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and commercial businesses along the west coast from northern California to Alaska. In 

 addition, our businesses inland, from manufacturing to retailing across the United 

 States are severely impacted, by the loss of millions of salmon in the Columbia 

 System 



Fishing closures and restrictions will continue to impact our economy with hundreds 

 of millions of lost dollars until the operation of the hydro system is substantially altered 

 for fish passage Years of data collected and studied by State, Federal and Tribal 

 biologists have shown direct and substantial correlation between years of high flow 

 and spill with increased adult returns Smolt monitoring done by the fish passage 

 center confirms and reinforces the original flow/survival studies of the I970's and 

 1980's 



Our salmon populations in the Columbia basin are facing a crisis of historic 

 proportions The Columbia once was the largest salmon producing river in the entire 

 world , with some 10 to 16 million returning adults 



This year, we anticipate returns of 12 million fish, a more than ten-fold decrease, of 

 which only one-guarter are wild, naturally spawning fish The Snake River wild spring 

 Chinook once numbered over 60,000 spawning adults. This year less than 1000 are 

 expected back to their spawning grounds. Predictions for next year are worse! 



Will we choose to allow these resources and the industries that depend on them 

 to disappear? 



In reviewing the Bevan Plan, it becomes immediately apparent that the lower Columbia 

 commercial fishing interests have been determined to be expendable The decline of 

 stock abundances and a lack of serious changes in the management of the hydro- 

 system, sends a clear message that the sportfishing industry is also expendable With 

 the treaty fisheries "on the beach", all harvesters, seem to be written out of the 

 equation 



It appears that the resource and those dependent on a healthy fishery are not a priority. 

 One remembers the analogy: "When they came for the Gillnetters, I did not protest, 

 because I was not a Gillnetter When they took out the tribal nets, I did not speak up 

 because, I was not an Indian. When they took my rod and reel, there was no one left to 

 protest." Fishers realize that getting rid of their traditional adversaries won't save the 

 fish, only changes in human activity will. 



When considering the economic benefits to the region of healthy fish populations, the 

 corresponding industries dependent on salmon, must be a part of the equation. 

 Remember, there is a G.I. Joes, a Fred Meyer, a Bi-Mart, and a hardware store selling 

 tackle in virtually every community in the Northwest. Expand that to include boat 

 dealers, manufacturers distributors, marinas, resorts and motels, and you begin to see 

 the magnitude of the value of the elusive salmon to the Pacific Northwest. In the NSIA 



