Service and the Washington Departments of Ecology, Fisheries, 

 and Wildlife. 



Earlier this year, the steering committee membership was ex- 

 panded by five to include representatives of Grays Harbor, Lewis 

 and Thurston Counties, agricultural interests and local timber in- 

 dustries. It is truly a cooperative effort. 



With guidance from the steering committee, a review of existing 

 information was completed which determined the status and trends 

 of the Chehalis Basin fishery resources and the activities necessary 

 to develop the restoration. The review involved compiling informa- 

 tion related to the history of the fisheries, status of existing runs, 

 and habitat problems within the basin. The review revealed that 

 poor water quality in upper Grays Harbor likely contributed to 

 poor coho smolt survival, at least until 1989; two, that wild coho 

 and chum salmon populations have fallen well below levels that 

 once supported large harvests; three, chinook salmon and steelhead 

 trout do not consistently use all the available habitat in the basin; 

 and, lastly, dams and other actions such as logging, road building, 

 agriculture and urbanization have degraded water quality and de- 

 graded salmon and steelhead trout habitat. 



The Service has surveyed approximately 1,800 miles of streams 

 in the basin and found over 40,000 habitat conditions that are 

 harmful to salmon and steelhead trout. Based on these efforts, the 

 goal for the restoration of the salmon and the steelhead in the area 

 is to optimize natural production while maintaining the existing 

 genetic adaptation of wild fish and allowing a compatible level of 

 stocking of hatchery fish. 



To meet this goal and objectives, many associated tasks have 

 been identified in the report. The report recommends that the goal 

 and objectives be accomplished through a cooperative 20-year resto- 

 ration program that would cost about $1 million per year. The 

 tasks identified span a wide range of restoration approaches, which 

 include opening inaccessible habitat, creating new spawning and 

 rearing habitats, improving water quality, using small-scale hatch- 

 ery programs to enhance depleted wild runs, improve fishery re- 

 source population and habitat management techniques, and I 

 think, above all, public education. 



Last year, a cooperative fishery resource restoration program 

 was established that could, if implemented, rebuild the basin's en- 

 vironmental infrastructure by restoring fisheries habitat and revi- 

 talizing fish runs, and while doing that, provide meaningful short- 

 and long-term employment opportunities. 



Public and interagency involvement and cooperation have been 

 vital to the success of the program and, consequently, the public 

 has been invited to participate in many basin activities. We have 

 begun the implementation of the program, and consistent with the 

 Act, 20 percent of the funding appropriated under the authority of 

 the Act has been transferred to the Confederated Tribes of the Che- 

 halis and the Quinault Indian Nations to support their participa- 

 tion. 



Other cooper ators have contributed funds or in-kind assistance. 

 For instance, the Chehalis River Basin Fisheries Task Force is 

 heavily involved in the restoration program thereby helping to 

 stretch Federal dollars with volunteers and other in-kind contribu- 



