Best available science is peer reviewed publication in a journal. We have journals, several of them, specifically addressing management issues, e.g., The North American Journal of Fisheries Management, Ecological Applications, Journal of Applied Ecology, Conservation Biology, Conservation Ecology, etc. There are groups in the Columbia Basin that publish their work. Others have spent tens of millions and have not. If a group is not getting the job done or have had no time for analysis, that speaks of failure and that program should be phased out.
Resources are short.
Goals are important and I am pleased that goals have been established with definite time lines. On the other hand, this is insufficient in and of itself. If the goal is missed, effort should be redoubled to make up for lost time. This will mean a re-evaluation of the program. At some point, if failure continues, nothing is sacrosanct.