An Email from Doug Markham !! <'TK><
T.K.
Please post this. Ok news and not great news.
Trout anglers should have a great deal of input in this.
Thanks,
Doug
On Sep 13, 2013, at 8:38 AM, "Parrish, Jackie" <jackie_parrish@fws.gov> wrote:
State Fish Chiefs & Directors in the FWS Southeast Region,
I called each of you this week to introduce myself and to give you a brief update on the Service's national review of our hatcheries. It was a pleasure speaking to those of you I was able to reach -- I know several of you were at the AFS meeting this week, so you will hear my voicemail message when you return to the office. I look forward to talking to you in the weeks ahead!
For those who haven't met me, I'm part of the Southeast Region's management team. I've been in the Region for a decade as the Assistant Regional Director (ARD) for Budget & Administration. I volunteered to serve as the Acting ARD for Fisheries while we go through the process to fill behind Linda Kelsey, after her retirement in June. I have always been a huge supporter of the Fisheries program and spend as much time as I can working with our fisheries folks in the field to better understand their programs and needs, so I can better serve them from Atlanta.
I wanted to check in with all of you to give you the latest information on where we stand with the evaluation of our National Fish Hatchery System that was launched by our national Director last fall. This process evaluated several aspects of the National Fish Hatchery System, its priorities and its fiscal condition. The review included various budget-cutting scenarios that would have required hatchery closures. While we waited for our HQ to make final decisions on a path forward, rumors of hatchery closures began to circulate and pop-up in news outlets across the country.
Many of you may have heard from your Directors as they returned from the AFWA meeting, that we will not be closing any hatcheries in fiscal year 2014. The Secretary of Interior recently announced this at the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation banquet, committing to an open process with stakeholders that will enable us to work together on the challenges we face.
As many of you may know, the Service’s National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) has struggled with declining funding and significant increases in costs for several years. The FY 2014 President’s Budget proposed $46.5 million for National Fish Hatchery Operations. Actual funding levels for FY2014 remain uncertain. If sequestration continues into FY 2014, the Service will have lost close to $6 million in appropriations from hatchery operations funding just since FY 2012. Two years ago the Service announced it would no longer fund trout production at its mitigation hatcheries unless that work was funded through reimbursable agreements with agencies like the Corps of Engineers (COE) and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Both those agencies are providing significant funding as sought by the Service, yet sequestration could have an impact on what the COE receives and is able to provide to the Service.
Considering current budget conditions within Fisheries, the reality is that we cannot continue to do everything we've always done the way we've always done it. You know that already. Our National Wildlife Refuge System, Ecological Services and Migratory Birds Programs are going through the same challenges in an effort to ensure they are positioned to make the most strategic investments possible to move our conservation work forward. None of the choices in front of the Service are easy.
Our Region truly values the relationships we have with our States. I apologize that we were not able to talk more about this while the review was ongoing, but am pleased that this new direction will allow us to work closely with you to chart a course into the future.
If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas - please don't hesitate to call me or send me an email. My direct line is listed below.
Thanks, and I look forward to working with you,
Jackie
Jackie Parrish
Assistant Regional Director - Fisheries (Acting)
Southeast Region, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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