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The Northwest Power Planning Council's Strategy for Salmon is an 

 appropriate framework to achieve the recovery of salmon and 

 steelhead in the Columbia Basin. Following the initial efforts 

 of Senator Hatfield's Salmon Summit process, the NMFS joined the 

 northwest congressional delegation and Governors in urging the 

 Council to assume a leadership role in the development of a 

 broad-based plan for the restoration of salmon stocks affected by 

 the development and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power 

 System. We have worked closely with the Council in this effort 

 as we prepare a salmon recovery plan for Snake River sockeye and^^ 

 Chinook salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) . We 

 fully intend close coordination between NMFS and the Council in 

 the implementation of our respective plans. 



NMFS' appointed recovery team expects to distribute a peer review 

 draft of proposed Snake River salmon recovery measures in 

 October. The recovery team will be seeking comments from 

 scientific and technical reviewers from State, Federal, tribal, 

 academic and private entities who provided Information and data 

 to the team. The Council certainly will be one of these 

 reviewers who contributed to the team. After the team has had an 

 opportunity to consider reviewer comments, the team will submit 

 recommended measures to NMFS. NMFS will then submit a proposed 

 recovery plan for public comment as required by the ESA. 

 Following receipt of those comments, NMFS will then adopt a final 

 recovery plan. We expect the final recovery plan to be adopted 



