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Statte 5^/95 Page 6 



We recograze the importance that NMPS places on the nsach survival 

 study and b©tj«v© that the Plan sJtouW reflect that emphasis mor9 strong^. The 

 Proposed Recovery; Plan seems to ciscr©<fit the fi^MFSAJW survival slixjios 

 conducted in the Snaka River dunng 1993 and 1994 Oy ciaiming the stucfies 

 cannot be used to assess mortality and oonctfen ai fish at the eetuary. These 

 studies were not designed or intended to measure survival in the estuary. The 

 Ptan Should stress your belief that survival studies ard critic^ to pairing an 

 jndefstanding ot hONw juvenile saimon are survwmg ad they emigraie out of the 

 system. The Team recognized that the sHxies were the best avajlabto 

 inforniation on downstream passage survivals even ttiough they were Imlted to 

 the Snate River. The Team reoormnefids that ttie Plan more cteeuly express 

 NMFS's support tor the continuatton and exterxsion of reach survival studies 

 dO¥kn to, and Including, the estuary. 



The reeurts of the first two yeesTs of the hitJFS/lW studies have caused 

 Interested fishery scientists to nsthink some of their assumptJor>6 on reech 

 survivajs. When the Team began the devetopment of our Recoveiy Plan 

 Rocommerxlatiorts, over three years ago. it was commonfy thought that smolt 

 survivals were exceptionally iow in the first re«4rvoir arxMuntered as they 

 migrate out of the system. Fof this reason, recovery recommerxlatlons vwera 

 focused on decreasmg water-parbde travel time arxJ presumabiy fish travel time. 

 It was believed tl-^ this would reduce exposure to predators and increase 

 survivals. 



The first two years of the N^FS/UW s>.rvivaJ stixiy have not oortfamed 

 previous conventionaJ wisdom. In fact, the results were shr^ier in both years and 

 showed reservoir sun/ival in Lower Grarate that appft)ached 1 CM percent over a 

 wide rsnge ot ftows dunr^g the out-mtg ration. This is practseiy the type ot 

 irttonn a t io r tt^ is absolutely necessary tor anyone to design and imptement a 

 recovery plan. W^ a better understanding of reach survival, recovery 

 measures can be tailored to rBduce mortafty as fish move through the system. 



The NMFS Reoovefy plan states th«^ NMFSAJW studies were rrande 

 during a "very narrow range of ftow coocfition and so cannot be used to compare 

 survivals at cSfferont Sow leveis.' The sbjties were conducted over the last two 

 years and becBuse the flows vnry signiflcantty durkig each season they were 

 able to coAect survival data over a wide range that va/ted from low to rska^y^ 

 high fkj¥rs. The relationship of flow to sifn,nvai wil come from repealing these 

 stwSes over many yeers. While the limitations of the data leave considefabte 

 uncerrainTy ar^d unknowns, the Teaffl has not seen a reieijonship between 

 suPrtvals of yearling Chinook and flow in the upper tv¥0 reservoirs. 



