120 



March 11, 1993 



UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 Natural Resources Subcommittee 

 Representative Bruce F. Vento, Chairman 

 2253 Raybum 

 Washington, D.C. 



RE: Formal Comments on the Impact of Timber Harvest to Pacific Northwest Salmon 



Dear Chairman Vento: 



Thank you for the opportunity to address the Subcommittee. My name is John F. Palmisano. 

 I am an independent fisheries scientist from Portland, Oregon. I have a Ph.D. in Fisheries from 

 the University of Washington, in Seattle, and I am a Certified Fisheries Scientist. I have 20 

 years of professional experience in consulting, research, and teaching in the Pacific Northwest. 



I am representing the Northwest Forest Resource Council (NFRC) of Portland, Oregon. The 

 Council's members are timber companies that depend upon natioral resources and ovwi and 

 manage much salmon habitat in Oregon and Washington. Fiuthermore, the Council strongly 

 believes that the recovery of salmon runs is very important to all residents of the Northwest. 

 Accordingly, the Council has an immense interest in the Subcommittee's hearings and believes 

 that it is appropriate to comment on the issues that wdll affect the recovery of salmon nms and 

 influence the management of forested lands. 



The Council and I feel strongly that before solutions can be applied to the salmon problem, 

 the problem has to be thoroughly and accurately defined. Only after knowing all the major 

 causes can the appropriate solutions be proposed and fairly implemented. 



In the last 12 months I have coauthored two scientific studies that reviewed the factors that 

 have adversely affected Pacific Northwest stocks of wild anadromous salmon and trout. The 

 first report, A Review of Management and Environmental Factors Responsible for the Decline 

 and Lack of Recovery of Oregon's Wild Anadromous Salmonids was prepared for the Oregon 

 Forest Industry Council in Jime of 1992 by Drs. V.W. Kaczynski and J.F. Palmisano. The 

 second report. The Impact of Environmental and Management Factors on Washington's Wild 

 Anadromous Salmon and Trout was prepared in January 1993 by Drs. John F. Palmisano, 

 Robert H. Ellis, and Victor W. Kaczynski for the Washington Forest Protection Association and 

 the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. We present these reports as part of 

 our formal comments and strongly encourage the Subcommittee to read them. 



The sole objective of both studies was to provide a through and honest evaluation of all factors 

 that have adversely affected the wild anadromous stocks of Pacific Northwest salmon and 

 trout. 



