Magnuson Act. I have also attended innumerable meetings in 

 recent months relating to managing the Nation's valuable fishery 

 resources. One message that has consistently resounded loud and 

 clear is that we can no longer maintain the existence of our fisher- 

 ies by simply managing harvest; we must dramatically improve our 

 efforts to conserve and restore fish habitat. 



This hearing gives us an opportunity to look at a specific case 

 where habitat loss has adversely affected important commercial, 

 recreational and tribal fisheries. 



The plight of salmon stocks in the Chehalis River Basin, where 

 logging, farming, dams, and excessive fishing pressures have de- 

 pleted fish populations, is a textbook example of sacrificing the en- 

 vironment for short-term profit. For at least the past 50 years, 

 local, State, and Federal Governments have encouraged economic 

 growth based on the consumption of the abundant natural re- 

 sources of the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, the economic 

 gains in the timber, agriculture, hydroelectric energy, and other 

 sectors of the region's economy have often been at the expense of 

 the environment. These changes have especially harmed fish habi- 

 tat and the salmon stocks. 



The Department of the Interior has recently prepared its draft 

 report to Congress on the specific causes of the decline of the Che- 

 halis fisheries and has recommended a series of steps to reverse 

 these declines. The challenge is to rebuild the Chehalis fish stocks 

 in a manner that balances the need to conserve the environment 

 and the need to maintain economic viability. A fisheries rebirth in 

 the Chehalis River Basin would produce socioeconomic benefits 

 throughout the region. More importantly, it would serve as a fish- 

 eries restoration model that could be applied throughout the Pacif- 

 ic Northwest and other areas of the Nation. 



I especially look forward to hearing the views of our witnesses on 

 fishery restoration needs for the Chehalis Basin specifically, and 

 other river basins in general. I am also interested in their views on 

 the Federal and non-Federal roles in this restoration, and on the 

 overall costs and benefits of salmon restoration. 



I want to thank Chairman Studds of our full Committee for his 

 assistance and efforts in organizing and cochairing this hearing. I 

 also thank my distinguished colleagues from the State of Washing- 

 ton, Congresswoman Unsoeld and Congressman Dicks, for their 

 continued leadership in restoring West Coast salmon stocks, par- 

 ticularly those of the Chehalis River Basin. Without their diligent 

 efforts leading to passage and implementation of the Chehalis 

 River Basin Fishery Resources Study and Restoration Act of 1990, 

 we could not be here today considering specific measures to restore 

 Chehalis salmon stocks. 



I don't note the presence of our colleague from Alaska, Mr. 

 Young, so I will turn the floor over to Mrs. Unsoeld for an opening 

 statement. 



STATEMENT OF HON. JOLENE UNSOELD, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE 



FROM WASHINGTON 



Mrs. Unsoeld. Thank you, very much, Mr. Chairman, and my 

 additional thanks to you for picking up on this issue, which, as you 



