This is the second hearing this summer to address the critical is- 

 sues of Pacific salmon, and I cannot emphasize how important the 

 salmon are to my constituents in Oregon's first district, and in fact 

 the entire Northwest. I don't think it is exaggerating to say that 

 these legendary f.sh are indeed the warp thread of the cultural fab- 

 ric of the Pacific Northwest. 



And in addition, they are a $1 billion contribution to our econ- 

 omy. But unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, they are also the canary in 

 the coal mine. They are telling us with their decline that there is 

 a drastic decline in the health of Northwest ecosystems. The Or- 

 egon-Washington Ocean Fishery was closed this year for the first 

 time in our entire States' history. In-river commercial recreation 

 and ceremonial harvest has also been drastically scaled back. 

 Three Columbia River stocks have been listed under the Endan- 

 gered Species Act, several more are petitioned. 



But a central piece to the salmon puzzle is the Pacific Salmon 

 Treaty, signed by the United States and Canada in 1985. At the 

 heart of that Treaty is its governing conservation principles, the 

 principles to prevent overfishing and provide for optimum salmon 

 production. Despite all the good intentions of the Treaty, imple- 

 mentation is failing. What is more, negotiations to develop a new 

 harvest regime under the Treaty have stalled. 



Though it appears to be averted for now, there is continued dis- 

 cussion of a so-called fish war between Canada and the United 

 States I join my Northwest colleagues in calling for this hearing be- 

 cause we find this situation unacceptable. The United States needs 

 to speak with one strong voice in providing leadership on treaty ne- 

 gotiations and avoiding a fish war. 



The United States needs to renew its commitment to working 

 with its northern neighbor to rebuild the weak stocks and make 

 the necessary sacrifices to achieve that goal. The survival of many 

 Northwest runs, including the listed Columbia River stocks and the 

 declining coastal coho runs, hang in the balance. Without recovery 

 of these stocks, we will say good-bye forever to our $1 billion salm- 

 on fishery and farewell to a way of life for many fishermen and 

 women and the tribes who have traditionally fished these rivers 

 since time immemorial. 



Today's panel of witnesses will hopefully help illuminate the 

 proper pathway to take to achieve progress in the treaty negotia- 

 tions and to let Congress know if we need to take action to facili- 

 tate this resolution. I am eager to hear their testimony and I thank 

 you, Mr. Chairman, for being willing to put on this hearing. 



Thank you. 



Mr. Manton. Without objection, the statement of the Honorable 

 Gerry Studds will be submitted and entered in the record. 



[The statement of Mr. Studds follows:] 



Statement of Hon. Gerry E. Studds, a U.S. Representative from Massachu- 

 setts, AND Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment and Natural Re- 

 sources 



Thanks to the persistence of our West Coast members, this Committee has fol- 

 lowed the northwest salmon issue for several years. We have come to feel great em- 

 pathy for these magnificent fish, as we seem to be constantly swimming upstream 

 and banging our heads into large concrete walls. We have seen this issue grow from 

 a traumatic regional crisis to a full-blown national and — as we shall see today — 

 international disaster. 



