- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,007
ODFW News Release
November 8, 2002
Permanent Ban on Importation of Live Elk and Deer Adopted
PORTLAND — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission held the line Friday evening and adopted a permanent ban on the importation of live animals from the deer and elk family. The new rule for live animals changes little from the temporary rule adopted in August.
The Commission chose not to act on a proposal to make permanent a temporary ban on the importation of certain parts of carcasses from the deer and elk family. Instead, the temporary rule, which governs the importation of hunter-harvested animals from other states, will expire Feb. 11, 2003. The Commission intends to consider a new proposal on carcass parts in June, 2003, when the 2004 Oregon Big Game Regulations are considered. The parts rule will be allowed to expire to develop better solutions for a permanent rule that protects wild herds from disease and allows taxidermists, butchers and laboratories to operate without undue constraints. The Commission did, however, change the rule related to proof of gender of harvested game to be consistent with other western states.
The Commission is the rule making body for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The seven-member panel meets monthly.
The permanent ban prohibits anyone from importing any animals in the cervid family into Oregon between now and August, 2004. The rules are designed to protect Oregon’s native deer and elk from chronic wasting disease. The fatal disease affects privately held and/or wild herds in Alberta, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Saskatchewan and Illinois. Little is known about the transmission of the disease.
Two exemptions were granted. Reindeer operations based in Oregon are allowed to take animals out of state and bring them back provided the animals have not been in contact with any other cervids. The Commission also allowed northeast Oregon wildlife researchers a one-time exemption to bring 14 elk from the Starkey Experimental Herd back into the state from Washington. ODFW biologists said there is minimal risk that reindeer and the 14 elk have been or would be exposed to CWD.
In addition, the Commission chose to allow public comment to continue for 90 days on a proposal to exempt the Oregon Zoo from the importation ban.
Commission Adopts New Native Fish Conservation Policy
With a unanimous vote Friday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission culminated a year of review and adopted the newly written Native Fish Conservation Policy to guide work toward recovery and sustainability of native fish species.
Before the vote, the Commission engaged in a lengthy discussion on the public comments received in the last month and heard from several members of a task force that met for several months to craft the final draft language of the policy. The discussion and the testimony prompted several amendments to the draft proposal.
The final adopted policy:
Identifies a primary purpose to remove fish species from Endangered Species Act lists and avoid future listings;
Focuses on the sustainability of naturally produced native fish and identifies naturally produced fish as providing the foundation for hatchery programs and fisheries;
Provides a basis to manage hatcheries, fisheries, habitat, predators, competitors and fish pathogens in balance with sustainable naturally produced native fish;
Embraces case-by-case management for individual watersheds and situations;
Uses conservation plans and measurable criteria to implement the policy for groups of fish populations with similar geographic, genetic and ecological characteristics;
Calls for managing native fish to provide for sport, commercial, cultural and aesthetic benefits for current and future generations;
Uses hatcheries responsibly to help achieve the goals of the policy;
Requires proceeding with precautionary strategies scaled to the risk if scientific uncertainty exists;
Uses existing statutes and administrative rules to manage fish populations until individual conservation plans can be written;
and
Requires regular status reports and a education and training program.
Before the vote, the Commission removed all references to a requirement to form an 11-member Native Fish Citizen Advisory Committee. Instead, the panel was in favor of forming an advisory committee on as as-needed basis. Additional amendments were made to remove time deadlines in the rule and to make other wording changes suggested through public comment.
The Commission also adopted an order that requires staff to propose salmon and steelhead species management unit designations by December, 2003, and to review all ODFW’s current fish management administrative rules for consistency with the new policy by September, 2003.
More information about the policy can be found on the ODFW Web site, http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCn...sh/nfcp_hmp.htm . The newly adopted adopted policy will be posted later this month.
November 8, 2002
Permanent Ban on Importation of Live Elk and Deer Adopted
PORTLAND — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission held the line Friday evening and adopted a permanent ban on the importation of live animals from the deer and elk family. The new rule for live animals changes little from the temporary rule adopted in August.
The Commission chose not to act on a proposal to make permanent a temporary ban on the importation of certain parts of carcasses from the deer and elk family. Instead, the temporary rule, which governs the importation of hunter-harvested animals from other states, will expire Feb. 11, 2003. The Commission intends to consider a new proposal on carcass parts in June, 2003, when the 2004 Oregon Big Game Regulations are considered. The parts rule will be allowed to expire to develop better solutions for a permanent rule that protects wild herds from disease and allows taxidermists, butchers and laboratories to operate without undue constraints. The Commission did, however, change the rule related to proof of gender of harvested game to be consistent with other western states.
The Commission is the rule making body for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The seven-member panel meets monthly.
The permanent ban prohibits anyone from importing any animals in the cervid family into Oregon between now and August, 2004. The rules are designed to protect Oregon’s native deer and elk from chronic wasting disease. The fatal disease affects privately held and/or wild herds in Alberta, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Saskatchewan and Illinois. Little is known about the transmission of the disease.
Two exemptions were granted. Reindeer operations based in Oregon are allowed to take animals out of state and bring them back provided the animals have not been in contact with any other cervids. The Commission also allowed northeast Oregon wildlife researchers a one-time exemption to bring 14 elk from the Starkey Experimental Herd back into the state from Washington. ODFW biologists said there is minimal risk that reindeer and the 14 elk have been or would be exposed to CWD.
In addition, the Commission chose to allow public comment to continue for 90 days on a proposal to exempt the Oregon Zoo from the importation ban.
Commission Adopts New Native Fish Conservation Policy
With a unanimous vote Friday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission culminated a year of review and adopted the newly written Native Fish Conservation Policy to guide work toward recovery and sustainability of native fish species.
Before the vote, the Commission engaged in a lengthy discussion on the public comments received in the last month and heard from several members of a task force that met for several months to craft the final draft language of the policy. The discussion and the testimony prompted several amendments to the draft proposal.
The final adopted policy:
Identifies a primary purpose to remove fish species from Endangered Species Act lists and avoid future listings;
Focuses on the sustainability of naturally produced native fish and identifies naturally produced fish as providing the foundation for hatchery programs and fisheries;
Provides a basis to manage hatcheries, fisheries, habitat, predators, competitors and fish pathogens in balance with sustainable naturally produced native fish;
Embraces case-by-case management for individual watersheds and situations;
Uses conservation plans and measurable criteria to implement the policy for groups of fish populations with similar geographic, genetic and ecological characteristics;
Calls for managing native fish to provide for sport, commercial, cultural and aesthetic benefits for current and future generations;
Uses hatcheries responsibly to help achieve the goals of the policy;
Requires proceeding with precautionary strategies scaled to the risk if scientific uncertainty exists;
Uses existing statutes and administrative rules to manage fish populations until individual conservation plans can be written;
and
Requires regular status reports and a education and training program.
Before the vote, the Commission removed all references to a requirement to form an 11-member Native Fish Citizen Advisory Committee. Instead, the panel was in favor of forming an advisory committee on as as-needed basis. Additional amendments were made to remove time deadlines in the rule and to make other wording changes suggested through public comment.
The Commission also adopted an order that requires staff to propose salmon and steelhead species management unit designations by December, 2003, and to review all ODFW’s current fish management administrative rules for consistency with the new policy by September, 2003.
More information about the policy can be found on the ODFW Web site, http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCn...sh/nfcp_hmp.htm . The newly adopted adopted policy will be posted later this month.
