Closures of National Fish Hatcheries That Were Constructed for Mitigation and Other Purposes

Number: 1983-25

WHEREAS, the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico filed suit on March 9, 1983, against Secretary of Interior James Watt concerning the closure and transfer to another agency of the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery in Utah which was constructed by the Department for mitigation; and

WHEREAS, this hatchery was built with funds from the Bureau of Reclamation to supply rainbow trout for water authorized under the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) Act of 1956 for mitigation; and

WHEREAS, Congress has provided annual funds to the Department of Interior to operate not only Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery since its construction in 1970 but also other operational funds needed for authorized CRSP facilities; and

WHEREAS, water authorized under the CRSP Act located in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico will have rainbow trout plants reduced by two-thirds because of the closure of the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery; and

WHEREAS, fish and wildlife benefits were recognized project features of CRSP developments and if the rainbow trout stocking is reduced by two-thirds, the fish and wildlife benefits will also be greatly reduced and the states will suffer substantial economic losses; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Interior is attempting to close or transfer numerous other National Fish Hatcheries that presently provide fish for mitigation purposes or produce anadromous fish;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1983, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hereby urges that Congress immediately provide and the Department of Interior use funds in sufficient amounts to assure that rainbow trout production from the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery continues at or above its current level and the production be made available to qualifying CRSP waters; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress recognize the need for continued funding for all existing national fish hatcheries that were established for the purposes of mitigation, the production of fish for mitigation, and the production of anadromous fish.