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4 BALANCING FISHERIES MANAGEMENT WITH NATIVE FISH AND THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES MANAGEMENT Mr. Conrad Fjetland, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Albuquerque, provided the report on this subject substituting for Ms. Molly Beattie, Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who regretted not being able to attend the meeting because of other urgent business. FWS development of a policy on the issue of balancing fisheries management with native fish management, has proceeded over the last several years as continued rates of incidents involving traditional fishing and other related issues have accelerated. The effort has proceeded especially rapidly since 1993 when the FWS director (Mr. Babbitt) formed the joint Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC). The SFBPC is comprised of two members of state fish and game departments, two members of the fishing industry and members of other various associated interest groups; Mr. Steve Wilson, (chairman) Director of Wildlife, Arkansas; Mr. Larry Wilson, Director of Iowa Wildlife Department; Mr. Michael Schula, Boating U.S.; someone from the U.S. Marine Council; Mr. Phil Jensen and Mr. Tom Bodell from the boating manufacturers industry. This committee was established under the U.S. Advisory Act to be an advisor to the U.S. Department of the ?nterior (USDI) on sport fish and endangered fish issues. In late 1993 and early 1994, this group submitted to the FWS a plan which listed five objectives, which they agreed needed to be achieved. One of these objectives =as the achievement of balance and use of recreational fisheries and other pursuits in the management of threatened and endangered species in the west. , Based on these recommendations, a meeting of FWS primary personnel and sport fishery and threatened and endangered recovery biologists, was held in 1994 to identify specific problems and to develop a plan. A document came out of that meeting titled U1. S. Fish and Wildlife Amendment to Maintenance and Restoration of Recreational Fisheries, Consistent with the Recovery of Threatened and Endangered Species. The SFBPC also met in September 1994 to develop perspectives of where they think the Federal Government and states should be going on the same issues. This group has developed a position paper (Appendix B). Mr. Fjetland read two short portions of this statement which give an overall view of the paper: (1) That there does not have to be a choice between stocking and biodiversity, or between sport, recreation and threatened and endangered species recovery; (2) The purpose of this position is to find solutions and avoid conflict while still implementing the Threatened and Endangered Species Act (ESA). Additionally important to FWS was a position that 1996 and 1997 closures of federal hatcheries - reduction in fish production levels - should not occur without timely coordination between states, tribes and other federal agencies. Since that time, there have been many other ongoing activities based on recommendations of the SFBPC. At the same time, the FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have been working on a statement on achieving balance. Plans now call for this document to be put in the Federal Register on June 21, 1995, for public comment. The overall document summary is that it is the policy of the two services to minimize and resolve unavoidable conflicts between 2