228 



LVI. While there is certainly room for improvements in tributary 

 and mainstem habitat, the Plan rejects the obvious — the 

 major obstacle to recovery of Snake River Salmon are the in- 

 river obstructions to adult and juvenile migration. All 

 upstream habitat could be returned to pristine condition and 

 Snake River salmon would still be doomed unless the Snake 

 dams are either removed or modified significantly. Spending 

 money on upstream habitat without first fixing passage 

 problems creates the illusions that "something is being 

 done" to save salmon when in reality salmon will continue 

 their slide to extinction. These proposals are similar to 

 treating a cold while a patient bleeds to death. Stop the 

 bleeding. 



Fish Passage Center 



LVII. The most serious limitation of the Plan is that it does 

 not include any analysis which indicates that the 

 listed stocks will rebuild and recover with 

 implementation of the Plan. p 1. 



LVIII. The Draft Plan wagers recovery of listed stocks on a 

 concept of protection which is primarily removing the 

 listed stocks from their habitat. This concept of 

 collecting juveniles in upstream surface collectors, 

 collecting adults at downstream sites, and transporting 

 migrant in both directions is the original concept of 

 mitigation attempted when the system of large storage 

 reservoirs was first developed. The Team has come full 

 circle and has arrived at the unsuccessful mitigation 

 and protection concepts of the early 1960 's. p 1. 



LIX. The data presented by the Team shows that the increase in 

 transportation and the decline of listed stocks occurred 

 concurrently. Transportation is a major perturbation of 

 juvenile migration. Unlike the Team's treatment of hatchery 

 mitigation programs, they neglected to consider the likely 

 possibility that the transportation of smolts mitigation 

 program may have contributed to the decline of listed 

 stocks . 

 p 2. 



LX. Although the Team discusses the effect of the operation and 

 development of the hydrosystem on anadromous fish, the Team 

 does not consider any modification of the present operations 

 to facilitate the needs of anadromous fish. The Plan simply 

 assumes the status quo operation of the hydrosystem and does 

 not consider or discuss the need or potential to change load 

 shape through power marketing, conservation and exchanges. 

 P 2. 



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