123 



A petition to list coho salmon throughout its range in the 

 lower 48 states will be filed later this month. The Pacific 

 Northwest has lost more than 90% of its wild coho and with then 

 over $100 million per year in income from recreational and 

 commercial fisheries as well as a spiritual and cultural 

 heritage. In California alone, 200,000 wild coho spawned fifty 

 years ago; today less than 5,000 spawn. 



Dr. Moyle estimates that 5-10% of the remaining wild coho 

 salmon left in California spawn in watersheds which will be 

 protected by the Headwaters Forest Act and characterizes one 

 population as exceptional by today's standards. The importance 

 of his findings in light of the imminent listing of the coho 

 cannot be overemphasized. I would also like to draw attention to 

 the declaration by Dr. Moyle that his knowledge of coho in the 

 Yager Creek drainage is limited because Pacific Lumber Company 

 denied access for data collection. 



The Headwaters Forest Act calls for three of the most 

 important steps necessary to arrest the collapse of coho and 

 rebuild the stocks: low impact logging; preservation of old 

 growth groves; and protection of headwaters areas to preserve 

 downstream habitat. 



These old growth groves are critically important for a 

 number of terrestrial species as well. In addition to providing 



