Updated Wallace River hatchery genetic management plan available for review

November 7, 2012 Contact: Heather Bartlett, 360-902-2662 Updated Wallace River hatchery genetic management plan available for review OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will accept public comments through Dec. 7 on an updated draft management plan that will be used by the agency to guide hatchery operations on the Wallace River. The draft plan, known as a Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP), describes the operation of the hatchery program for summer chinook salmon in the Snohomish River Basin and the potential effects of the program on wild fish species - including salmon and steelhead - that are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The draft plan is available for review on WDFW's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/hatcheries/hgmp/ ) or at the department's office in Olympia. To schedule an appointment to review the plan in person, call (360) 902-2782. Comments on the draft HGMP can be submitted by U.S. mail to Hatcheries at 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA, 98501, or by email at HGMP-PScomments@dfw.wa.gov . WDFW has updated the draft HGMP to better reflect current efforts to protect and restore wild salmon in the Snohomish River Basin, said Heather Bartlett, hatchery division manager for the department. Public comments, WDFW's response and any resulting modifications to the draft HGMP will be posted on the department's website. The finalized HGMP will be forwarded to NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for implementing the ESA. NOAA Fisheries is currently working to produce a final environmental impact statement on the effect of hatchery programs on protected salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River and Puget Sound. In the coming weeks, WDFW will be seeking public comment on updated and revised draft HGMPs for other hatchery programs in Puget Sound. Those draft plans also will be posted on WDFW's website.