160 



2 



1 (1) California's Russian River and its tribu- 



2 taries contain anadromous fish resources that are an 



3 important component of the local, regional, and 



4 State commercial and sport recreational fisheries. 



5 The commercial and recreational harvest of Russian 



6 River salmon and steelhead has historically made an 



7 important contribution to local economies. 



8 (2) The Russian River supported one of the 



9 most productive steelhead fisheries in North America 



10 as recently as 1940. 



11 (3) In the recent past, the Russian River sup- 



12 ported an abundant population of coho salmon and 



13 still contains a remnant population of this species, 



14 which has been proposed for listing under the En- 



15 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 



16 seq.). 



17 (4) The Russian River provides numerous other 



18 beneficial uses to the many people who inhabit its 



19 basin. The River is a source of drinking and irriga- 



20 tion water, a popular destination for recreational 



21 water sports enthusiasts, the soil source for prime 



22 agricultural bottom lands, the primary local source 



23 of aggregate resources, and the source of hydro- 



24 electric power generated by 2 major dams. 



•HR 4408 IH 



