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ceed now is simply to put the fish back in the river and improve 

 in-river conditions. This is the heart of the debate in the region. 



Our objective is to identify the best mix of mainstem passage 

 measures to improve survivals, be it transportation or in-river mi- 

 gration. Our method to achieve that objective is fairly simple. First, 

 improve the transportation system through aggressive implementa- 

 tion of quality control measures. What does that mean? It means 

 simple things like don't put too many fish in the barges, take care 

 of your water quality and temperatures, don't hold the young fish 

 in the raceways too long. Simple things that we understand. 



Second, improve the in-river conditions for in-river migrants and 

 then evaluate the results over time to see what provides the most 

 benefit. It's in this context that the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service has embraced a spill program at the downstream projects, 

 both collector and noncollector, because it's part of the effort to im- 

 prove in-river migration systems so that we can settle the larger 

 debate on good science, the larger debate about whether or not we 

 should continue reliance on a transportation system or junk the 

 transportation system and move to complete reliance on in-river 

 migration. 



If we don't do our best in testing out both alternatives, we will 

 not be able to answer that question well and on a solid scientific 

 basis and in a couple of years, we will be left with the flip of a coin 

 as to which major option we choose to follow, including some major 

 system reconfigurations and major drawdowns. So the function of 

 the spill program is part of the larger, scientific evaluation of what 

 works best. If we don't institute the spill program, we will not give 

 fair credence to an effort to improve in-river migration. 



The third point is that the National Marine Fisheries Services, 

 in consultation with the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau, Bonne- 

 ville, Fish and Wildlife, NBS, and the State and tribal agencies in 

 the region, has, in my view, designed and implemented a scientif- 

 ically sound and biologically safe voluntary spill program. 



Dr. Schiewe is a principal architect of the biological monitoring 

 component of that and if you have questions on how that was de- 

 veloped, then I would encourage those questions. I think we have 

 good answers. 



The next point, we are committed to continuing progress on im- 

 proving this system through what is called an adaptive manage- 

 ment approach. What that really means. Senator, is that we are 

 committed to continuing to learn as we go and that we are conimit- 

 ted to changing what we do as we learn. At the end of this migra- 

 tion season, the National Marine Fisheries Service, together with 

 her sister agencies and the States and tribes of the region, \vill sit 

 down together and review the operations of this season— did the 

 technical management team that ran the river do a good job; did 

 it have adequate guidelines; can we improve that system; and if so, 

 let's go ahead and improve it, preparing for next year. 



Let us also take a look at the spill parameters, the parameters 

 governing the spill program. Do we have them right; are there 

 ways we can improve them; and if there are, let's get on with it. 

 We are absolutely open to continuing to make those improvements 

 and we intend to do so. 



