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prospered, in part, by being allowed to destroy the fish which are the heart of the tribes' treaties 

 and culture. These industries most how internalize the costs that thor activities have imposed 

 on the resource and shoulder flicir due share of the burden in the restoration of the Columbia's 



salmon runs. 



When the impacts of dcvdopraent activities in tine basin led to the decline of salmon runs, 

 non-Indian resource managers foiled to protect native salmon and instead focused on haldiety 

 productioiL During fliis time, toten efforts of state and federal ageadcs to conserve the native 

 salmon usually involved fishing restrictions. Many of these fishing restrictions were initially 

 concentrated on treatj' fisheries. Time and again, the tribes sought equitable relief in federal 

 court and successfiilly invalidated the attempts of non-Indian resource managers to inequitably 

 apportion the burden of conservadon on Indian fisheries. Despite harvest restrictions and fishery 

 closures, the runs have continued to decline to the point where some of the baan's once most 

 productive stocks have been listed as threatened or endangered. 



R is with bodi irony and anger that we note that the Team's draft recovery plan continues 

 the felled policies of the past — even more draconian restrictions of treaty-reserved fisheries wtfa 

 only minor changes reqmred of those activities which destroy the vast majority of the remaining 

 treaty resource. Such a course of action is ill-founded, illogical, and ill^aL This abuse of the 

 trust responsibility cannot continue. 



We will take the opportunityto provide fimher comments as NMFS develops its recovery 

 plan. We hope you and NMFS will understand and appredate our poation. If you have any 

 questions, please call me at (503) 238-0667. 



Thank you for your attention to this matter. 



Sincerely, 



Ted Strong ^ — 

 Executive Director 



Attachment 



cc: Honorable Ronald IL Brown, Secretary of Commerce 

 Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior 

 Honorable Earnest F. Hollings, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, 



Sdence and Transportation 

 Honorable Gerry R Studds, Chairman, House Committee on Merchant Marine 



and Fisheries 

 Honorable Danid K. Inouye, Chairman, Senate Committee on Indian Affeiis 



