498 



been able to reverse declining stock trends. 



We must turn these stocks around. Secretary Babbitt and the rest of the Clinton 

 Administration are fully committed to the restoration of productive salmon stocks. We think 

 we have the authority, flexibility, and will to develop and implement an effective 

 coordinating mechanism without legislation. It will be difficult and require all interests and 

 parties to step away from strident positions of the past. Accordingly, I am confident that we 

 now have the appropriate leadership to chart the course necessary to restore these stocks. 



6) The Council's program and Bonneville's funding have created the expectation among 

 the tribes that treaty fishing rights will be addressed through increased artificial 

 production. However. NMFS's current discussion of the role of artificial production 

 have stalled construction of new tribal hatcheries. What are you doing to resolve this 

 stalemate and when do you expect to resolve it? 



First, there is no disagreement among fisheries agencies and Tribes that hatcheries, as a tool 

 for increasing production, will have limited success unless the basic causes of salmon 

 declines are fixed. 



There are presently about 200 million hatchery fish released in the basin, about half of which 

 are released in treaty fishing areas. It is obvious that rearing more hatchery fish alone is not 

 the answer because wild runs are still on the decline and many upriver hatchery operations 

 are marginally successful because of poor survival rates throughout the system. The Service 

 has taken several steps to ensure that hatchery production continues to be an effective part of 

 the formula for salmon restoration and therefore helps ensure treaty fishing rights are 

 preserved. Some of these are: 



a) The Service is working with NMFS to revise and finalize their interim f)olicy on 

 Pacific Salmon and Artificial Production under the Endangered Species Act. 



Our goal is to clarify what the appropriate roles for hatcheries will be under recovery 

 programs and preserve captive propagation strategies in recovery efforts when they are 

 appropriate. These roles will be based on appropriate analysis of risks and benefits to listed 



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