H-0809.1                  _______________________________________________

                                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4003

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Representatives Mastin, Rayburn, Lisk, Sheahan, Grant, Bray, Ludwig, Chandler, Schoesler, Ballard, Foreman, Roland, Edmondson, Lemmon and Hansen

Read first time 01/25/93.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development.

Concerning the preservation of salmon.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, AND THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY FOR CIVIL WORKS:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The Columbia-Snake River system provides habitat for approximately two million five hundred thousand salmon, which are important to the environmental and cultural heritage of the citizens of the State of Washington; and

          WHEREAS, The Columbia-Snake River system provides substantial economic benefits to the citizens of the State of Washington in the areas of agriculture, navigation, fisheries, energy, industry, recreation, and flood control; and

          WHEREAS, Certain species of salmon have been designated as threatened or endangered under the authority granted by the Endangered Species Act; and

          WHEREAS, Your Memorialists are committed to protecting threatened and endangered salmon species and to preserving and enhancing existing salmon runs by means of the most biologically effective, least costly alternative; and

          WHEREAS, Fisheries biologists from a variety of disciplines have identified a range of causes of mortality at each stage of the salmon's life cycle, and have agreed that recovery measures must address causes of mortality at each stage of the life cycle; and

          WHEREAS, There is a great uncertainty regarding the biological benefits to salmon of some of the proposed solutions, including increased stream velocity; and

          WHEREAS, Drawdowns below minimum operating pool on the Snake River, as demonstrated by the test drawdowns conducted in March 1992, provided limited migration benefits for the salmon, caused the loss of as many as thirty thousand resident fish, disrupted navigation, and caused substantial physical property damage to public and private facilities; and

          WHEREAS, Maintaining reservoir levels at minimum operating pool, and minimum irrigation pool on the John Day reservoir, enables the river system to support critical economic activity;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that further drawdowns on the Columbia-Snake River system be limited to minimum operating pool or minimum irrigation pool on the John Day reservoir; and

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

                                                           --- END ---