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MAX KATZ 

 these areas and were responsible for the declines of the 

 salmon and steelhead in the Snohomish, Stillaguamish and 

 Nooksack systems. 



Now, outside of some technical reservations 

 in regard to the observations listed above, I go along 

 with the observation that young salmon and steelhead go 

 through Port Gardner, Port Susan and Bellingham Bay, and 

 I also believe that young salmon cooped in live boxes 

 close to the mill effluents will not live, and I also 

 acknowledge the possibility that salmon might be harmed 

 because of these waste effluents, but I fail to see that 

 any proof was offered that our salmon and steelhead 

 populations were harmed. 



As they say, the proof of the pudding is 

 in the eating. In the fish business, the proof of the 

 success or failure of a fisheries management program is 

 in the return or lack of return of harvestable fish to 

 the net, to the fisherman, or to the hatchery. You can 

 release 10 million salmon fry from a hatchery. You can tell 

 if your release is successful if the fish are taken 

 ultimately in the commercial or sports fishery or come back 

 to the hatchery. You evaluate your steelhead program by 

 the returns as indicated by your steelhead punchcards . If the 

 fish don't come back, something went wrong somewhere. 



