Gov. Inslee announces salmon recovery proposal at Swinomish Reservation
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December 22, 2021
WE ARE ALL PEOPLE OF THE SALMON – Gov. Jay Inslee embraced Kim Murphy, daughter of late tribal elder Lorraine Loomis, and her family after his announcement of salmon recovery legislation to restore and maintain riparian habitat at the Swinomish Reservation Dec. 14. – Photo courtesy of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community / Amy Trainer
A two-year journey brought Gov. Jay Inslee to La Conner last week.
Inslee chose Swinomish Reservation as the locale from which to formally announce proposed salmon recovery proposals that have been in the formative stage since 2019.
He chose Swinomish as the site to unveil his salmon initiatives for the 2022 state legislative session, in large measure as a tribute to the late Lorraine Loomis, a Swinomish IndianTribal Community leader who chaired the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission prior to her death in August.
At the heart of the estimated $187 million salmon strategy is the Lorraine Loomis Act, designed to protect key habitat areas.
Speaking beneath one of the tribe’s signature cedar hats at Swadabs Park Dec. 14, Inslee put forward an eight-pronged game plan intended to restore salmon runs across the state. It includes investments in:
* Protection and restoration of vital salmon habitat, the main thrust of the Lorraine Loomis Act;
* Clean water infrastructure upgrades for salmon and people;
* Correction of fish passage barriers and restoration of salmon access to historical habitat;
* Building climate resiliency;
* Alignment of harvest, hatcheries and hydropower with salmon recovery;
* Enhanced commitments and coordination across agencies and programs;
* Addressing predation and food web issues for salmon; and
* Strengthening science, monitoring and accountability.
Inslee said there is little, if any, time to waste when it comes to reviving the state’s salmon resource.
“Salmon need immediate and urgent action to ensure their survival,” he said, identifying salmon recovery as a top priority going forward.
Inslee’s address was attended by representatives of the Swinomish, Tulalip and Nisqually tribal communities, state lawmakers and staff of various state agencies.
The governor said clean water and protected habitat go hand-in-hand with healthy salmon populations.
“We are updating our salmon strategy to provide a comprehensive statewide foundation for salmon recovery,” he said. “This approach is based on the latest science and tailored to address the stressors in the diverse regions of our state, spelling out the many different actions we must take to protect and restore salmon.”
Inslee’s remarks at Swinomish represented a transformational, once-in-a-generation approach to salmon enhancement, according to Erik Neatherlin, director of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.
“The governor’s update to the salmon recovery strategy and his budget proposals represent the most significant state investment in salmon recovery in 20 years,” Neatherlin said. “Combined, these investments will help Washington take significant strides forward in saving this Pacific Northwest icon, which provides jobs, food for starving orcas and important cultural elements for Washington’s sovereign tribes.
“Saving salmon,” he stressed, “helps us all.”
It has been more than 30 years since the Snake River’s Fall Chinook salmon were declared endangered. According to the governor’s office, the federal government has listed 13 additional salmon species in Washington state as endangered or threatened. Those dwindling salmon populations are believed to be pushing Southern Resident orcas closer to extinction.
Inslee’s proposal is intended to improve water quality, decrease stream and river temperatures and reduce nutrient loading – all of which salmon need for spawning, incubating eggs in stream gravel and rearing young smolts.
Alyssa Macy, CEO of the Washington Environmental Council and director of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Kelly Susewind, applaud the approach.
“As our region faces an accelerated climate crisis and as more neighbors move here,” Macy said, “we must invest in adequate and innovative, clean water infrastructure. These investments will help us reduce pollution and ensure healthy waters for fish and forests for generations to come.”
“We know what salmon populations need to recover,” said Susewind. “What we need is the political will and investment to make it happen before it’s too late.
“We take our role and responsibility to recover and co-manage salmon seriously,” Susewind added. “To be successful, it is critical for us to receive adequate resources to improve habitat in the face of changing climate conditions, to improve our capacity to manage and monitor fisheries and to assertively enforce regulations.”
Looming ahead, though, is the often-contentious process – one in which compromise will likely be an essential ingredient – whereby a bill becomes law. Proponents of the legislation have expressed concern that as the salmon recovery measures move through the lawmaking process they might be “watered down” to the point they lack their intended impact.
Supporters of the new salmon strategy say that can’t be allowed to happen.
“This bill is a good start,” Nisqually Chairman Willie Frank, III said, referring specifically to the Lorraine Loomis Act, “but we have a lot of work to do. We were running out of time in 2019.
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