10 



near-term measures we included would not be enough to protect all 

 of the weak stocks or to rebuild to levels that would provide the 

 benefits of a sustainable harvest. 



We called for careful detailed investigations for additional meas- 

 ures and this summer those reports will be coming in. We would 

 ask that the congressmen who are interested in this subject join 

 with us in finding a solution to the salmon of the Pacific North- 

 west. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 



[Statement of Ted Bottiger can be found at the end of the hear- 

 ing. 



Ms. Unsoeld. And as with all witnesses your entire written tes- 

 timony will be incorporated into the record. Mr. Bevan, you are 

 next on the agenda. 



STATEMENT OF DONALD BEVAN, CHAIRMAN, SNAKE RIVER 

 RECOVERY TEAM 



Mr. Bevan. Thank you, Ms. Unsoeld. Members of the Sub- 

 committee, ladies and gentlemen, I am Donald E. Bevan, chairman 

 of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Snake River Recovery 

 Team and with your permission I would like to enter into the 

 record a summary document of the plan. 



Ms. Unsoeld. Without objection. 



Mr. Bevan. The complete plan, some 500 pages, is available from 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service. I would like to begin my 

 presentation by a quotation from that summary document which is 

 on page 24. 



"The recovery of Snake River salmon is a difficult and com- 

 plicated public policy issue. It is important to achieve recovery and 

 ultimately reap the social, cultural and economic benefits of re- 

 stored salmon populations. It is also important to do so in an orga- 

 nized, scientifically based and economically efficient manner." 



We believe the Team's recommendations do just that and that 

 they are the basis for achieving recovery. We also believe that in 

 combination with the Power Planning Council's strategy for salmon 

 that we now have a regional solution to our salmon problems. 



Are there differences between our plan and the Northwest Power 

 Planning Council's strategy? Yes, there are, but we do not believe 

 that in most cases they are significant and where there are dif- 

 ferences there almost have to be different interpretations of uncer- 

 tain science and we are not going to know the truth until we pro- 

 ceed and measure carefully. An important part of our recovery plan 

 is to evaluate as we go along and be prepared to change direction 

 if we are not correct. 



I think that my major comment on what Mr. Bottiger just said, 

 the only problem with the strategy for salmon is that it hasn't been 

 implemented and we simply need to get on with the job and not 

 argue over the differences on how we do that. 



We can't wait for better science, there isn't time. Some of these 

 animals are going to be extinct if we don't turn things around. One 

 of the attractive new techniques, new technology, which is now 

 available certainly has to be utilized and that is some new statis- 

 tical tools, some new technological tools on marking fish that allow 

 us really for the first time to get very accurate measures of sur- 

 vival in the river. 



