individual on-the-ground operations will act in conjunction to help achieve recovery of the listed 

 species. The Proposed Recovery Plan includes an implementation schedule which, if followed. 

 will expedite progress toward recovery. NMFS' final Recovery Plan will also contain such a 

 schedule. 



Given that the Proposed Recovery Plan calls for use of adaptive management, and many of the 

 recovery actions will be addressed over an extended period of time, the NMFS recommends that 

 a new committee be established to guide implementation efforts over the long term. 



RECOVERY GOALS 



The goal of the Proposed Recovery Plan is to restore the health of the Columbia and Snake River 

 ecosystem and to recover listed Snake River salmon stocks. Many of the recommended actions 

 will directly benefit other species such as other salmon stocks, sturgeon, and bull trout. 

 Implementation of the Proposed Recoverv Plan should also increase biodiversity, a factor which 

 is essential to ecosystem integrity and stability. 



Snake River salmon survival should be improved in every segment of their life history. 

 Recovery must address the total sequence of habitats and life history stages, not simply 

 concentrate on a single type or aspect of action. Moreover, it is important to remember that 

 actions taken at one stage in the life cycle will almost certainly have consequences in another life 

 stage. 



NMFS' recovery plan proposes coordinated actions or tasks to address salmon productivity in 

 each phase of the salmon's life cycle and in the tributary, mainstem. and estuarine ecosystems. 

 Recovery efforts are focused on the life-cycle segments where human influence can be effective, 

 and those points of focus may differ by species and by area. 



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