April 2002

Missouri Chapter - American Fisheries Society              Page 5

Web Assistants:

John Fantz

Missouri River

Missouri River Master Manual update:

No real changes so far since the last update.  The Corps of Engineers should issue a "preferred alternative" this month (May 2002).  There will be a thirty day period for comment on the preferred alternative, and then a "Record of Decision" which is as final as it gets, should be issued by late September.  However, remember that the last time we were at about this spot, certain Congresspersons did not like the result and sent the whole affair back to the drawing board.  Rumors indicate that the upcoming preferred alternative may be similar to the one that was sent back, so we’ll see what really happens.  Be sure to get your comments in during the comment period.  Check back on the latest newsletter for updates.

The National Academy of Science issued their report The Missouri River Ecosystem: Exploring the Prospects for Recovery in January, 2001.  This document states that degradation of the Missouri River ecosystem will continue unless the river's natural water flow is significantly restored, and that Congress should enact legislation to ensure that the river is managed in a way that improves ecological conditions.  It also calls for a moratorium on changes to the Master Manual, but for totally different reasons than those of Senator Bond, who has hyped that particular statement by the report.  The report calls for instituting adaptive management now and re-writing the master manual later.

In a news release, Missouri Attorney General, Jay Nixon announced his filing of a formal opposition to the Missouri River water control plans.  The document opposes changes in Missouri River flow to manage for natural resources.  

Potential Research funds for the Missouri River :   Representative Bereuter ( Nebraska 1^st district) has introduced a bill titled the “Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery Act” (HR 3570) form would contribute 6 to 15 million dollars per year for 14 years to fisheries research in the Missouri River .  Twenty-five to fifty percent of that amount would go to CERC’s River Studies station, and the remainder would be split between state fish and wildlife agencies of the Missouri River Basin .  The money would be spent to monitor and assess biota of the Missouri River and determine and model chemical characteristics and hydrology (in relation to habitat and biota) of the Missouri River .   Special emphasis is given to the needs of endangered species.  This seems like a lot of money, and it is compared to anything we’ve had to work with on the Missouri in the past.  However, 1) it will likely be whittled down if it passes at all, and 2) it really isn’t a lot of money compared to amounts congress has spent on endangered species in other river systems.  Bush’s budget this year called for 350 million to be spent on endangered salmon, and the end number may be as much as 475 million. Fishery professionals have long called for money to evaluate the millions that are spent on throwing rock.  Maybe this is our chance to put their money where our mouth is.  The bill was introduced on 12/20/2001 and it was referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment on 12/21/2001.    For information on the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and type HR 3570 into the search box.

Missouri River near St. Joseph, MO