How Should We Evaluate and Conserve Kokanee Under the Endangered Species Act?

The Lake Sammamish kokanee population in western Washington is one of the first true kokanee populations to be petitioned for possible listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is evaluating this population to determine whether it warrants listing as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the ESA as a threatened or endangered species. Once widespread throughout both Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, the abundance and distribution of kokanee has been significantly reduced within this highly urbanized setting.  Kokanee no longer appear to be present in Lake Washington and their numbers have been greatly reduced in Lake Sammamish.  Oncorhynchus nerka (sockeye and kokanee) occurs in the North Pacific from the United States to Japan, and in the United States it is one of the few species jointly managed by NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under the ESA.  There are specific listing requirements when evaluating populations (e.g., life history forms, population segments) within a species under the ESA.  We review these requirements under U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s and NOAA Fisheries’ joint DPS policy, as well as the associated complications in evaluating this multi-jurisdictional species.  However, irrespective of these policy requirements, we pose and explore the question of what might be the best approach to adequately conserve this wide-ranging species and its life history diversity?