A public meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Clark Regional Wastewater District, 8000 N.E. 52nd Court, to gather comments on NOAA Fisheries draft environmental document for guiding federal hatchery operations in the Columbia River basin.
The federal fish agency released in early August a draft environmental impact statement examining hatchery operations and distribution of Mitchell Act money.
The Mitchell Act, dating back to 1938, provides dollars for conservation of Columbia salmon and steelhead. Money has been has been used to support research, improve fish passage, install screens on water diversions and build and operate salmon and steelhead hatcheries.
NOAA Fisheries distributes money to 62 hatchery programs that produce 71 million young fish.
The final environmental statement will not make specific determinations on how individual hatcheries should be operated, but will give NOAA direction for future decisions under the Endangered Species and Mitchell acts.
