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Although the tribes never wanted the hatcheries to begin with, and only accepted them in good 

 faith as a mitigation measure, the tribes believe that artificial production programs can and 

 should be used as a tool to aid in the recovery or Columbia River salmon stocks. Indeed, 

 reformation of hatchery policy has been a priority of the tribes for many years, as evidenced by 

 our testimony before this Committee in the early 1980's. Now, as then, we are adamant that 

 two hatchery policies must be changed: 



First, implementation of the Mitchell Act Program must be changed so that the 

 fish arc returned to the upper basin areas that were most impacted by federal 

 hydroelectric development. Second, the federal policy of concrete-to-concrete 

 salmon production must be changed by fixing the habitat and allowing the use of 

 hatcheries as a tool for rebuilding natural production. 



Current production policies and past efforts to mitigate resource damage continue to harm the 

 resource and limit the exercise of treaty fishing rights as understood by the treaty makers. The 

 tribes have recognized this problem and for over a decade have strived to gain meaningful 

 reforms in production policies through various forums, including this Committee, by proposing 

 sound artificial propagation techniques to restore and enhance salmon runs. Our request for 

 reprogramming Mitchell Act hatcheries - to place the fish where they belong, and where we may 

 share in them - have fallen on deaf ears. Our requests for scientifically sound supplementation 

 programs have been denied. The tribes' salmon production programs have been delayed under 

 the guise of scientific differences, while other non-Indian hatcheries have been built and placed 

 in operation. The tribes have conserved while others have prospered. This cannot continue. 



