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Target numbers for salmon recovery released This story was published April 12, 2002 By The Associated Press and the Herald staff The federal government finally indicated how many wild salmon and steelhead it wants in the Columbia River and major tributaries before it would consider removing endangered species protections. The National Marine Fisheries Service this week released preliminary numbers for many rivers and streams, saying there was a "technical foundation and context for recovery planning." For instance, biologists would like to see 2,600 naturally spawning steelhead in the Walla Walla River and 2,500 naturally spawning Snake River fall chinook. "These interim targets are only a starting point," said Bob Lohn, regional administrator for NMFS. "NMFS will replace these targets with scientifically more rigorous and comprehensive goals" in conjunction with other regional experts, he said. Reaching targets at least four times in eight consecutive years would be just one factor used to determine whether a particular species from a particular area is safe from extinction, said Elizabeth Gaar, the fisheries service's Northwest salmon recovery coordinator. Eight years represents two generations of salmon. "Before this, we've been kind of operating in the dark," said Bob Bugert, Gov. Gary Locke's Eastern Washington salmon recovery coordinator. "This gives a sense ... of how we can start coming up with recovery plans" for individual rivers. Long-term productivity is another factor in species' health, as are genetic diversity and geographic distribution within a watershed. Salmon runs have been devastated by a variety of factors, including the construction of dams on the Columbia River system. Target numbers are sure to provoke debate. "I've already heard a lot of complaints from groups that say they're too low or too high," Bugert said. The government is most concerned with the number of wild adult fish returning from the ocean, known as "natural spawners," as opposed to hatchery-raised fish. "If they want all-wild fish, there's not too much hope of getting those numbers," said Dick Ewing, a Methow Valley resident who has worked on salmon recovery issues. About 90 percent of the salmon and steelhead that enter the mouth of the Columbia are hatchery fish. But the fisheries service believes the Endangered Species Act requires it to seek "naturally reproducing and self-sustaining species in their natural ecosystems."