From the beginning, the CounciJ has been aware thai any statement of total losses and 

 of hydropower responsibility for those systemwide salmon and steelhead losses likely 

 would call for a judgment which could be informed by data, but not driven by data. Reliable 

 data are scarce for the era prior to the major development of the basin that severely 

 reduced fish runs (pre-1850). More recent data are plentiful, but often are not expressed in 

 a way that enables unequivocal comparative judgments (e.g.. among fishing efforts, timber 

 harvest and trends in fish runs). As a result, more than one reasonable interpretation of the 

 data can be made. After an intensive review of the available data, the Council believes the 

 data reasonably support the following broad conclusions regarding salmon and steelhead 

 losses: 



(a) Changes in Size of Salmon and Steelhead Runs 



Estimates of the average annual salmon and steelhead runs before development of the 

 basin range from about 10 to 16 million adult fish. In contrast, the estimated current 

 average annual run size is about 2.5 million adult fish. These estimated numbers include 

 fish caught in the ocean and Columbia River system and those that escape harvest and 

 return to hatcheries and natal streams to reproduce. These estimates indicate a net 

 basinwide loss of about 7 to 14 million adult fish, attributable to all causes. 



(b) Effects on Tribes 



The data show extensive historical reliance of Indian tribes on salmon and steelhead. 

 While this reliance has not been determined with numerical precision, either in the 



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