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the recovery plan must be flexible and allow for modification 

 based on new scientific evidence. However, there are certain 

 factors that primarily are responsible for the decline of salmon. 

 These are the construction and operation of the Columbia River 

 hydroelectric system, commercial harvest, hatcheries, and habitat 

 degradation. These factors must be given prominent consideration 

 in recovery planning. We believe that addressing any single 

 factor in isolation likely will not lead to recovery. Instead, 

 NOAA will follow a comprehensive conservation strategy. 



We agree with the Team that science must be the predominant 

 consideration in recovery planning decisions. However, the 

 importance placed on developing new information does not diminish 

 the need for immediate action using the best available 

 information, as mandated by the ESA. In the face of scientific 

 uncertainty, and considering the precarious status of many 

 Columbia River salmon stocks, recovery measures accompanied by 

 careful monitoring and evaluation should be implemented without 

 delay, and measures should be modified as new information 

 indicates appropriate. 



The recovery planning process for listed Pacific salmon 

 represents one of the most complex conservation efforts ever 

 undertaken. Pacific salmon, a resource of great aesthetic, 

 cultural, ecological, economic, and historical value, are widely 

 acknowledged for their complex life cycle and the challeng^es they 



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