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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2016)
12A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2016 Cormorants: Lawsuit against culling continues Continued from Page 1A Judge: Sanctioned slaughter oI ¿sheating Eirds EroNe laZ The Corps can kill 3,114 double-crested cormorants, 93 Brandt’s cormorants and 9 Pelagic cormorants. The other two species are allowed because some birds that are not dou- ble-crested cormorants will be PLVLGHQWL¿HGDQGVKRW The permit also allows the Corps to destroy 5,247 cormo- rant nests through egg addling by coating eggs with 100 per- cent corn oil, which suffocates the growing embryo inside the shell. However, the Corps is unlikely to begin this year’s pro- gram until more of the cormo- rants show up in the estuary and begin nesting. “The double-crested cor- morants have not arrived in the Columbia River estuary in num- EHUVVLJQL¿FDQWHQRXJKWREHJLQ culling activities,” Corps spokes- woman Amy Echols said. 6RPH¿VKIDUPVFDQ¶WNLOO ELUGVWRVDYHRWKHU¿VK By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press Lawsuit pending The Audubon Society of Port- land, along with four other con- servation and animal welfare JURXSV¿OHGDODZVXLWLQODWH$SULO 2015 to stop the Corps from ini- tiating its cormorant management plan. The suit lists the Corps, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice and Wildlife Services as defendants. The lawsuit alleged that the killing could jeopardize the entire Western population of dou- ble-crested cormorants. A motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the culling plan immediately was denied in May by presiding Judge Michael H. Simon. The lawsuit has continued as ERWKVLGHVDJUHHGWRSUHVHQW¿QDO oral arguments before Simon in early March, but that was postponed. Big increase in colony The colony of cormorants on the island increased from about 100 breeding pairs in 1989 to more than 15,000 pairs in 2013, according to the Corps. Roy Western/For EO Media Group A cormorant grooms itself, an important process that helps its ability to dive in pursuit of small fish. Cormo- rants’ preference for migrating young salmon is leading to the second year of a federal campaign to lower their numbers of East Sand Island near Chinook, Wash. As the populations of cormo- rants grew, along with popula- tions of gulls and Caspian terns, so did the number of juvenile salmon and steelhead they eat while the juveniles migrate down the Columbia River on their jour- ney to the ocean. The number is estimated to be 12 million juve- niles and many are species listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Ultimately the Corps plan will cut the size of the cormorant breeding colony on East Sand Island — believed to be the larg- est in the world — to between 5,380 and 5,939 breeding pairs. The colony accounts for 98 per- cent of the double-crested cor- morant breeding population in the estuary. 7KH&RUSVUHFHLYHGLWV¿UVW one-year depredation permit from Fish and Wildlife last year, allowing the Corps to take 3,489 double-crested cormo- rants and oil and destroy 5,879 nests, 105 Brandt’s cormorants and 10 pelagic cormorants through this January. It must apply annually for the permit. Wildlife Services began its activities in May, ending the ¿UVW\HDURIFXOOLQJ2FWZLWK 1,707 birds lethally removed and 5,089 oiled nests. Hazing begins Meanwhile, harassment, or “hazing”, of double-crested The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted improperly when it allowed tens of thousands of migratory aquatic birds to be shot each year WRSURWHFWIDUPHGDQGVSRUW¿VKSRSXODWLRQVD federal judge has ruled. The agency said it lacked resources for a “hard look” at either the long-range environ- mental effects of or possible alternatives to its decisions about double-crested cormorants, DQGWKDWMXVWLVQ¶WDJRRGUHDVRQ86'LVWULFW -XGJH-RKQ'%DWHVZURWH7KHGHFLVLRQGRHV QRWLPSDFWWKHQRUWKZHVWLQFOXGLQJ2UHJRQ Letting that stand could gut the National Environmental Protection Act, “since many an agency would frequently so argue,” wrote Bates, a federal judge in Washington. He ruled in March on a pair of orders that opponents say let people kill up to 160,000 double-crested cormorants each year to protect VSRUW ¿VK LQ VWDWHV HDVW RI WKH 0LVVLVVLSSL 5LYHUDQGIDUPHG¿VKLQRIWKRVHVWDWHV “The Service is reviewing and studying the decision,” Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman cormorants is set to begin soon LQVHYHUDODUHDVDORQJWKH2UH- gon Coast to improve survival of juvenile salmon. 7KH VSHFLHV LV DQ 2UHJRQ native, and is particularly prev- alent on the state’s estuaries GXULQJ $SULO WKURXJK 2FWREHU Research indicates cormorants FDQ FRQVXPH VLJQL¿FDQW QXP- bers of juvenile salmon during this time period. To reduce the threat to \RXQJ¿VKWKH2UHJRQ'HSDUW- ment of Fish and Wildlife is ZRUNLQJZLWKVHYHUDOQRQSUR¿W and local governmental organi- zations to haze cormorants on six coastal estuaries over the next two to four months. Hazing will involve driving Laury Parramore said in an email Wednesday. The advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sued the govern- ment to stop the practice, which is known as “lethal removal.” )LVKDQG:LOGOLIHKDVDOORZHG¿VKIDUPHUV to kill cormorants that were eating or about to HDW¿VKLQWKHLUSRQGVVLQFH)LYH\HDUV later, it said Indian tribes and state and federal wildlife agents could kill those eating or about WRHDW³SXEOLFUHVRXUFHVRI¿VK´7KRVHRUGHUV KDYHEHHQUHQHZHGHYHU\¿YH\HDUV 7KH ¿VK IDUP RUGHU FRYHUV $ODEDPD Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lou- isiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Caro- OLQD 2NODKRPD 6RXWK &DUROLQD 7HQQHVVHH and Texas. The other one applies to those states plus Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, 0LVVRXUL1HZ<RUN2KLR9HUPRQW:HVW9LU- ginia and Wisconsin. The renewal extending their effect from 2014 to 2019 didn’t even “bother to update” population estimates, but copied estimates from 2009 about the likely populations in 2014, Bates wrote. The advocacy group’s attorney, Laura 'XPDLVVDLGLQDVWDWHPHQW:HGQHVGD\³7KH service can no longer Xerox forward stale and unsupported practices simply because it will not take the time to consider alternatives.” the birds from locations where juvenile salmon are season- ally concentrated, toward areas ZKHUH QRQVDOPRQ ¿VK VSH- cies are more abundant. Work- ers will use boats and, on some estuaries, small pyrotechnics, to accomplish the task. Hazing is intended to increase the survival of both wild-spawned and hatch- ery salmon juveniles as they migrate to the ocean. Some of these spring migrants represent species that are at risk, including coho salmon, which is federally WKUHDWHQHGLQ2UHJRQXQGHUWKH Endangered Species Act. Hazing workers are being provided by the Clatsop County Fisheries Project, Port The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. Seafood: Processors jockey for pier space Continued from Page 1A 2QH RI WKH FRPSDQ\¶V ELJ- gest opponents over the years KDVEHHQFRPPHUFLDO¿VKHUPDQ and Port Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, who vowed Tues- GD\WRRSSRVH'D<DQJ¶VPRVW recent expansion plans. “We’re not telling any- body this space is available,” Hunsinger said, arguing the Port should open bidding on the United Coast space to the pub- lic instead of allowing Born- VWHLQ DQG 'D <DQJ WR PRQRS- olize the local seafood market. “You’ve advertised it, Bill,” responded Commissioner James Campbell, intimating Hunsinger had told his friends LQWKH¿VKLQJLQGXVWU\DERXWWKH space. The Port’s attorney, Tim Ramis, said the agency has the choice, but no obligation, to go out for public bid on the space. He said the Port should also consider the legal impli- cations of abandoning negotia- WLRQVZLWK'D<DQJWKLVIDULQWR the process. The Port was sued recently by the Param Hotel Group after negotiations with the company on the Astoria Riverwalk Inn broke down. The Port Commis- sion ultimately decided to open the future operation of the Riv- erwalk Inn to public bidding. Knight said Hunsinger raised a good point about when the Port should go out to pub- lic bid, but added the Port VKRXOGQ¶WWU\WR¿JXUHWKDWLVVXH out in the eleventh hour of QHJRWLDWLRQVZLWK'D<DQJ of Nehalem, Port of Bandon, North Coast Salmon and Steel- head Enhancement Fund, and Alsea Sportsmen’s Associa- WLRQ2'):ZLOOSURYLGHDSRU- tion of the funding and program oversight, and will conduct some hazing operations itself to protect hatchery releases on the Lower Columbia River. Hazing was to start last week and continue through May 31 on the Nehalem, Nestucca, and Coquille river estuaries, and on Tillamook and Alsea bays. The program will continue through at least July 31 on the Lower Columbia River, where hazing will occur at a variety of loca- tions, including Youngs Bay, Blind Slough, and Tongue Point. www.eomediagroup.com 3rd Annual RUN ON THE RIVER Along the beautiful Columbia River on the Astoria Riverwalk Trail HALF MARATHON • 10K • 5K SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016 Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian The Port of Astoria is negotiating a deal with Da Yang that would have the company take over space in the Pier 2 processing warehouse leased by the defunct United Coast Seafoods. exchange for helping to pay for the new dock, the company wanted the opportunity to build a 40,000-square-foot cold stor- age and freight depot, which Wang estimated would add 20 to 30 local jobs. Growing pains $ VLJQHG OHDVH IURP 'D 'D<DQJ KDV WULHG PXOWLSOH times to expand its footprint on <DQJZDVRQ¿OHZLWKWKH3RUW Pier 2, most recently in com- for at least eight months, but petition with Bornstein for a never signed by the Port Com- vacant space in the warehouse mission. The commission had left by Marine Spill Response discussed saving the dock for DQ DV\HW XQVSHFL¿HG FDUJR Corp. 'D<DQJ¶VORFDOSODQWPDQ- operation, with Hunsinger lead- ager, Chang Lee, said the com- LQJWKHRSSRVLWLRQWR'D<DQJ¶V pany wanted to invest $5 mil- expansion. The unsigned lease lion to $6 million to build cold was cited as a main reason storage. Bornstein’s proposal former Port Commissioners to store packaging in the site Ric Gerttula and Jack Bland resigned in May 2014. eventually won out. /DVW\HDU'D<DQJWULHGWR pay for part of a new dock on Merry-go-round the east side of Pier 2, where of owners the Port received a $1 million Knight said United Coast JUDQW IURP WKH VWDWH 'HSDUW- Seafoods still has product ment of Transportation. In in the freezers on Pier 2, but Bornstein Seafoods recent- ly acquired more cold stor- age and processing space after taking over the lease of Astoria Pacific Seafoods in the middle of the Port of Astoria’s Pier 2 warehouse. File Photo Half Marathon Walkers: 8:00AM Half Marathon Runners: 9:00AM 10K: 10:00AM 5K: 11:00AM 5k - $45 • 10k - $60 • Half Marathon - $95 RECEIVE T-SHIRT & MEDAL PRIZES FOR TOP MALE & FEMALE FINISHERS COMPLIMENTARY LUNCH & BEVERAGE FROM BUOY BEER COMPANY #runontheriver Register at www.astoriaparks.com 2016 SEASON TRYOUTS hasn’t processed seafood in the warehouse since late sum- mer or early fall of last year. ,Q 2FWREHU VHDIRRG QHZV RXW- let Undercurrent News reported WKDW 8QLWHG &RDVW ¿QDQFLDOO\ backed by private equity group CounterPoint Capital Partners, was liquidating its assets amid a weak market for sardines, squid and other near-shore species in California because of warm El Niño water conditions. Nearly three years ago, the Port transferred space at the south end of the warehouse from longtime tenant West Bay Marketing Inc. to West Bay Marketing LLC, a subsidiary of the larger California-based processing company Tomich Bros., which had been acquired in 2011 by CounterPoint as the equity group acquired several other West Coast seafood pro- cessors, according to Undercur- rent News. COMPETITIVE FASTPITCH SOFTBALL FOR NORTH COAST GIRLS ( AGES 8-13) Date: Time: April 9 th , 2016 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM ( AGE GROUP 10 U ) Location: Warrenton High School RAIN OR SHINE Fee: $10 ( FOR NEW PLAYERS ) To Pre-Register or questions leave message on North Coast Merchant Facebook page or email Staci Miethe: stacimiethe@msn.com
