35 



Basin. Our rate of progress will depend to a great extent on the cooperation 

 and participation of the people who live and work in the basin. 



Many other West Coast wild anadromous stocks are declining and in the 

 absence of prompt and effective intervention may have to be listed under the 

 Endangered Species Act. Numerous Federal, State and Tribal programs to 

 address these problems are under development or in some stage of 

 implementation. For maximum effectiveness, however, those efforts must be 

 coordinated coastwide and made compatible with statutory and other legal 

 mandates. The Service, in concert with other Federal agencies, States, 

 Tribes and private interests, has begun to facilitate cooperative efforts to halt 

 declines and initiate restoration on an ecosystem basis. 



Following recent visits to the Pacific Northwest by Secretary Babbitt and in 

 light of the announcement of the President's Forest Plan, there is renewed 

 interest in restoring degraded Northwest watersheds. The Chehalis Fishery 

 Resource Restoration Program is an example of a cooperative, ecosystem- 

 based approach to fishery resource restoration that can be effective in 

 addressing such problems in a timely fashion. We believe an initiative to 

 apply this approach throughout the West Coast could provide meaningful 

 long-term recovery for the Pacific salmonids and the economy of the 

 Northwest. 



Thank you for allowing me to present the Service's views. I will be pleased 

 to answer any questions. 



