pared to survive in varying condi- 

 tions. Better imderstanding of tlie 

 conditions salmon face in the ocean 

 can suggest which factors will be 

 most critical to survi\al. and thus 

 gi\e insight as to which actions taken 

 inland will be the most valuable. 



An accurate and timely under- 

 standing of the sur\ i\al in the ocean 

 of each of the Columbia River Basin 

 stocks also helps us assess the value 

 of measures undertaken in this pro- 

 gram. Because the ultimate measure 

 of success is the number of adult fish 

 returning, accurate monitoring and 

 evaluation of inland efforts depends 

 on our ability to isolate the effects of 

 the ocean on a stock from the effects 

 of those inland actions. 



Without the ability to distinguish 

 ocean effects from other effects, we 

 may be tempted to confuse large 

 returns with successful mitigation 

 practices. Or, poor returns of adult 

 fish may lead to abandonment of mit- 

 igation actions that are in fact highly 

 beneficial unless we can recognize 

 that the poor returns are in spite of, 

 and not because of, these mitigation 

 actions. 



The estuary is addressed in the 

 habitat strategy section because pro- 

 tecting and restoring estuarine habitat 

 is feasible and involves some of the 

 same strategies as habitats farther 

 inland. This section addres.ses the 

 freshwater plume, the near-shore 

 conditions, and the high seas, which 

 are less subject to human control. 



The Council adopts the following 

 ocean stratctjies: 



Manage for \'ariahility 



Ocean conditions and regional cli- 

 mates play a large role in the sur- 

 vival of anadromous fisii and other 

 species in the Columbia River Basin. 

 Management actions should strive to 

 help those species accommodate a 

 \ariety of ocean conditions by pro- 

 viding a wide range of life history 

 strategics. 



Distinguish Ocean Effects from 

 Other Effects 



Monitoring and evaluation actions 

 should recognize and take into 

 account the effect of varying ocean 

 conditions and. to the extent feasi- 

 ble, separate the effects of ocean- 

 related mortality from that caused in 

 the freshwater part of the life cycle. 



9. Research, Monitoring, and 

 Evaluation 



' Primary strategies: 1 ) Identify and 

 resolve key uncertainties for the 

 program; 2) monitor, evaluate, and 

 apply results; and 3 ) make infor- 

 mation from this program readily 

 available. 



The heart of this program is a set 

 of immediate actions to improve con- 

 ditions for fish and wildlife. Despite 

 a large body of knowledge about the 

 needs offish and wildlife, there are 

 still many instances in which there 

 is not yet enough infomiation to fully 

 understand which actions will be 

 most effective. The intention of the 

 Council — and the Northwest Power 

 Act — is for the region to make 



the best possible choice of actions 

 based on the available information. 

 Thus, lack of perfect information is 

 not grounds for inaction. 



The purpose of the research strat- 

 egies under this program is to iden- 

 tify and resolve key uncertainties. 



The purpose of the monitoring 

 and evaluation strategies is to assure 

 tiiat the effects of actions taken 

 Luider this program are measured, 

 that these measurements are analyzed 

 so that we have better knowledge of 

 the effects of the action, and that 

 this improved knowledge is used to 

 choose future actions. 



The purpose of the data man- 

 agement strategies is to support the 

 research, monitoring, and evaluation 

 strategies by making the results read- 

 ily available. The data management 

 strategy is also intended to increase 

 the public accountability of this pro- 

 gram by making the results acces- 

 sible not only to specialists, but also 

 to the public at large. 



Research 

 Resarch Plan 



The Council will establish a basin- 

 wide research plan, similar to the 

 subbasin plans, which identifies key 

 uncertainties for this program and its 

 biological objectives and the steps 

 needed to resolve them. The plan 

 will identify major research topics, 

 including ocean research, and estab- 

 lish priorities for research funding. 



Coordination 



The research plan will be coordi- 

 nated with the research elements of 





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32 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife Program 



