5 hrs  February 20, 2016  Wendy Harris

Anyone interested in Cherry Point and development impacts on herring? Well, I submitted BAS [Best Available Science] on the herring and it was ignored without comment. This information should have been used to make the herring a species of local importance because an attempt to add them to the ESA [Endangered Species Act] was not successful.

From: “Wendy”
To: “Cliff Strong” <CStrong@co.whatcom.wa.us>
Cc: (CAC,TAC and staff)
Sent: Saturday, February 7, 2015 5:25:19 AM
Subject: BAS on Cherry Point herring

Hi Cliff:
Please include the following as part of the BAS.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01628/. 2012 Washington State Herring Stock Status Report, June 2014, finding that the Cherry Point stock shows no signs of recovery from its critically low level of abundance.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01079/ Temporal and Spatial Genetic Structure among Some Pacific Herring Populations in Puget Sound and the Southern Strait of Georgia, 2005.

Cherry Point herring are the most genetically divergent species of herring in Washington. In contrast to herring that migrate out to sea, the Cherry Point herring travel inland to freshwater environments, like estuaries, to feed and spawn. And they do so at an unusual time of year, providing a vital food source to other local wildlife. That is why they are considered a species of biological significance. According to WDFW [Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife], “Cherry Point … herring are genetically and behaviorally unique and may be repositories of irreplaceable variation, which should be protected through careful management.”

Please note that this information was not considered when the county determined employment figures for Cherry Point as part of the comp. plan update.

Thanks,
Wendy Harris

Read Wendy’s post in the Whatcom Hawk Facebook group here.

You can send a comment regarding this information to Whatcom County Planning and Development here:

pds@co.whatcom.wa.us
Whatcom County Planning and Development
5280 Northwest Drive
Bellingham, WA 98226

You can send a comment regarding this information to the Whatcom County Planning Commission here:

rboxx@co.whatcom.wa.us