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The glory of Skagit Valley agriculture is in the enriched soil of the river delta, about 50,000 acres of some of the most productive farmland in America.

And the glory of the Skagit River is the chinook salmon, a threatened species that is the object of a major recovery plan.

We all benefit from the proximity of fish and farms. The two can and must co-exist. The Skagit Valley without either is unthinkable.

Some of the most fertile land here lies near sea level. Without the tidegates that keep saltwater from intruding into those fields at high tide, farming in the delta would die. At the same time, estuarine areas must be restored to provide more habitat for juvenile salmon as they build strength for their journey to the ocean. It is not the only part of the Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan, but still a very important element.

There are two key constituencies with important interests at stake — farmers and tidegates, and the Swinomish Tribe and salmon. For farmers to be able to repair tidegates, they must provide mitigation for the impact the gates have on the movement of fish downstream. And the tribe needs the support and cooperation of the agricultural community in its salmon enhancement efforts.

The Skagit Delta Tidegate and Fish Initiative represents the best chance to achieve the objectives of both parties. The plan was developed by the Western Washington Agricultural Association in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We see the biggest obstacle now remaining as the absence of trust. The tribe is understandably wary of entering into an agreement that lacks benchmarks for progress and flat guarantees that the promised habitat restoration will, in fact, take place.

The delta farmers point out that they have little to gain by stonewalling on their obligations under the plan, should it be finally adopted by federal fisheries agencies. Such action would be damaging to farmers’ credibility and would come back to haunt future transactions between the agricultural and tribal communities.

Any further loss of Skagit farmland is unacceptable. The complex fabric of carefully plotted crop rotation that is the key to the lower valley’s ability to support some 80 specialty crops requires a critical mass of land on which to operate. It is unfair to characterize the application of some public lands to tidegate mitigation as a private benefit at public expense. After all, there are tangible public benefits derived from the very existence of Skagit Valley agriculture, the survival of which is never to be taken for granted.

The proposed tidegate and fish initiative offers the best chance to serve the interests of farmers and the tribe.

• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever.