6. Increase genetic connections 

 and gene Ho\> within the eco- 

 logical system to facilitate devel- 

 opment, expansion and protec- 

 tion of population structures. 



• Increase the abundance and range 

 of existing habitats and popula- 

 tions. 



• Expand and connect existing 

 habitat pockets to facilitate 

 development of resilient popula- 

 tion structures for aquatic com- 

 munities. 



7. Identity, protect and restore 

 ecosystem functions in the 

 Columbia River estuary and 

 nearshore ocean discharge 

 plume as affected by actions 

 within the Columbia River 

 watershed. 



• Evaluate flow regulation, river 

 operations and estuary-area habi- 

 tat changes to better understand 

 the relationship between estuary 

 and near-shore plume character- 

 istics and the productivity, abun- 

 dance and diversity of salmon 

 and steelhead populations. 



8. Enhance the natural expression 

 of biological diversity in salmon 

 and steelhead populations to 

 accommodate mortality and 

 environmental variability in the 

 ocean. 



Accept signihcant variation in 

 the productivity, capacity and 

 life-history diversity for any 

 particular population over any 

 particular time period, as part 

 of the normal environmental 

 condition. A measure of 

 whether key ecological func- 

 tions have increased sufficiently 

 will be whether the system 

 can accept normal environmen- 

 tal variation without collapse of 

 the fish and wildlife population 

 and communitv structure. 



Basin and province level 

 objectives must also describe expec- 

 tations for the characteristics of the 

 inainstem, estuary and ocean envi- 

 ronments shared by all populations 

 of salnu>n and steelhead in the subba- 

 sins. In other words, subbasin plan- 

 ners need to know what are the pro- 

 gram 's expectations or assumptions 

 for survival of their respective popu- 

 lations in the parts of their life cvcles 

 outside the subbasins, including sur- 

 vival through the mainstem and in the 

 estuary and ocean. For example, the 

 objectives and strategies that plan- 

 ners would choose for a subbasin 

 might vaiy substantially if expecta- 

 tions for juvenile survival through the 

 mainstem over the planning period 

 are 50 percent versus 90 percent. 



D-2 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife Program 



