Elwha Hatchery Suit Leads To Agreement Between Parties

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the four conservation groups that filed suit to prevent the tribe from planting hatchery fish in the newly opened Elwha River have come to an agreement to not release any hatchery fish in the river for the remainder of 2012.  The four groups, Wild Fish Conservancy, The Conservation Angler, the Federation of Fly Fishers Steelhead Committee, and the Wild Steelhead Coalition, agreed to drop their suit seeking a preliminary injunction, or a plea for the federal government to intervene and prevent the planting of fish, so long as the Tribe agreed to postpone the program.

Kurt Beardslee, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy stated, “We hope to expand the agreement through future discussions with the Tribe and the agencies, so the Elwha’s wild fish have a better chance to recover and recolonize this magnificent river.”