31 



look forward to your leadership in helping to resolve, to the best 

 of our abilities, a very intense crisis for us in the Northwest. 



Ms. Unsoeld. Let me get a sense of my Committee. Elizabeth, 

 do you have additional questions that you are going to want to ask? 

 Maria, do you have others? Then I know there will be some written 

 ones but there are a couple of things that I would like to pursue 

 with the panel. No, you are not quite through. 



I would like to ask Rollie about how you incorporate, how you 

 really incorporate the peer review results into your fmal product 

 and does the Federal Advisory Committee Act get in the way? Let 

 me pose that to you and then I will pick up the other issue I want- 

 ed to address. 



Mr. SCHMITTEN. We certainly will incorporate peer review infor- 

 mation, and on these scientific areas of uncertainty we have asked 

 for that. Specifically, we have financed the peer review of the 

 transportation. We have called for the peer review of gas bubble. 

 I would like to see a similar thing done with hatcheries and — yes — 

 they will be a part. 



The beauty of what you might call a living recovery plan is that 

 you gain more science. It is flexible enough to allow change. For 

 any of us to think that what either the plan puts out or even what 

 the Fisheries Service puts out is the end of this is certainly a mis- 

 conception because there will be changes. 



The Federal Advisory Committee Act, I really need to respond le- 

 gally to you. I am told that it is a hindrance in getting full advice. 

 Normally that is why we work through FOEC — the Fish Oper- 

 ations Executive Committee — to the Power Council but as far as di- 

 rect advice or forming advisory bodies we are prohibited through 

 FACA. 



Ms. Unsoeld. I would appreciate additional response on that 

 from the agency because I think it is something that we need to 

 address to permit you to do the job the way I believe that Congress 

 anticipated that it really should be and we don't want one reform 

 to get in the way of the other. 



The additional area that I would like this panel to explore and 

 we have touched on it but in my view it is so necessary to look at 

 the big picture in how we address this issue and I started with Ted 

 to ask about whether the Endangered Species Act is a help or a 

 hindrance in trying to get there, does it narrow the focus too much? 



The Endangered Species Act is a wonderful club but I liked what 

 you said, Don, that it comes in too late and goes out too early. It 

 should be a last resort that we should not have to bring in to play. 



Once it has, is it going to prevent us looking at the whole eco- 

 system approach to this issue? Any of you might want to answer 

 that. The other thing that I would like you all to address is, what 

 do you believe the future role of hatcheries in the overall picture 

 of perhaps quantity, if not quality, is going to be? 



Mr. BOTTIGER. Do you want me to start? 



Ms. Unsoeld. Sure. 



Mr. BOTTIGER. If your first half of that question was what 

 amendments to the Endangered Species Act 



Ms. Unsoeld. Not that specific — I was not going to put you on 

 the spot. 



