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PACIFIC COAST STEELHEAD MEETING AMILEE WILSON WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE MARCH 2004. Washington State Steelhead Stock Status Review. NOAA Determination of Washington State Steelhead Status by ESU. Not Warranted for listing Puget Sound (Coastal Steelhead)
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PACIFIC COAST STEELHEAD MEETING AMILEE WILSON WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE MARCH 2004 Washington State SteelheadStock Status Review
NOAA Determination of Washington State Steelhead Status by ESU • Not Warranted for listing • Puget Sound (Coastal Steelhead) • Olympic Peninsula (Coastal Steelhead) • Southwest Washington (Coastal Steelhead) • Threatened • L. ColumbiaRiver Sys. (Coastal Steelhead) • M. Columbia River Sys. (Inland Steelhead) • Snake River Basin (Inland Steelhead) • Endangered • U. Columbia River Sys. (Inland Steelhead)
All anadromous species including Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, and Steelhead. Salmon and Steelhead Stock Inventory Inclusion of Bull Trout/Dolly Varden (1997) and Cutthroat Trout (2000) stock inventories. Salmonid Stock Inventory Which is it: SASSI or SaSI?SASSI (1992) SaSI (2002)
1992: 137 stocks Healthy: 36 = 26% Depressed: 42 = 31% Critical: 1 = 1% Unknown: 58 = 42% 2002: 137 stocks Healthy: 28 = 20% Depressed: 41 = 30% Critical: 1 = 1% Unknown: 66 = 48% Not Rated: 1 = 1% Summary of 2002 SaSI Stock Ratings Note: The first three WA State SaSI ratings are only conceptually compatible with color-coded NOAA Fisheries ratings.
Production in the mainstem & tributaries appears to be very poor at present 1992 - Healthy; 2002 – Depressed or Unknown Skagit River System(Puget Sound ESU)
Strong system recovery from early eighties to consistently meet EG of 6500 until the year 1999 Majority of stocks: 1992 - Healthy; 2002 - Depressed Snohomish River System(Puget Sound ESU)
2002 status reflects improved overwintering habitat and increased parr-to-smolt survival and adult returns following the flooding in 1995 1992 – Critical; 2002 - Depressed Stillaguamish/Deer Creek (Puget Sound ESU)
Escapements have generally varied within a range of 25% above or below the escapement goal of 2,000 spawners. 1992 – Healthy; 2002 - Healthy Green River(Puget Sound ESU)
Historical bright spot for wild winter steelhead and seems to be maintaining good habitat 1992 – Healthy; 2002 - Healthy Quillayute River(Olympic Peninsula ESU)
No agreed to Esc. Goal 1992 – Healthy; 2002 - Healthy Queets River(Olympic Peninsula ESU)
A wild stock with natural production 1992 – Healthy; 2002 - Healthy Quinault River(Olympic Peninsula ESU)
Sustained a long decline, but seems to be stabilizing 1992 – Healthy; 2002 – Depressed Humptulips River(SW Washington ESU)
Escapements have been high and relatively stable from 2000 to 2003 1992 – Healthy; 2002 – Healthy Chehalis River (SW Washington ESU)
Chronically low escapements from 1994 to 2001 1992 - Healthy; 2002 – Depressed Toutle River(Lower Columbia River ESU)
Chronically low escapements; new escapement index established in 1997 but its relationship to the previous escapement index is currently unknown 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Lewis River (Lower Columbia River ESU)
Kalama River –(Lower Columbia River ESU) • Escapements in 1998 through 2001 have been only 14% to 33% of the goal • 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed
Data gaps hurt status determination 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Touchet River(Mid Columbia ESU)
Unexpected up turn in wild escapement 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Yakima River(Mid Columbia River ESU)
No SaSI Stock – (Upper Columbia ESU) Counts from Priest Rapids Dam represent all fish returning to the Upper Columbia River ESU
Counts from the Wells Dam 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Methow/Okanogan Summer Steelhead (Upper Columbia ESU)
Possible up-ward trend despite data gaps 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Tucannon River(Snake River Basin ESU)
Data gaps hurt status determination 1992 – Depressed; 2002 – Depressed Asotin Creek(Snake River Basin ESU)
Conclusions • Increase and maintain the number of Healthy stocks • How should we manage the 41 Depressed stocks? • Multitude of “Unknown” stocks • Fisheries lost • Harvest no longer a source of data • 2 year steelhead moratorium • Weather conditions make it impossible to survey most summer steelhead populations