Pacific Salmon Recovery, Planning and Implementation

Pacific Salmon Recovery has been an important issue on the west coast since the mid 1990s.  Pacific Salmon listed under the ESA (starting in 1994) are grouped into salmon Ecological Significant Units (ESUs) or steelhead Distinct Population Segments (DPSs).  In turn, these units have been grouped into domains and Technical Recovery Teams (TRTs) were developed in 1999 to determine the population structure and viability levels for use in recovery implementation.  This symposium takes a look at the work done that got us to where we are now and how implementation of recovery actions is progressing.  NOAA is the agency charged with oversight of implementation and with reviewing the progress/status of salmon recovery every five years.  The most recent status review was finalized in 2011 and is presented here.

Salmon conservation in the western U.S. has generated a rich history of methods and approach, adaptation, and program implementation.  The two-fold intent of this symposium is to cover the various approaches developed by TRTs to identify populations and determine viability and to look at implementation of actions based on this work and the recovery plans that have been developed.  Viability is based on four important factors, labeled “viability salmon parameters” (VSP): abundance, productivity, spatial structure, and diversity.  How these parameters were addressed varied somewhat from region to region; the talks in this symposium present the range in approaches used from Washington, to the Columbia River, to Oregon and to California.  The collection of talks also reflects the spectrum of government and non-government entities, profit and non-profit business, individuals, and academics that created and maintain salmon conservation efforts.