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who live in tiie shallow bur productive littoral zone, and fuel the food web. These 

 components of &e Columbia are very important lo fish and wildlife, but our understanding 

 of them is verv- superficial relative to gas supersaturarion. 



I attempted to investigate the incidence of gas bubble disease in resident fish in die 

 lower Columbia, but lacking the necessarv- permits, I could only examine fish collecred by 

 Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife. Some of tiie wild resident fish near Portland's 

 airport had signs of gas bubble disease at a level equal to NMFS's fall chinook juvenile.^ 

 near Bonneville dam. but I also found signs of GBD m yellow percli, bluegiUs, and 

 peamouth (shiners). NMFS withdrew its offer to collaborate after we gave them some 

 constructi\'e recommendations (attached). Both NMFS and NBS soon declined to let me 

 accompany them, or look at fish collected under tlieir permits (see attached letter), even 

 from a project that had nothing to do with tiie gas issue (project description attached). 



Working independently of each other. Di'. Ralph Elston and I have botii found 

 epidermal scars in tiie fins of fish that were exposed to gas supersaturation in the 

 Columbia River. While the cause of the lesion is uncertain, tiie size, shape, and location 

 are strongly suggestive of previously healed lesions from gas bubble disease. 



NMFS is looking for gas bubble disease m resident fish and some zooplankters. 

 but I ha^•en't seen tiie results. Further. NMFS lias no administrative provision for 

 protecting resident fish, i.e. an action level if exceeded to trigger reduced gas levels. 



5. To ^hat extent has sdentlflc research from the states been incorporated 

 into the current spill policy? How can the deciflion-making process be Improved? 



The States have provided considerable data on fish passage, population levels, and 

 natural history, but tiiey have not performed any gas supersaturation or gas bubble disease 

 research. .As far as I know, no one on tiieir staffs has any expertise in gas bubble disease 

 and supersaturation. They have provided a liteialure review, but it was very incomplete 

 and biased. They have developed a computer model for investigating various fish passage 

 issues, but results of tliese adventures in cyberspace should not be confused with real 

 experimentation witii real fish. 



Aside from tiie recommendations in Question # 2, I believe tiiat most of tiie 



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