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1994 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program |
| Council document 94-55 | |
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1.4 Council Commitments
The Council finds this program to be consistent with the purposes of the Northwest Power Act. The Council has evaluated the measures included in this program on the basis of the recommendations, supporting documents, consultations and public comment contained in its record. It has determined that the measures will protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development, operation and management of hydroelectric facilities located on the Columbia River and its tributaries, while assuring the Pacific Northwest an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply. The Council also has determined that these measures meet the list of program requirements contained in Section 4(h)(6) of the Act.
The Council is committed to a stringent program of monitoring and evaluating progress to ensure that the region's investment in fish and wildlife pays off. Rebuilding targets and performance standards are being instituted to provide explicit means of measuring progress. The Council will modify or eliminate activities that do not provide sufficient progress toward stated goals and objectives, and will consider other actions.
In comments on drafts of this plan, several parties have raised concerns about the effects that drafting upriver storage reservoirs for salmon flows could have on resident fish and wildlife in headwater areas. The Council does not intend to address the environmental problems of salmon by indiscriminately shifting environmental problems to upriver areas. It is committed to avoiding such impacts as much as possible, and to monitoring and evaluating them should they occur. Section 903(b)(1) of the 1987 Fish and Wildlife Program has been included in the revised program. See Section 10.3A.
Other comment received in public review of this program made it clear that the region is divided over the scientific merits of some major measures to rebuild fish populations. Three issues that remain intensely debated are the relationship of increased flows to fish survival, transportation and the proper role of supplementing wild and naturally spawning fish populations with hatchery-reared fish. These will be examined closely under the Council's program.
The Council also strongly believes that the region must work to improve its understanding of the interdependence among fish, wildlife and human activities, such as power system operations, harvest, water use and land management.