Initial Implementation of the San Joaquin River Settlement Agreement to Restore Chinook Salmon to the San Joaquin River, California.

A large scale restoration project focused on reviving one of California's largest rivers, the San Joaquin River, is currently underway. A legal settlement established a Restoration Goal and a Water Management Goal that drives the multi-agency efforts of channel modification, restoration hydrograph development, and reintroduction of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. The Restoration Area, which begins at Friant Dam and continues downstream to the confluence of the Merced River, is approximately 153 miles long and historically maintained one of the largest spring-run Chinook salmon populations in California, with annual escapement ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 adult spawners. However, completion of Friant Dam and subsequent diversions resulted in dewatering large sections of the river. Extirpation of Chinook salmon occurred over 60 years ago with the last documented run of spring-run Chinook salmon consisting of 36 individuals in 1950. Restoration of the river is a complex process involving implementing agencies, cooperating agencies, settling parties, a technical advisory committee and local stakeholders. The goal of this session is to focus on the scientific backbone of the program being developed and implemented to manage this largescale restoration project using an adaptive management framework.