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Kitsap,
WA - 3/8/02 -A scientific panel appointed by the National
Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) has issued a report
calling the federal agency’s sport and commercial
harvest levels for salmon “biologically
unsustainable.”
In 1999, fisherman caught about 970,000
salmon, including a percentage of stock listed for
protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The
report criticizes NMFS for not doing enough to protect the
endangered fish.
In an interview before the report was
released, Bob Lohn, newly appointed Northwest regional
director for NMFS, said salmon and ESA are an awkward fit.
“The law wasn’t written to take into account that one
of our motives is to kill ‘em and eat ‘em,” said
Lohn.
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