Case Inlet task force considers temporary pens

Kirk Boxleitner | May 04, 20230

The Port of Grapeview commissioners received an update on the Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force on April 18.

Brad Pomroy, the facilitator for the task force, touted its progress over the past months, while noting progress was closer to “a marathon than a sprint.”

The task force has visited the Point Defiance net pen installation, provided testimony to state Department of Fish and Wildlife commissioners, and met with Will Henderson, manager of the Squaxin Island net pen program, Pomroy said.

Pomroy said the visit to the Point Defiance net pen installation the previous week demonstrated how temporary net pens are used to rear smolts in saltwater for about two months, when they’re ready to release, after which the pens are removed from the water until the following year.

“These are not fish farms,” said Pomroy, who credited the Puyallup Tribe with filling the first net pen with 80,000 tagged and fin-clipped smolts, with a second pen due to be delivered by Fish and Wildlife, along with an additional 50.000 smolts from that department’s stocks.

Also at Point Defiance, Pomroy noted the task force saw students and teachers from the Tacoma-based Science and Math Institute involved in “all aspects of the program,” from feeding fish to determining the health of the water in and around the net pens.

“We learned the importance of community involvement, including the tribes and schools,” Pomroy said. “Connecting our efforts to education and research is absolutely necessary to gain the support we need.”

Indeed, according to Pomroy, so many community volunteers signed up that “they have to turn people away.”

After meeting with the leaders of many of the organizations that made this possible, the task force is considering whether net pens could be used as a shorter-term solution for releasing fish into Case Inlet.

Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force Biologist adviser Mark LaRiviere testified before Fish and Wildlife commissioners in March about the task force’s concerns regarding the dwindling salmon populations in North Bay and Case Inlet.

“Mark spoke about our disappointment that none of the fish raised at Coulter Creek are released in our area, and therefore do not return here,” Pomroy said. “Mark reiterated our support for the completion of the Tumwater hatchery as an important step toward allowing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to retain fish raised at Coulter Creek, for release in North Bay.”

In response, WDFW Hatchery Manager Eric Kinne shared with the task force an outline of that department’s plan to increase salmon production, in accordance with Gov. Jay Inslee’s request to increase Chinook production by 50 million in Puget Sound.

“This includes increases in production at Coulter Creek,” Pomroy said. “With the current and planned investments at Coulter Creek, we’re confident it has a future, and we hope to influence what that future looks like.”

Pomroy recounted a meeting in March with Squaxin Island Tribe Hatchery Manager Will Henderson and Wayne Harmond of Northwest Salmon Research.

“Wayne is a champion for salmon restoration projects across Puget Sound,” Pomroy said. “Will provided us a tour of the net pens located off Squaxin Island. He and his team are doing an incredible job managing the millions of salmon fry being reared in the net pens.”

Those pens are used each spring to raise salmon fry, until they’re mature enough to be released several months later.

Pomroy noted Henderson remains committed to taking care of the fish, to the point that he’s offered to stay connected with the task force and answer questions as they might arise.

Pomroy likewise credited Harmond with working “for years” to find ways to increase salmon populations in Puget Sound.

“He’s very well-connected, and understands both where the opportunities are, and how to avoid pitfalls,” Pomroy said. “Wayne is excited about our group’s work, and has offered to help us going forward.”

Pomroy closed out his remarks to the Port of Grapeview by referring to the Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force website at caseinletfish.com, which has recently added an FAQ section and a media link, the latter to share articles written about the task force’s work.