what method works best? Again, opinions 

 vary on this important question. In the mean- 

 time, the Program includes a combination of 

 water budget, spill, transportation and dam- 

 site construction as the relative merits of these 

 projects get tested and sorted out. 



Splitting Up The Salmon Runs: Who 

 Gets How Much? 



Salmon spawned in one state often are cap- 

 tured in the rivers of another state or in the 

 ocean waters of another country. One study 

 showed that almost three out of four of the 

 Columbia's upriver chinook are caught by 

 Canadian and Alaskan fishermen. Likewise, 

 salmon from British Columbia's Fraser River 

 often end up in the nets of U.S. fishermen. 



The U.S. and Canadian governments signed 

 a Pacific Salmon Treaty in 1985 that begins to 

 address that particular slice of the harvest 

 issue. Fish management groups such as the 

 Northern Pacific Fishery Management Council 

 and Pacific Fishery Management Council have 

 tried to allocate ocean catches. But the funda- 

 mental problem remains. 



Why should one group invest in fish 

 enhancement projects that end up enriching 

 another group? Indian fishermen, commercial 

 fishermen and sport fishermen are each anx- 

 ious to preserve and enhance their share of the 

 wealth. 



According to one business news letter, the 

 commercial salmon fishing industry pumps 

 upwards of $700 million into the Northwest 

 economy each year, and sport fishermen con- 

 tribute even more. Fishing is big business. 



Over the years, tribes have filed many law- 

 suits to preserve their treaty rights to take fish 

 "at all the usual and accustomed places" on the 

 Columbia and its tributaries. In one major case, 

 called U.S. vs. Oregon (as with a separate case 

 in Washington), the court awarded the tribes 

 up to 50 percent of the Columbia salmon and 

 steelhead harvest. The lawsuit participants are 

 now working on a new five-year plan to man- 

 age Columbia river fish. But questions remain. 



Toward A Brighter Future 



How can we ensure the salmon's survival 

 and allow a fair share of fish for ail? Most 

 would agree that restrictions on harvest are 

 necessary, but who will be the first to give up 

 part of their share? Will the fish saved by one 

 group only end up in the nets of another? 



In spite of the problems, Bonneville, the 

 Council and the other players are firmly com- 



july 1987 



^ 



>.- 



A 



WL 



In the end it 

 will be all 

 citizens of the 

 region who 

 decide how 

 much they 

 are willing to 

 sacrifice for 

 the future of 

 fish. 



Brook trout wait in 

 a pool below a 

 barrier 



(Montana Departmeni ot 

 Fr^h, Wildlife & Parks) 



mitted to rebuilding fish populations in the 

 Columbia River. In addition to the salmon and 

 steelhead runs under discussion here, upriver 

 stocks of non-migratory fish are influenced by 

 the operation of dams, as are birds and game 

 animals whose habitat has been changed. The 

 Program has an effect on their future. And it 

 will have effects as well on human habitat and 

 what it means to live in the Northwest. 



The Act in its first few years has brought var- 

 ious interest groups together and provided, at 

 its best, a kind of synergistic momentum 

 toward improving fish runs. It is important to 

 maintain this momentum, to resolve the big 

 issues and to prevent the renewed effort for 

 fish from lapsing toward inertia and bureau- 

 cratic squabbling. 



Bonneville and others in the power business 

 are now cast in the role of advocates of fish, 

 still searching for the best way to carry out 

 their duties under the Act. 



Their dollars have laid a new foundation. 

 The first cornerstone projects are underway. 

 The recent returns of salmon have given us a 

 hopeful signal of what tomorrow may bring. 



But tough questions remain. In the end it 

 will be all citizens of the region who decide 

 how hard they are willing to work to build a 

 future for the Columbia's fish. 



For More Information 



Other brochures. For more information on 

 how plans are made and where the money 

 goes, ask for: 



Enhancing our Fish and Wildlife Resources. 



15 



