May 20, 2010:  NOAA Fisheries, the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation released the following statement.

Agencies Submit Strengthened Biological Opinion

At the urging of the Court, federal agencies spent three months formally integrating the Adaptive Management Implementation Plan developed last fall into the Biological Opinion for the Federal Columbia River Power System. We thoroughly reviewed the Biological Opinion and the science behind it, and consulted federal and independent scientists to be sure that it provides the right framework and actions to protect Northwest salmon. Today we’re filing the product of that effort: A legally and scientifically sound Supplemental BiOp that fully incorporates the Adaptive Management Implementation Plan.

Two years into the implementation of this BiOp, the region’s efforts to protect salmon are on course. We considered new research and literature and will provide a full record of this information. Our review identified modest changes in the science since the BiOp was completed, and we have made appropriate adjustments. We have strengthened monitoring of climate change indicators, such as river temperatures, so we can identify and address them. While fish populations and environmental conditions will always vary over the short term, the BiOp delivers benefits for the long term.

While much attention has focused on the courtroom, the region should be proud of what the federal government, states, tribes and communities together have accomplished for fish. Federal agencies remain committed to achieving the performance standards and survival improvements outlined in the BiOp. The Obama administration has requested a record $137 million for the Corps’ Columbia River Fish Mitigation program to help deliver those improvements. The Corps recently completed a fish guidance wall at The Dalles Dam, which is expected to boost juvenile survival 3 to 5 percent and make the dam one of the safest on the Columbia.

Last year alone, 9,609 miles of wetland habitat were protected and 244 miles of streams were reopened to fish. We’ve made much progress and completion of this legal process now prepares us to make much more.

For more information, see the Fisheries Northwest Region Columbia-Snake Basin Biological Opinions Web section.