44 



One thing that can be done today and should be done today and 

 you have already discussed in the previous panel is the Recovery 

 Team's recommendation for some form of scientific oversight com- 

 mittee. 



We think that is a good idea. We think we have seen m the gas 

 bubble disease debate in the last few weeks an example of how that 

 can work and work well. And we strongly support and hope that 

 there is some activist who will see that the Recovery Team's rec- 

 ommendation is implemented on some kind of scientific oversight 



basis. 



In summary, we are as an industry committed to getting a recov- 

 ery plan hopefully by the end of the year. We hope it has not only 

 timely actions in it but it also has the ability to have the patience 

 to allow a recovery plan to work. 



We strongly support the monitoring and evaluation because there 

 are parts of the plan we think go too far but we have faith that 

 if we do good monitoring and evaluation that will be proven out 

 over time and we must not allow the region to step in to the war- 

 ring plan game over the summer and fall of what I think we have 

 the potential of getting into. 



We must marry up these plans. We must have a single recovery 

 plan and we must get on with it. Thank you. 



[Statement of Al Wright can be found at the end of the hearing.] 



Ms. Unsoeld. Thank you. Ms. Hamilton. 



STATEMENT OF LIZ HAMILTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

 NORTHWEST SPORTFISHING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION 



Ms. Hamilton. Thank you and good afternoon, Madam Chair- 

 man, and members of the Subcommittee. I first wanted to thank 

 you for the opportunity to be here and testify today. I am Liz Ham- 

 ilton and I serve as the executive director for the Northwest Sport 

 Fishing Industry Association. 



We are a trade group. We represent hundreds of businesses and 

 thousands of jobs in the Pacific Northwest. From worms to 

 downriggers and from major retailers such as Fred Myers and GI 

 Joe's and Buy Mart to the little ma-and-pas on the corner, the men 

 and the women and the businesses that we work with are depend- 

 ent on and dedicated to healthy salmon resources. 



In the States of Oregon and Washington alone our industry gen- 

 erates $3 billion annually toward the health of our State econo- 

 mies. Those are renewable, healthy clean dollars. The sport fishing 

 businesses I represent are as diverse and geographically dispersed 

 as the salmon that we rely upon. 



We organized to be a united and positive force for the salmon re- 

 covery that our businesses require for a healthy future. And just 

 by way of introduction, in my written testimony I have included a 

 listing of our businesses so you can become better acquainted with 

 us. 



In reviewing the recovery recommendations, I have to apologize, 

 I just received the final copy Friday from NMFS but the thing that 

 became immediately clear as I read through it is that the lower Co- 

 lumbia commercial fishing interests have been determined to be ex- 

 pendable. 



