Washington is the only state with endangered salmon and steelhead that still allows recreational suction dredge mining with almost no regulatory oversight. The small amount of gold they find isn’t worth the cost to the salmon. The miners are looking for gold and precious stones, but for most it’s a weekend hobby. Suction dredge mining also stirs up highly toxic mercury from streambeds and sets it loose in the water again. The results are erosion, loss of streamside vegetation, higher water temperatures and decreased water quality, all of which can kill salmon and their offspring. The dredged spoils are then dumped back in the stream, further damaging salmon habitat. Suction dredge mining destroys salmon habitat when miners enter streams with a powerful pump mounted on a small raft to suction tons of gravel and sediment – and sometimes fish and fish eggs – from the bottom of a stream. More than 160 tribes, conservation and environmental groups, and regulatory agencies also support the bill. Tribes support ESHB 1261, which would prohibit suction dredge mining in Washington’s rivers and streams that provide critical spawning and rearing habitat for salmon, steelhead and bull trout. Treaty tribes are encouraged that the Washington State Legislature may finally put an end to the destructive practice of suction dredge mining, for the protection of threatened salmon and their habitat as well as southern resident orcas that depend on salmon. As a statement from the NWIFC chair, the column represents the natural resources management interests and concerns of the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Being Frank is a monthly column written by the chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |