Greens Announce They'll Sue Over Planned Hatchery For De-Dammed Elwha River - Seattle PI

[hatrack]

SEATTLE (AP) — The removal of two dams on the Elwha River in Washington state is expected to open miles of river for thousands of wild salmon and steelhead, but wild-fish advocates say that recovery can only be fully realized if hatchery fish aren't allowed in the river.

Several wild-fish advocates plan to sue federal and state agencies over a controversial fish hatchery built as part of the $325 million Elwha River restoration project. They say the hatchery threatens the recovery of salmon and other imperiled fish, and that the process did not go through proper review.

The groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue last week, naming the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries Service, the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and others. The groups planning to sue are Wild Fish Conservancy, the Wild Steelhead Coalition and The Conservation Angler, all based in Washington state, along with the Montana-based Federation of Fly Fishers Steelhead Committee.

Last week marked a milestone in the dam removal project, as an excavator began chipping away at the top of Glines Canyon Dam. Over the weekend, hundreds of people including U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gathered at the Elwha Dam to celebrate the largest dam removal project in the U.S. The project is expected to last three years and eventually restore the river to its wild state and restore salmon.

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http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Wild-fish-groups-to-sue-over-Elwha-River-hatchery-2177879.php