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If you had asked this question five years ago, the tribes would have responded: 



We have made progress toward restoration. Harvest is now subject to comprehensive controls 

 throughout the range of the salmon under international and regional management forums. The 

 negotiation and court approval of the w.?? r v. Oregon Columbia River Fish Management Plan 

 promises to usher in a new era of cooperation between the tribes, the states and the federal 

 government regarding Columbia River fisheries management. Implementation of the Power 

 Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Program holds great promise for the restoration of the 

 basin's fisheries, although we believe the Corps of Engineers and Bonneville Power 

 Administration should be more cooperative in implementing the Council's program. 

 Implementation of Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic River's Act will be an important element 

 in protection of the salmon's habitat, although we continue to be frustrated by the U.S. Forest 

 Service's lack of commitment to water quality and salmon habitat protection and restoration. 

 Our remaining challenge is to finally achieve meaningful reform of the basin's fish production 

 programs - to fulfill these programs' intent of mitigating for loss of upriver salmon runs. 



Unfortunately, we must respond to your question from the perspective of today's harsh reality 

 as follows: 



Whatever progress toward restoration and recovery that had been made over the past decade is 

 now stalled and in some cases- being reversed. Contrary to popular opinion, the ESA listings 

 of upper basin, Snake River chinook and sockeye stocks are not contributing toward restoration 

 but are instead further dividing the region. NMFS' implementation of the ESA is allowing most 

 federal activities to go forward with only a few changes. Operations at the dams have been only 

 slightly modified; the problem remains - salmon evolved to flourish in a system based on cold, 

 flowing water; current conditions have been changed to a warm water system with greatly 

 reduced flow. Unless these fundamental attributes of salmon ecology are addressed, the salmon 

 will continue to decline. With regard to land management activities, the best that can be said 

 is that the rate of habitat degradation on some forests has decreased slightly relative to ten years 

 ago. In addition, NMFS' steadfast refusal to re-examine its dubious species definition and 

 artificial propagation policies is precluding consideration of tribal recovery proposals. The 

 impact of the region's lack of progress on tribal treaty fisheries is self-evident; now more than 

 ever, the tribes' fisheries and the religion and culture based on those fisheries, are struggling to 

 survive in the face of federal inaction and opposition. Tribal harvest is under constant attack, 

 even though harvest is the only area that answers to a conservation standard and has 

 conservation-based management. The current situation is completely unacceptable to the tribes. 

 The status quo must change if we are to have even a chance of restoring the runs. 



4. Will the President's Forest Mnnngement Plan for the Pacific Northwest, announced 

 July 1, impact the restoration of salmon populations? If so, how? 



The President's Forest Management Plan marks a significant departure from past management. 

 For many of the watersheds west of Highway 97, the President's Plan may provide for improved 

 management of fish habitat. Unfortunately, the President's Plan does not address the Columbia 

 River Basin east of Highway 97, which includes the majority of the basin and all of the salmon 



