Currently fish and wildlife costs each man, 

 woman and child in the region between $15 

 and $20 per year. According to the Council, 

 this represents about 4 percent of an average 

 electric bill. 



Bonneville must balance its fish and wildlife 

 duties with its other duties to provide ade-i 

 quate and economical electricity and still be 

 able to meet its obligations to the U.S. Treasury. 



Revenue shortfalls related to declining oil 

 and gas prices and a slump in the Northwest's 

 economy in recent years have brought a new 

 reality to decisions about how much Bonne- 

 ville ratepayers can be expected to contribute 

 in the future and at what pace. 



Bonneville — Balancing Interests 



Bonneville must balance eager proposals 

 from the fish and wildlife agencies and the 

 tribes, on one hand, and Northwest ratepayers, 

 on the other hand, who must foot the bill. In 

 this role, Bonneville has been described as 

 something like an investor, with an eye toward 

 a fair return — in terms of fish. 



As the Program has grown, so has the need 

 for hard evidence that each measure that the 

 Council passes on to Bonneville relates to a 

 specific biological goal and represents the 

 most effective way to reach that goal. 



According to the Act, Bonneville ratepayers 

 should shoulder the financial burden only for 

 damage caused by Federal hydro development 

 in the Columbia River Basin. Not for overhar- 

 vest. Not for industrial or agricultural 

 pollution. 



It's true Bonneville does fund a number of 

 projects not directly connected to dams, for a 

 few simple reasons. Bonneville cannot disman- 

 tle dams or drain reservoirs that have flooded 

 spawning sites. It can, however, offset damage 

 done by federal dams by, for example, improv- 

 ing spawning grounds elsewhere. 



But the Act says that the Program is to add 

 to, not replace, funding for fish projects that 

 are the responsibility of other groups. Other 

 groups cannot pass on their expenses to rate- 

 payers. 



How Do We Rebuild Fish Runs? 



How should we rebuild fish runs? Should we 

 release more hatchery fish or concentrate on 

 boosting the numbers of wild fish? 



Those living in the upper reaches of the 

 Columbia River applaud the idea of rebuilding 

 wild runs. Several towns in eastern Washington 

 and Idaho have built their economy around a 



July 1987 



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fifArmritrrEFFirn 



healthy sport fishery. Indian tribes who live in 

 those areas have complained of the loss of 

 their treaty rights to salmon. 



Putting More Fish in the Rivers. Bonneville is 

 now working to open up or rehabilitate 1,000 

 miles of stream to increase natural production 

 of salmon and steelhead and to put one-ninth 

 of the Basin's habitat back into production. 

 The Council estimates that this could increase 

 the numbers of adult salmon and steelhead by 

 about 500,000 a year. 



But rebuilding habitat can be risky, consider- 

 ing all the manmade and natural hazards that 

 lie between the outmigrating fingerling and 

 the adult fish returning upstream. And the pro- 

 jected life span of habitat projects tends to be 

 relatively short. They are subject to destructive 

 floods every 20 years or so. 



Producing More at the Hatcheries. Some 

 argue, "Why not replace wild fish with 

 hatchery fish?" 



Since the first hatchery was built in 1877, 

 many fish managers have thought building 

 hatcheries near the mouth of the Columbia 

 was the best way to maintain salmon numbers: 

 More fish could be produced. They could be 

 more easily managed. And there would be 

 fewer hazards. 



As a result, the Columbia now holds 54 hat- 

 cheries and 40 satellite rearing facilities for 

 salmon and steelhead. Altogether, they pro- 

 duce an estimated 80 percent of the 2.5 million 

 salmon and steelhead that return to the 

 Columbia River each year. 



Ratepayers 

 should 

 shoulder the 

 financial 

 burden only 

 for fish 

 harmed by 

 hydro 

 development. 



Steelhead In the 

 reservoir below 

 McNary Dam 



(Washmmon Public Power 

 Supply System) 



13 



