99 



Tribal harvest. 

 (NMFS Photo) 



Salinon troller. 



(Corps of Engineers Photo) 



drawdown, a valid test should be designed, the necessary 

 structural modifications should be made, and the test should 

 be conducted. The region should continue to plan and 

 evaluate the option of drawing down all four Snake River 

 dams to river level, so that informed decisions regarding this 

 option can be made in the future. Drawing down the four 

 Snake River reservoirs to river level should be contemplated 

 if recovery cannot be achieved by the other options. In 

 considering such an option, there should be reasonable 

 evidence that smolt survival rates are significantly higher 

 when the Snake River reservoirs are drawn down to river 

 level than they are with the other options. 

 The Team beUeves that ocean conditions and the various 

 components of marine ecosystems affect growth and 



survival of sahnon of all species, and therefore ultimately 

 affect adult returns to their natal rivers. While many of 

 these factors lie beyond human ability to control, they must 

 be taken into account in recovery planning. The near 

 certainty that slow-growing, poor-condition smolts are the 

 ones at greatest risk upon ocean entry is of particular 

 importance for the recovery of weak stocks. The clear 

 message for salmon recovery planning is that the best 

 assurance of ocean survival rests upon the quahty of the 

 smolts, not their quantity. 



19 



