HABITAT
III.B. 1. 41 Draft Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon – Volume
2 Agricultural Strategy to Improve Fish Habitat III. B. 1. AGRICULTURAL
STRATEGY TO IMPROVE FISH HABITAT
I. CURRENT SITUATION: WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Agriculture is a large, complex and very diverse industry. Agriculture
is very important to the economy of Washington State. Agricultural lands
cover 15.7 million acres or 37 percent of the state. There are 37,000 farms,
which produced 108,000 jobs and $5.8 billion worth of products in 1996.
Over 200 commodities are grown on these farms. More than half of Washington’s
farms are less than 50 acres in size and have sales of less than $10,000
annually while others are large corporate entities. Food processing is
a $7.7 billion industry providing another 41,000 jobs. Thousands of other
people are employed in related support jobs. The logistical challenge of
developing and implementing a comprehensive agricultural strategy is daunting
because of the magnitude of complexity and diversity.
Despite forty years of effort by farmers, conservation districts,
and state and federal agencies, the number of waterbodies not meeting water
quality standards in agricultural areas continues to increase and agricultural
activities have contributed to the degradation of salmonid habitat. Water
quantity issues also play an important role in both water quality and habitat.
It is time to examine our current efforts and strategies in light of increasing
pressure from the federal government and possible sanctions under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and Clean Water Act (CWA). The question is whether a
newer, more comprehensive approach with thorough monitoring and accountability
can meet state goals for agriculture lands driven by ESA/CWA concerns.
The alternative is a regulatory approach.
The agricultural strategy is composed of two major elements. The
first element, and highest priority, is implementation of the Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). This is a federal/state program with
250 million dollars in funding to restore degraded riparian habitat on
private agricultural lands. The riparian standard that will be used in
the program has been updated to meet Endangered Species Act and Clean Water
Act standards. This program will restore between 3,000 and 4,000 miles
of riparian habitat.
The second major element of the strategy is the use of comprehensive
farm plans and sector-based strategies to address ESA/CWA concerns in agriculture.
These efforts will use conservation practices that have been updated through
the NRCS MOU process to meet ESA/CWA standards.
It is important to remember that agriculture is clearly better
than strip malls and suburban developments for fish. A central part of
any strategy should be the use of economic incentives to keep the land
in production and prevent conversion. The overall vision is well-managed
agricultural lands contributing both to the state’s economy and the recovery
of salmon.