Continued from page 2Freshwater Fisheries
.
{Illegal Sale of Eels. On Oct. 7, 1997, two New York State commercial fishermen had their commercial fishing licenses revoked and were fined and placed on five-years probation for illegally selling contaminated eels taken from Lake Ontario. The eels were subsequently pickled and shipped to eastern European markets.} [Assoc Press].
{Tribal Fisheries Jurisdiction. On Oct. 6, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe challenging state regulation of fishing by non-Indians and non-tribal members on private property and a narrow strip of federal land along the Missouri River on Indian reservations in SD. However, the Lower Brule and Cheyenne River Sioux have negotiated agreements with the Corps of Engineers allowing the tribes to regulate fishing on Corps land along the Missouri River on their reservations.} [Assoc Press].
Algae Warning Label. In late September 1997, OR health officials urged, and the state Dept. of Agriculture proposed, that all blue-green algae products harvest in Upper Klamath Lake for sale as food supplements by six companies carry a warning label against heavy consumption due to possible trace amounts of liver toxins called microcystins. Products proven to have less than one part per million of the toxin would be exempt from the labeling requirement. Public comment on the proposal will be received until Oct. 15, 1997. [Assoc Press].
AK Subsistence Fisheries. On Sept. 30, 1997, language was incorporated into H.R. 2107, Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, by conference committee to postpone federal management of AK subsistence fisheries until Dec. 1, 1998, to allow additional time for a Nov. 1998 state vote on modifying the AK state constitution. [Assoc Press].
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Hearing. The House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans held a hearing on H.R. 2376, a bill to reauthorize and amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act for Sept. 25, 1997. [personal communication].
Mining Impact Report. On Sept. 16, 1997, the Mineral Policy Center was scheduled to release its report "Golden Dreams, Poisoned Streams" focusing on the effects of mining on water resources. [personal communication].
Redband Rainbow Trout Agreement. In mid-September 1997, ranchers joined the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, OR Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in signing a voluntary agreement to increase protection afforded redband rainbow trout and tui chub in the Catlow Valley in southwest OR, by restoring damaged stream habitat. [Assoc Press] .Pfiesteria? On Sept. 13, 1997, lesions were discovered on menhaden in the Chicamacomico River in Dorchester County, MD; a six-mile stretch of this River was closed to fishing and boating on Sept. 14. In mid-September 1997, NC State Univ. officials announced plans to build a $1 million research center devoted exclusively to the study of Pfiesteria. In mid-September 1997, MD Governor Glendening provided $2 million to MD farmers for winter cover crops. This money was allocated within two days, with farmers pledging to plant 99,000 acres in grain this fall. In mid-September 1997, although a VA Commonwealth Univ. scientist reported that 40% of the largemouth bass and suckers in the James River near Richmond had sores or lesions, no dead fish were seen and Pfiesteria was not identified. On Sept. 15, 1997, VA officials reported that 75% of the menhaden sampled on the Rappahannock River had lesions. On Sept. 16, 1997, VA's Health Commissioner announced that VA would create an independent team of medical experts to assess Pfiesteria's effects on human health, after learning that MD officials declined to release information on their studies of 28 individuals reported to have suffered harm from contact with Pfiesteria toxins. On Sept. 17, 1997, VA Governor George Allen ordered the VA Dept. of Health to create a Pfiesteria epidemiology research unit and authorized $2.3 million for Pfiesteria research, including transferring $600,000 in contingency funds to the new unit and designating $200,000 for the purchase of a scanning electron microscope and training of researchers working on the Pfiesteria issue. On Sept. 17, 1997, VA Institute of Marine Science biologists were reported to have found lesions on 86 of 92 menhaden taken from the Great Wicomico River. On Sept. 17, 1997, the state-organized team of MD physicians announced its findings, reaffirming earlier suspicions that Pfiesteria may cause human illness, including memory loss and inability to concentrate. On Sept. 19, 1997, governors and state officials from 6 mid-Atlantic states (MD, VA, NC, DE, PA, and WV) met in Annapolis, MD, to consider a coordinated response to Pfiesteria. Mid-Atlantic governors and state officials signed an Agreement of Regional Cooperation pledging to jointly request assistance from the federal government to deal with Pfiesteria and to share data and monitoring results. On Sept. 22, 1997, an 11-member MD gubernatorial commission began 6 weeks of discussions aimed at formulating MD's response to Pfiesteria. On Sept. 24, 1997, the Associated Press reported that several mid-Atlantic grocery chains adopted corporate policy in early September 1997, to not purchase or sell certain items of MD or Chesapeake Bay seafood while Pfiesteria was a concern. Spokespeople for these chains indicated that increased consumer rejection of local seafood caused them to adopt this policy. On Sept. 25, 1997, the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight's Subcommittee on Human Resources held a pair of oversight hearings on the state and federal public health response to Pfiesteria outbreaks. On Sept. 25, 1997, the House agreed to an amendment to H.R. 2267, Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, that would provide to NOAA $3 million to respond to Pfiesteria and $1 million for the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. On Sept. 25, 1997, S. 1219, the Pfiesteria Research Act of 1997, was introduced in the U.S. Senate. On Sept. 25, 1997, three mid-Atlantic grocery chains announced that, in response to an appeal from MD Governor Glendening, they had reversed policy and would restock seafood from mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay waters unaffected by Pfiesteria. On Sept. 26, 1997, H.R. 2565, to establish a research and grant program on Pfiesteria, was introduced in the U.S. House. On Sept. 26, 1997, MD Governor Glendening announced that MD would spend $500,000 to develop a marketing plan to promote MD seafood sales that have been harmed by Pfiesteria concerns. On Sept. 26, 1997, the House/Senate conference committee on H.R. 2158, Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, approved $3 million for the {Environmental Protection Agency's use in funding Pfiesteria research and to support monitoring, public education, and inter-agency coordination efforts.} On Sept. 26, 1997, scientists from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that they had isolated two toxins from Pfiesteria. One toxin reportedly caused lesions on fish while the second toxin damaged the fish's nervous system. On Sept. 29-30, 1997, scientists from the District of Columbia and eight coastal states gathered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA, for a workshop to plan a multi-state program to provide additional information on the human health effects of exposure to Pfiesteria toxins. On Sept. 30, 1997, officials of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that CDC was beginning a multi-state study of the association between Pfiesteria and human illness. In early October 1997, MD officials stated that nine more people had reported illness possibly related to Pfiesteria, including seven state workers who tested Chicamacomico River water, a swimmer in contact with Nanticoke River water and a diver in contact with Wicomico Creek water. On Oct. 2, 1997, MD officials confirmed that a Pfiesteria-like organism has been identified in water from the Chicamacomico River. Seven individuals were reported to have contacted a VA hotline with symptoms of illness possibly related to Pfiesteria exposure in three different, but unidentified, waterways. {On Oct. 2, 1997, sampling on the Chicamacomico River and Kings Creek revealed more than 20% of the fish with lesions.} On Oct. 3, 1997, a VA task force studying Pfiesteria held a public meeting at the VA Institute of Marine Science to explain its research. {On Oct. 3, 1997, MD and VA officials reopened waters of the lower Pocomoke River to public use. MD officials released new guidelines that would allow waterways to be reopened two weeks after signs of fish kills or erratic fish activity cease. On Oct. 6, 1997, the VA House of Delegates Committee on the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tributaries met to take testimony on the Pfiesteria situation. On Oct. 6, 1997, officials of the FL Dept. of Environmental Protection took action to convene a task force to examine the threat of Pfiesteria to FL citizens and resources. On Oct. 8, 1997, U.S. Geological Survey scientists reported that analysis of Chesapeake Bay sediment cores revealed that Pfiesteria-like organisms inhabited the Bay thousands of years ago. On Oct. 8, 1997, VA officials reported that preliminary medical tests indicate the Pfiesteria-like symptoms of four individuals were not likely related to exposure to Pfiesteria toxin. On Oct 9, 1997, the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans held} a hearing on Pfiesteria and its impact on fishery resources. [Subcommittee press release, Assoc Press, Reuters, personal communication, Congr. Record, U.S. Geological Survey press release] . Marine Mammals
.
Keiko. In early October 1997, the Associated Press reported increasing discord between the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation over Keiko's care, health, and rehabilitation techniques. {On Oct. 1, 1997, the Board of the Oregon Coast Aquarium requested an independent evaluation of Keiko's health, claiming that the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation has not regularly shared medical and rehabilitation information with the Aquarium. On Oct. 3, 1997, officials of the OR Veterinary Medical Examining Board announced that the Board was initiating an investigation of Keiko's care and the legality of current arrangements for such care. On Oct. 7, 1997, the OR Veterinary Medical Association recommended that an independent team composed of NMFS, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine personnel be formed to render an unbiased opinion on Keiko's health and fitness for possible release.} [Assoc Press, Oregon Coast Aquarium press release, Free Willy-Keiko Foundation press release, OR Veterinary Medical Association press release].
Canadian Seal Cull. As of Oct. 1, 1997, Canadian fisheries officers had killed 17 seals in the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island near Courtenay, BC, in Canada's first seal cull aimed at protecting vulnerable salmon and trout populations. Another 23 seals are expected to be killed during the next week. [Assoc Press].
Greenland Whaling. In late September 1997, Greenland's Organization of Fishermen and Hunters submitted a demand to Greenland Home Rule authorities that they be allowed an increased annual catch of 10 humpback whales, 21 fin whales, and 275 minke whales. This exceeds the current aboriginal subsistence allocation by the International Whaling Commission of 19 fin whales and 167 minke whales. [High North Alliance News].
Amazon River Dolphins. On Sept. 25, 1997, the Dallas World Aquarium notified NMFS that it was withdrawing its application to import four Amazon river dolphins from Venezuela for captive exhibition. [Assoc Press].
WA State's Sea Lion Authorization. On Sept. 25, 1997, NMFS officials announced that they had extended, for four years, WA state's authorization to kill CA sea lions that gather at Ballard Locks to feed on migrating steelhead trout. The state can remove only predatory sea lions that have been observed killing fish between Jan. 1 and May 31, and only after non-lethal deterrence methods have been tried. [Assoc Press].
October IWC Meeting. On Sept. 25, 1997, Japanese officials announced that Ireland will propose a ban on research whaling at the October 1997 IWC meeting. [Reuters, Dow Jones News].
Round Island Subsistence Walrus Hunt. On Sept. 20, 1997, the Qayssiq (Round Island) Walrus Commission will open a month-long subsistence walrus hunt on Round Island in Bristol Bay, AK, with approval from the AK Dept. of Fish and Game. The quota was doubled this year to 20 animals. [Assoc Press].
Russian Bowhead Whale Harvest. On Sept. 10, 1997, Russia notified the International Whaling Commission that it will permit five bowhead whales to be taken in 1997 for aboriginal subsistence by communities in northeast Siberia. Russian gave these communities permits to kill two bowhead whales in 1996. [High North Alliance News]
Items in this summary are excerpted from a variety of information sources. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is not responsible for the accuracy of the various news items.
| Top | Back |
 NetPets® Main Page |  The Fish Center |