsor. In fact, the fine folks at Alpine Experience donated four, one day sea kayak rentals for last month‟s SSCS Earth Day Celebration and silent auction.

Below is brief introduction to locally-owned and operated Alpine Experience:

Our Story

The Alpine Experience is a locally and family owned outdoor retail shop located in Olympia, Washington. Since 1996 we've prided ourselves on our superior customer service, high quality products, and being active contributors to our community.

In October of 2008, we acquired a second storefront just a few blocks away. Olympic Outfitters has been serving the outdoor community in the South Sound area since 1970, and we are very excited to continue to build upon the success of this fabled local company in the years ahead.

A Commitment to Our Customers

Those who walk through our front doors are not just customers … they are our guests. Our family and friends in many ways. They are the ones on the other end of the rope, belaying and supporting us. They are the reason we are here, and the most basic element to our success. We will offer them our loyalty, our

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knowledge, our service, our friendship, our courtesy, our sense of adventure, and our values. And by inspiring them with our devotion and our values, they will pay us back tenfold with the same. Great service starts with me. More important, great service ends with … no, great service is a journey, with no end in sight.

Thanks to Alpine Experience for supporting the unprecedented volunteer efforts of the Steelhead and Salmon Conservation Society.

Photos from the salmon feedlots Thanks to: http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/

Atlantic salmon smolts transferred

into Norwegian owned salmon

feedlots in BC marine waters

Corporate Arrogance at its Worst

Encouraged by Governments

The large egg-bearing sea lice (gravid)

make holes in these young salmon as

they try and retain their grip on these

much too small hosts. Note that this

young pink salmon has no scales and

thus has no protection from the lice

Fish waste and uneaten fish food

up to 70 meters high under salmon

feedlots – no marine life under

pens

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Advocates for wild salmon

The images on the next two pages are from the video

“Farmed Salmon Exposed”

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Above photo: British Columbia – Below photo: Chile

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Infectious salmon anemia virus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article needs additional citations for verification.

Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September

2007)

Infectious salmon anemia or anaemia (ISA) is a viral disease of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) that affects fish farms in

Canada, Norway, Scotland and Chile, causing severe losses to infected farms.[1]

The disease is listed as a non-exotic

disease of the EU and is therefore watched closely by the European Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases.

The aetiological agent of ISA is the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV). ISAV, a RNA virus, is the only species in the

genus "Isavirus" which is in the family Orthomyxoviridae.

The following is from: Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Rocco C. Cipriano

United States Geological Survey

National Fish Health Research Laboratory

11700 Leetown Road

Kearneysville, WV 25430, U.S.A.

“Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAV) is a highly infectious disease of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that was first

reported within Norwegian aquaculture facilities. The disease has since been described among pre-market Atlantic

salmon, Salmo salar in Scotland (Bricknell et. al. 1998), New Brunswick, Canada (Lovely et al. 1999), the United

Kingdom (Rodger et al. 1999), and the Cobscook Bay region of the United States (Bouchard et al. 2001) and from coho

salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Chile and the Faroe Islands (Kibenge et al. 2001).”

Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus

and Farmed Salmon

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Wild Atlantic salmon 'under threat' from escaped farmed fish and sea lice

Scottish salmon industry criticised by leading anglers group which says government fish farm inspections are 'too lenient'

Young wild Atlantic salmon are being killed by sea lice before they breed, leading to a slump in their

numbers, the Salmon and Trout Association claims. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

Fish farms are being frequently hit by parasite infestations and mass escapes that threaten the survival of the UK's wild salmon stocks, a leading anglers' group has said.

Official inspections have revealed that scores of salmon farms around the Scottish coast have had infestations of the sea lice parasite that breached recommended levels or have led to fish suffering wounds or an early death

Read more of this April 7, 2011 article from Guaridian.co.uk at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/07/wild-atlantic-salmon-under-threat-fish-farms

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Update: Chehalis River Basin Flood Risk Management Date: April 11, 2011 Chairwoman Terry Willis Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority

Chairwoman Willis;

The Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society is writing to

respectfully remind the members

of the Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority that the Northwest

Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society (now the

Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society) submitted

two resolutions regarding the

work of the Flood Authority. The

resolutions are focused on the

goals of protecting human lives,

health, safety, and property

throughout the Chehalis River

basin.

The Northwest Steelhead and

Salmon Conservation Society

submitted NWSSCS Resolution

51810 to the Flood Authority.

This resolution addresses the

need for:

A moratorium on

development within the Chehalis

River floodplain

A moratorium on steep

slope clear cut logging

throughout the Chehalis River

basin

A focus on the restoration

of natural processes within the

Chehalis River basin

forestlands, wetlands and

floodplains.

We recommend the following

actions:

Petition Peter Goldmark,

Public Lands Commissioner to:

Enforce existing timber

harvest regulations and best

timber harvest management

practices to resolve numerous

failing slopes in order to protect

human lives, safety health and

property as well as to protect

Washington‟s public owned

natural resources.

Establish an immediate

and permanent moratorium on

steep slope clear cut timber

harvests throughout the Chehalis

River basin.

Establish an immediate

and permanent moratorium on

floodplain development

throughout the Chehalis River

basin

Convene talks with the

Governor Gregoire,

Representatives Herrera Buetler

and Dicks and Senators Murray

and Cantwell to include the

elements below in order to

receive benefits from past

infrastructure investment of public

money and time.

Assimilate elements of the

Basinwide General Investigation,

Twin Cities Project, proposed

hydropower dam and the ongoing

Fish Study

Assimilate site-specific

elements regarding the Chehalis-

Centralia Airport, Town Center,

as well as the recent Lewis

County FEMA floodplain map

delineations.

The Northwest Steelhead and

Salmon Conservation Society

also submitted NWSSCS

Resolution 11011 to the Flood

Authority. This resolution

addresses the need for:

Comprehensive, science

based studies to evaluate all

reasonable flood damage

prevention strategies

Studies to undergo

unbiased peer reviews via the

University of Washington and /or

Washington State University

Unfortunately, the Chehalis River

Basin Flood Authority has spent

the vast majority of its time and

money (taxpayer funds) to debate

a few of the potential benefits and

costs associated with a dam(s) in

the upper Chehalis River. Dam

proponents continue to advocate

for extremely expensive

investments of future public

moneys while acknowledging the

proposed dam will not be able to

protect I-5 in the event of a

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recurrence of the 2007 flood.

Additionally the dam will not

prevent debris and mass wasting

in the vast majority of the upper

basin from washing downstream

again with tragic consequences.

To continue down this path of

putting people and property in

harm‟s way is to ignore the

impending peril.

The Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society has seen

no evidence of any effort by the

Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority to consider

deliberations during public

hearings for consideration of

either of the above resolutions.

Ignoring these viable alternatives

to prevent flood related damage

in the Chehalis River basin by the

Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority, the local press and

other dam proponents, has led us

to express our concerns

regarding the validity of the

reconnaissance level studies that

have been done to date. Even

the outside consultants who

performed a legislatively

mandated and funded peer

review of earlier scoping

documents and studies

recommended that the

Washington State Office of

Financial Management not

release funds ($900,000) to the

Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority to conduct the “Fish

Study” because of their

professional concerns about

these studies. This

recommendation was ignored.

The Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority is in line to receive

another $1.32 million dollars from

the Washington State

Legislature, in part, so that the

„fish‟ study can be completed.

We have had and continue to

have serious reservations

regarding this study. Not only is

this study inadequate regarding

downstream impacts of the dam

on fish, but also it does nothing to

address the devastating and

unconscionable impacts to fish

above the proposed dam.

As has been repeatedly

addressed by the Steelhead and

Salmon Conservation Society

and others, this proposed dam

would be built in primary salmon

and trout spawning and rearing

habitat. The upstream habitat will

immediately become

uninhabitable for spawning even

if upstream and downstream fish

passage were included in the

dam design.

In the past year since the lifting of

the moratorium on floodplain

development in Lewis County

(including Chehalis and

Centralia) and the submission of

the two resolutions by the

Northwest Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society, we have

witnessed:

Continued, if not increased, steep

slope clear cut logging

throughout the Chehalis River

basin

The Chehalis tribe has resigned

from the Chehalis River Basin

Flood Authority and discussions

associated with formation of a

Chehalis River basin flood control

zone district

Quinault Indian Nation has

expressed its strong opposition to

water retention facilities in the

headwaters of the Chehalis

River.

The Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society, again,

urges that the Chehalis River

Basin Flood Authority revisit

NWSSCS Resolution 51810 and

NWSSCS Resolution 11011

It‟s not too late to demonstrate

real leadership and focus on cost

effective solutions that will

prevent flood related damage

throughout the Chehalis River

basin. If we pull together the

completed and ongoing planning

elements and develop a

landscape scale plan that covers

the entire drainage, including all

forest lands, we can attain our

goals.

We implore you to use the

remainder of your allotted time

and money to concentrate the

focus of the Chehalis River Basin

Flood Authority on accomplishing

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this rather than sunset the

Chehalis River Basin Flood

Authority without presenting the

public with a work product that

can be built upon over time.

Thank you, Chairwoman Willis.

Sincerely,

Ric Abbett

President and CEO

Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society

Bruce Treichler

Vice President

Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society

James Wilcox

Secretary and Treasurer

Steelhead and Salmon

Conservation Society

Our Readers Write:

“This is beautiful:” A. Morton,

Echo Bay, BC

“Great job with the newsletters

& effective advocacy” R.

Vadas, Olympia, WA

The Leader

June 2011 Issue

Reliance of Orca Whales

on abundant and sustainable populations of

healthy Pacific salmon

Chinook (king) salmon

Sockeye (red) salmon

Pacific salmon not pictured above:

Coho (silver) salmon

Chum (dog) salmon

Pink (humpie) salmon

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Steelhead and Salmon Conservation Society

Membership Application

Please return your completed application and check to:

SSCS Membership

3322 104th Avenue SW

Olympia, WA, 98512

Your joining the Steelhead and Salmon Conservation Society is truly appreciated. Your completed application for a

membership will be evaluated by the SSCS Membership Chairman. You‟ll be notified via an e-mail message regarding

your SSCS membership status. Thank you for your interest in protecting and restoring the unique Pacific Northwest

outdoors and our way of life.

Sponsored By: __________________________________________

Date Approved by SSCS: _________________________________

Your name: (print) __________________________________________________

Your address: (street)____________________________(city)________________

(state)__________(country) ________(postal code)____________

Your e-mail address:_________________________________________________

Your phone number:_________________________________________________

Membership Fee Structure – please select one:

O Life: $1,000

Annual membership level:

O Chinook: $500 O Steelhead: $100 O River Steward: $50 O Undergraduate: $35 O Student (12 – 18): $20 O Senior (62+): $20 O Commercial sponsor: $250

What personal or professional skills will you contribute as a member of the Steelhead and

Salmon Conservation Society?

O Process Restoration: forestland, floodplain, wetland O Science: Fisheries, Wildlife, Soils, Hydrology, Geology. Economy O Legal O Membership development O Communication O Marketing O Project Management O Other _____________________