Protecting Wild Salmon Wild salmon are a totem species of vast ecological importance, cultural significance, and economic value. Their increasing disappearance sets in motion a cascade of events that affect the health of other species including human health. To protect wild salmon we must integrate and promote healthy land use decisions and prevent poorly planned growth and detrimental resource extraction. Environmental Commons supports policies and legislation that conserve fish habitat and maintains the evolutionary legacy of wild salmon. We monitor and spotlight key administrative, legislative and statutory changes that are weakening the recovery efforts of wild salmon.

Wild Salmon copyright Will Guyan

8/12/05: NOAA Fisheries reduces critical habitat for Pacific salmon by 80%

The federal government has cut back the critical habitat for 19 species of threatened and endangered Pacific salmon, arguing that an earlier designation demanded by environmentalists was poorly executed and that voluntary habitat improvements will work better. The move... reduces the miles of protected river in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California by 80 percent - from 167,700 miles to 33,300.

Learn more:

• NOAA Fisheries: Endangered Species Act Critical Habitat Designations for West Coast Salmon and Steelhead

Press Articles:

• San Francisco Chronicle: Gov't Cuts Back Pacific Salmon Habitat
• Los Angeles Times: Critical Habitat for Salmon Is Slashed

6/28/05: Pombo anti-Endangered Species Act bill revealed

On 6/28/05, environmentalists obtained Representative Richard Pombo's summary of his planned anti-Endangered Species Act bill. Cynically called the "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005," it actually eliminates essential habitat protections, buries wildlife agencies under a mountain of costly, inefficient bureaucracy, and encourages industry groups to paralyze the government with lawsuits over Byzantine paperwork rules.

It also threatens to throw government regulation of all kinds into chaos by overturning traditional property law to make the federal government pay to regulate private property. This provision would quickly bankrupt federal conservation budgets and spawn lawsuits challenging all federal regulations.

A copy of Pombo's summary and the Center for Biological Diversity's detailed analysis is available.

6/2/05: Protecting the Endangered Species Act

Environmental Commons, represented by Britt Bailey, and other organizations meet with Congressman Thompson to discuss the need to protect the Endangered Species Act.

11/30/04: Help Conserve Salmon Habitat!

Comment Period Ended 3/14/05.   Read: Comments by Environmental Commons

The Bush Administration is proposing an 80% reduction in lands designated as critical habitat. These lands were set aside to assist the recovery of endangered and threatened Pacific salmon. Reducing the habitat for recovering salmon will greatly impact their continued survival and set a terrible precedent for future designations.

Press Articles:

• San Francisco Chronicle: Salmon habitats face cuts / 'Critical' areas to be reduced 80%
• Los Angeles Times: Bush Administration Proposes Slashing Protections for Salmon
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: White House proposes cuts in salmon areas
• New York Times: U.S. Rules Out Dam Removal to Aid Salmon

Related issues:

• Salmon Hatchery Proposed Policy
• Protecting Biodiversity
• How Sediment in Rivers Impairs Salmon