66 



eind opinions. The Strategy called for investigation of key biological uncertainties, 

 particularly the relationship between river flows, velocity of the current and 

 salmon survival. 



Following direction in the Strategy, last fall the Council contracted with Oak 

 Ridge Natlon£d Laboratories for an Independent synthesis of available information 

 on the relationship between flows, water velocity, sraolt travel time and salmon 

 survival. The author. Dr. Glenn Cada, concluded, in part: "Despite problems with 

 the existing data sets, the general relationship of increasing survival with 

 Increasing flow in the Columbia River Basin still appears to be reasonable." ^ 



While Dr. Cada was conducting his review, the Recovery Team issued its 

 draft recommendations, which started that "(t|he Team accepts the evidence that 

 smolt travel time increases emd survival decreases when flows are as low as they 

 were in 1973 and 1977. but the evidence is less clear on what flows are needed for 

 high survival." * Following the Cada report the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 Issued a draft biologiced opinion regarding operation of the Columbia eind Snake 

 River dams. The opinion included an appendix that outlined the evidence for a 

 positive relationship between river flows and fish survival.^ 



In late February 1994. the Council conducted a technical workshop with 

 scientific experts to discuss areas of agreement and disagreement concerning 

 flow/velocity-survival relationships and also ways to test these relationships. This 

 workshop helped to frame the nature of fiow/veloclty and transportation 

 hypotheses the Council is considering amending into the fish and wildlife 

 program. The Council is stating these working hypotheses in order to provide 

 direction and impetus to high-priority scientific evaluation of these issues. The 



^ Cada. Glenn F.. "Review of Information Pertaining to the Efifect of Water Velocity on the 

 Survival of Juvenile Salmon and Steelhead In the Columbia River Basin." Environmental 

 Sciences Division. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Page 56. This report Is available from the 

 Council's central office by telephone. 800-222-3355. Please request Document 94-05. 



* Draft recovery plan, P. VIII-27. 



5 Appendix B. of the Biological Opinion on 1994-1998 Operation of the Federal Columbia River 

 Power System. "Interim Standard for Target Flow Ranges for EvEiluatlon of Operation of the 

 Federal Columbia River Power System Between 1994-1998," February 1994, National Marine 

 Fisheries Service. Northwest Region. 7600 Sand Point Way. Seattle. WA. 981 15. 



14 



