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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2017)
16 S moke S ignals JUNE 15, 2017 Tribal chair testifies against increased lamprey harvest Commission approves temporary measure in 4-3 vote By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor SALEM – Tribal Council Chair- man Reyn Leno testified unsuc- cessfully against an Oregon Fish & Wildlife Department temporary rule on Friday, June 9, that will allow increased harvesting time of lamprey at Wil- lamette Falls and potentially place added stresses on Reyn Leno the sensitive spe- cies. Leno was accompanied by Trib- al Council Vice Chair Cheryle A. Kennedy, Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr., Tribal Attorney Rob Greene, Natural Resources Department Manager Michael Wil- son and Fish and Wildlife Program Manager Kelly Dirksen. After Kennedy and Giffen pre- sented each Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission member with a photo of Tribal member Andrew Freeman harvesting salmon at Willamette Falls in June 2016 — the first Trib- al member to do so in approximate- ly 120 years — Leno launched into his testimony that questioned the department’s proposed temporary rule establishing more hours and the lack of consultation with the Grand Ronde Tribe. Leno reminded commission mem- bers that Willamette Falls is within the ceded lands of the Grand Ronde Tribe and that he and Kennedy are direct descendants of John Wache- no, who was the Willamette Falls caretaker and signed the Willa- mette Valley Treaty in 1855. Leno also read a list of Tribal activities that Grand Ronde has participated in to track and help Pacific lamprey recover. “The Pacific lamprey is an Oregon state sensitive species,” Leno said. “It is a culturally significant spe- cies for Grand Ronde. Population numbers for lamprey continue to trend downward. Grand Ronde is very concerned about the health of the Pacific lamprey. The Tribe is the steward of both its natural resources and its culturally sig- nificant resources. Protection and promotion of these resources is a core value of the Tribe. “The Tribe engages in lamprey harvests, but recognizes that it must be in a way that protects the health and vitality of the species.” Leno said the temporary rule extending the harvest season from four to six days a week in June and July was poorly publicized and that the Grand Ronde Tribe did not re- ceive notification until May 24 and the actual revised rule until two days later. “Grand Ronde has a great re- lationship with ODFW staff and respect the work they do,” Leno said. “Due to our concerns about sustainable harvest, we would have liked to have had the opportunity to provide ODFW with the Tribe’s input prior to the rule going into effect.” Leno said that he did not think there was a good reason not to seek Tribal input regarding the proposed temporary rule since it was not a time-sensitive issue. “Adoption of the rule should have been done with adequate notice and consultation,” he said. “Any rule that can lead to an increased har- vest must be supported by science or data that demonstrates the re- sources can be sustained long term for seven generations to come.” Leno said that lamprey are in “trouble” because of increasing numbers of sea lions wintering at the Falls and putting Pacific lam- prey at greater risk. “I think sea lions are just going to bring a whole new issue to the table for Willamette Falls,” Leno said. California sea lions are consum- ing salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and lamprey at Willamette Falls. According to the state Fish & Wild- life Department, sea lions ate an estimated 14 percent of wild win- ter steelhead waiting to enter the Falls’ ladder and 9 percent of both wild and hatchery spring Chinook salmon, 4 percent of the summer steelhead run and frequently ate lamprey and white sturgeon. “We ask that the commission not ratify the change to open fish- requests for some more flexibility over the four days in some way. “The requests typ- ically are around the fact that for some of the participants there is a significant amount of travel coming over to the Falls and they have asked for consideration and flexibility getting over here.” Kern said that the temporary rule would provide that flexibility, but that he does not want to see a significant increase in lamprey harvest numbers. Kern said that the average lamprey pop- ulation at Willamette Falls is about 188,000 and the annual harvest Photo by Rob Greene is about 4,000 lamprey, Tribal Council Vice Chair Cheryle A. Kennedy and or about 2 percent. He Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. distributed said the harvest used to photos of Tribal member Andrew Freeman be about 30,000 a year harvesting salmon at Willamette Falls in 2016 before the department during the Friday, June 9, Oregon Department essentially stopped of Fish & Wildlife Commission meeting held in lamprey harvesting by Salem. They distributed copies to all commission anyone other than Trib- al peoples. members, including Chairman Michael Finley, Providing that travel center. Kennedy and Giffen accompanied Tribal flexibility did not sit Council Chairman Reyn Leno, who testified well with Commission against a temporary one-year rule that will member Bruce Buck- provide more hours for harvesting of lamprey at master of Astoria, who the Falls. The commission adopted the rule in a said that the season is split 4-3 vote. set well in advance and that Tribal members who live far away have plenty of ing days,” Leno said. “We believe notice. He added that travel con- that the four day per week season siderations have rarely been used should be reinstated. Also, we ask to change a hunting or fishing sea- for the adoption of a rule that pro- son in Oregon, calling it a “dicey hibits lamprey harvest during flash excuse.” board installations. We believe that “This looks like an accommodation no rule that leads to greater harvest for people traveling a long way,” he should be adopted until the nec- said. “But we are not particularly in- essary work is done to determine terested in expanding the number of sustainable harvest levels for this lamprey harvested. Just accommo- species of concern.” dating travel issues. So why would Flash boards are installed in the we look at this, a 60-day season, so river by Portland General Electric eight weeks … did we consider the to increase river flows through the option of giving a couple weeks with mill to generate electricity, Dirk- an expanded time frame? There are sen said. They temporarily strand ways to accommodate the travel lamprey and allow Tribal members time issue while ensuring that you to harvest vulnerable lamprey at are not creating more actual hours that time. on the river.” Later in the meeting, commis- Commission member Greg Wol- sion members debated adopting ley of Portland said he was con- nine temporary rules as presented cerned about the lack of notification by Director Curt Melcher, which to Tribes, seeking their input. included the rule expanding the Commission member Holly Aken- lamprey harvest season. son of Enterprise said she favored Chris Kern, principal executive testing the temporary one-year rule manager in the department’s Fish since it would only be for this year Division, said that the reason for and that the department is being expanding the lamprey harvest cautious in allowing harvest rates opportunities was to accommodate to increase. eastern Oregon and Washington “I don’t see significant harm in Tribal members who have to travel a one-year change in the rules,” long distances to Willamette Falls. Akenson said. Curran said the department has The commission eventually voted issued permits to eight Tribes to 4-3 to allow the rule to take effect. harvest lamprey at Willamette The majority of commissioners said Falls, including the Nez Perce in the temporary rule was “conser- eastern Washington. vative” and that since high water “Over the last several years, is still flowing over the Falls nine I’ve had conversations with many days into the lamprey harvest of the folks I work with as other season, preventing any harvest managers, not speaking to Tribal activities, that there probably will Councils, but management staff not be much of a lamprey take this from some of the other Tribes,” year anyway. Kern said. “I have been hearing