91 



SUMMARY 



In iate 1991 and early 1992, the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service NMFS) determined that three "species" of saimon from the 

 Snake River Basin were endangered or threatened under tne 

 Endangered Species Act (ESA) , including sockeye salmon, 

 spring/summer chinook saimon, and fall chinook salmon (the 

 "listed species"). Under Section 7 of the SSA, Federal agencies, 

 in consultation with NMFS , must insure that their actions are not 

 likely to jeopardize these Snake River salmon species. During 

 the consultation process NMFS (the consulting agency; provides 

 its Pioiogical expertise and opinion to Federal agencies (the 

 action agencies) wnose actions may affect Snake River saimon 

 species. This report summarizes information and types of data 

 that NMFS may use during the section 7 consultation process. 



With the listing cf the listed species, NMFS began consultations. 

 In 1992 NMFS established an interim goal "1o improve survival and 

 make progress toward reversing the decline of listed and proposed 

 species." This goal was used in the Section 7 consultation 

 process to evaluate various agency actions including certain 

 hydropower operations and fishery activities. While significant 

 progress occurred in 1992, the immediacy of the listings did not 

 allow sufficient time for NMFS or other Federal agencies to 

 develop a comprehensive approach to Section 7 consultations. 

 This report outlines the goals, methods, and information that may 

 be used during 1993 while recognizing that the recovery planning 

 process is incomplete and that for some ongoing actions changes 

 may be appropriate to insure the long-term survival of the 

 species yet cannot be accomplished or implemented quickly. 



During these consultations, Federal agencies are strongly 

 encouraged to adopt measures or modify their actions in order to 

 minimize adverse human impacts on Snake River socxeye saimon and 

 to significantly reduce the level of human- induced mortality for 

 Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon. _\"MFS will 

 stress a comprehensive approach to the consultation process which 

 is anticipated to provide a more complete and coordinated 

 assessment of impacts. Consultations have begun concerning 

 actions that were not fully evaluated in 1992 including hatchery 

 operations and land use activities that may affect saimon 

 habitat. Consultations are being grouped together as much as 

 possible so that broad impacts are assessed and also to 

 facilitate an integrated approach to salmon conservation both 

 within and among agencies. Cumulative effects, interrelated and 

 interdependent effects, and long-term effects will be considered. 

 Finally, NMFS is examining the use of a combined effects 

 assessment to better quantify the impacts of all actions. 



Because of the extremely low abundance of Snake River sockeye 

 salmon, the approach used for evaluating the impacts of an agency 

 action on this species is expected to differ from the approach 



