306 



economists also represented a broad range of regional interests 

 (see Attachment 2) and held a series of public 

 meetings to discuss appropriate methods and applications of 

 economics to the biological and physical features that may 

 require special management attention as critical habitat. 



Recovery Process 



NMFS appointed a seven member Snake River Recovery Team in 

 January 1992 to prepare a recovery plan for Snake River sockeye 

 and then Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook when they 

 were listed. The team held 29 meeting throughout the region to 

 solicit information and comments on all aspects of activities 

 necessary for the recovery of the listed species. Besides these 

 open meetings, the Team also met in closed work sessions to draft 

 recovery plan recommendations. In addition, the Team has 

 formally solicited the views of interested parties throughout the 

 region on a number of important issues. Estimates of the cost of 

 recovery measures are required in recovery planning. The 

 Economics Technical Committee is assisting in formulating the 

 estimated costs of recovery actions that are presented in the 

 recovery plan. By law, the recovery plan must be submitted for 

 public review and comment before a final plan is adopted. NMFS 

 intends to provide a 60-day comment period and may hold public 

 meetings to discuss the proposed plan. 



NMFS remains convinced that an open process is vital to public 

 understanding and support of the measures necessary for the 

 recovery and ultimate delisting of species listed under the ESA. 

 Without public understanding and support of the restoration of 

 important anadromous fish stocks in the Northwest, efforts to 

 preclude further listing of species under ESA can not be 

 initiated and sustained and the high cost of ESA crises 

 intervention will not be avoided. 



