605 



mixed in with the harvest. And, the production expenditures needed to maintain and operate the 

 existing facilities in the lower Columbia River block attempts to construct new facilities in the 

 headwaters. The production needs to be brought upriver, and because the headwaters habitat 

 can still support successful natural production, hatchery practices need to be modified to allow 

 the salmon to go from the concrete hatchery habitat to the gravel of their ancestors. 



Summary : 



Species by species-based approaches to managing the natural resources, especially as required 

 once individual species such as the Stanley Basin Sockeye are deemed "endangered" by the 

 federal Endangered Species Act, are a far cry from the management that is needed to prevent 

 an uncontrollable onslaught of future listings of endangered species. The species by species- 

 based approach to resource management must continue where predicated by necessity. 



However, holistic, comprehensive, ecosystem-based approaches to the drastic improvements 

 needed to the passage corridors, and the fish and the wildlife habitat are (and always have been) 

 the requirements of the managers of the Columbia River Basin natural resources - in order to 

 uphold the promises made to Indian Tribes in the various Treaties made with the U.S. 

 government. In order for the fish to be present as they originally were, HABITAT, especially 

 river flows and fish migration passage , needs to support the fish - and not just be a commodity 

 for the short-term economic gains for society. 



The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are faced with a real dilemma. The habitat in the Salmon River 

 country is still in moderately good condition, primarily because of the vast amounts of land that 

 are now contained in wilderness areas. Granted, these conditions are only considered to be in 

 good condition when compared to the thorough devastation of other habitat that has taken place 

 elsewhere in the Columbia River Basin, and as based on the potential for anadromous fish 

 production. Extensive logging, mining, grazing, and irrigation practices have claimed their toll 

 on the Salmon River country like elsewhere in the Columbia River system. However, there still 

 exists many areas of beautiful clear water, massive gravel beds, and deep cold pools. Yet, 

 where the good habitat exists, there is less than 10 percent of the Salmon that could be supported 

 by such habitat. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are involved to the extent possible with efforts 

 to reform hatchery practices in order to utilize concrete habitat to recover the Salmon 

 populations to and from the gravel and deep pools that are now vacant. But now, many experts 

 are saying that the Salmon that come from the concrete hatcheries can not be released into the 

 habitat because they will hurt the wild stocks. Therefore, the majority of the efforts to rebuild 

 the weak upper river runs needs to remain with fixing the dams and returning the natural flow 

 pattern of the Columbia and Snake rivers. 



The mainstem Columbia River dams are the largest harvesters of the Salmon that come from the 

 Salmon River country. Less than 150 years ago, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes harvested tens 

 of thousands of Salmon. Now we harvest generally less than 100 a year. The dams and the 

 dam-created habitat kill 5 million to 1 1 million Salmon a year. For every Salmon that is hunted 



Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Testimony Page 11 



BPA Task Force Hearings 



75-542 - 94 - 20 



