Department of Commerce
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office of Law Enformcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2005

NOAA OFFERS $5,000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON BULLDOZING OF SAUK RIVER

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the illegal bulldozing of the Sauk River. The ongoing investigation has taken over a year to develop and has already involved numerous interviews and state inquiries. At this time, however, all investigative leads have been exhausted and the OLE now turning to the public for assistance.

On or around February 2004 a quarter-mile stretch of the Sauk River was bulldozed in an apparent attempt to control erosion. Work included major excavation of a side channel and creation of a large berm and movement of rock and woody debris.

Numerous Puget Sound Chinook salmon redds were destroyed during this operation. Puget Sound Chinook salmon are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Redds are spawning beds located in streams and rivers with suitable gravel composition, water depth and velocity. Without adequate redds for these Chinook salmon, their reproduction and survivability of the species would be jeopardized.

The ESA protects fish, wildlife, and plants that have been so depleted in numbers that they are in danger of or threatened with extinction. Under the ESA it is illegal to kill, harass, or harm any listed species.

NOAA special agents are seeking information about the bulldozing and offering a reward of $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest, a criminal conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of property, for this violation of the ESA.

NOAA Fisheries Service asks any citizen with information concerning this incident to please call one of the following numbers:

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries, please visit: www.nmfs.noaa.gov.

* Any officer or employee of the United States or of any Foreign, State or local government, or their family members, who furnishes information or renders service in the performance of his official duties shall not be eligible for payment under this reward offer.