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salmon with hatchery fish. 

 6. Discontinue transportation by truck since the fish that 



are transported in this way are unable to imprint 



effectively. They become lost and stray into other 



watersheds, spreading diseases and disrupting the 



adaptive capacity of local gene pools. 

 C. Question #3: 



What should be the essential elements of the final Recovery 

 Plan adopted by NMFS? First, the plan should be driven by 

 science and scientific evaluation. It is important to make a 

 distinction between science and process and establish a specific 

 role for both elements in the plan. The Scientific Oversight 

 Committee would establish this. . Second, a priority must be 

 placed on completing an inventory of the natural biological 

 diversity of salmonids on the entire west coast. This data can 

 then be used to evaluate the various management and recovery 

 experiments. This would allow the agencies and the public to 

 conduct adaptive management and even describe success. The 

 Recovery Plan lacks this essential element. Third, the priority 

 for management and recovery actions should be placed first on 

 native, natural populations of salmonids, since it is the 

 recovery of these populations that we are all held accountable to 

 under the ESA. The Recovery Plan lacks a specific strategy for 

 recovery of natural, native populations of salmonids. 

 IV. CONCLUSION: 



In conclusion, the nation and the Northwest region of the 

 United States risk losing a culturally and ecologically important 

 asset and an economically important commodity. The region lacks 

 a coherent health plan for native salmonids, a health plan that 

 is imbedded institutionally both among and within federal and 

 state land, water and fish management agencies. Salmon, 

 steelhead, and trout of the west will continue to decline until 

 extinct unless a holistic health care plan based on the genetic 

 and lifecycle needs of wild, natural salmonid populations. 



