193 



DRAFT 



Failure to Stratify bv Species and Environmen tal Affects 



Certain changes in habitat or management practices will affect salmonid species 

 differenUy. In addition, these changes will have varying effects on different life history 

 stages of a given species. Yet, the analysis presented in the OFIC document regarding 

 the relative importance of environmental and management factors is limited to the 

 effects on "salmonids" as one homogenous group. 



This lack of differentiation between species or life stages among salmonids is apparent 

 in the assessment of environmental and management impacts. The report provides no 

 analysis that recognizes differential responses by different species that use similar or 

 different environments in unique ways. For example, an alteration of freshwater 

 habitat that reduces the abundance and quality of pools may not significantly affect the 

 survival of steelhead fry, but will significantly reduce the survival of juvenile coho and 

 age-1 + and older steelhead and cutthroat trout. The problem is further enhanced when 

 the relative importance of these factors are represented as a statewide assessment of 

 such different species as coastal stocks of coho and chinook, or on stocks of steelhead 

 or searun cutthroat trout that may use the same habitat at different times. The report 

 should provide an analysis for each species and each location or watershed, weighted 

 according to the percentage of that species to the entire anadromous population, for the 

 analysis to adequately depict the relative importance of factors on a statewide basis. 

 The failure of the report to recognize location and species-specific differences in the 

 evaluation of the relative importance of the factors fails to identify actual problems 

 affecting anadromous salmonids in Oregon. 



TECHNICAL INFORMATION REVIEW 



A review of the scientific information and literature citations was completed to assess 

 the accuracy and completeness of the document. This review involved comparing the 

 information presented in the report directly to the conclusions and data presented in a 

 sample of the original cited studies. The accuracy of selected data tables and figures, 

 and a portion of 5ie personal communication citations were also verified. The 

 Department did not verify all of the cited scientific studies, but selected a portion of 

 these citations to assess the overall accuracy of the document. The following 

 discussion summarizes the findings of our information review (see Appendix A for a 

 detailed review). These findings are presented as an overall summary preceding 

 specific comments on each chapter of the report. 



General Conclusions 



A review of the scientific information presented in the report identified several 

 problems with the document. These problems include: (1) a failure to base analyses or 

 conclusions on information presented in the report, (2) inaccuracies in the statistical 

 information presented in the report, (3) inaccurate interpretation or reporting of 

 scientific studies, (4) failure to analyze data using rigorous and scientifically valid 

 methods, and (5) incomplete summary of scientific information available for a topic. A 

 brief discussion of these specific problems is as follows: 



