135 



10 



"ensure that there will be no adverse impacts to existing fish populations" (WDW-6). 



WDW-1, WDW-2 and WDW-3 represent alternative strategies for hatchery 

 production. Lack of an umbrella goal statement weakens these policies. It 

 is unclear how the choice is made between hatchery releases to increase 

 wild/natural spawning escapements (WDW-2) or to utilize unused or 

 underseeded rearing habitat (WDW-3). A policy for choosing among 

 alternative hatchery strategies may appear in documents in preparation 

 addressing management principles and a steelhead plan (Bob Gibbons, 

 WDW, personal communication). 



2.6 Improvement of Genetic Goals 



A. Initiate all documents addressing hatchery production with a 

 direct commitment to the following genetic conservation goal 

 (Riggs 1990): maintain genetic resources of salmon and 

 steelhead in native, naturalized, and artificially propagated 

 populations with no avoidable and irreversible losses of 

 genetic diversity resulting from management interventions 

 or inactions. 



B. Consistent with this goal, make conservation of existing wild 

 populations a first priority (Allendorf et al., 1990). 



C. For agencies whose actions impact the same or genetically 

 interacting stocks, establish a consistent approach to meeting 

 this genetic conservation goal by adoption of the production 

 framework delineated in Riggs (1990) and clarified in 

 Allendorf et al. (1990). 



Thorough explanation of the foremost need for this genetic conservation 

 goal is presented in Riggs (1990). To reiterate, sustainable maintenance or 

 increases in salmon and steelhead productivity in the Columbia River Basin 

 can only be achieved if the genetic resources required for all forms of 

 production, present and future, are maintained in perpetuity. Taken 

 together, Riggs (1990) and Allendorf et al. (1990) provide a framework for 

 carrying out this genetic conservation goal by delineating six guiding 

 principles, six management opportunities existing in the Columbia River 

 Basin (four involving hatchery production), and three production 

 approaches (two involving hatchery production). 



