130 likes | 279 Views
Recovery Planning under the Endangered Species Act. National Marine Fisheries Service. Listings in 1991. In the beginning. NW Regional Office - Seattle. NMFS Northwest Region. NMFS Northwest Region Lists Snake River Sockeye in November 1991. NMFS Southwest Region Lists
E N D
Recovery Planning under the Endangered Species Act National Marine Fisheries Service
Listings in 1991 In the beginning... NW Regional Office - Seattle NMFS Northwest Region NMFS Northwest Region Lists Snake River Sockeye in November 1991 NMFS Southwest Region Lists Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook in November 1990 NMFS Southwest Region SW Regional Office Long Beach
Recovery Planning Domains in NWR Active Recovery Domains (1) Puget Sound • Puget Sound Chinook - Threatened • Hood Canal Summer-run Chum - Threatened • Ozette Lake Sockeye - Threatened (2) Willamette/Lower Columbia • Lower Columbia Chinook - Threatened • Lower Columbia Steelhead - Threatened • Lower Columbia Coho - Candidate • Columbia River Chum - Threatened • Upper Willamette Chinook - Threatened • Upper Willamette Steelhead - Threatened (3) Interior Columbia Basin • Snake River Sockeye - Endangered • Upper Columbia Steelhead - Endangered • Upper Columbia Spring Chinook - Endangered • Snake River Fall Chinook - Threatened • Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook - Threatened • Snake River Steelhead - Threatened • Mid-Columbia Steelhead - Threatened (4) Oregon Coast • Oregon Coast Coho - Threatened • Oregon Coast Steelhead - Candidate (5) Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal • Southern OR/Northern CA Coasts Coho - Threatened
What’s the Problem? • It’s us. • Human activities have pushed salmon and steelhead into declines, especially when ocean conditions cycle down. Disturbance of vegetation and soils near streams Ocean and inland fisheries Changes in Natural Hydrographs Hatchery operations Exotic species introductions Changes in natural water temperatures Predator Concentrations Erosion and sedimentation Reduced input & retention of nutrients (vegetation, fish carcasses) in streams Dam operations Armoring stream banks Disturbance of material in stream channels Absent or inadequate screens on water diversions Barriers to fish passage: Culverts, push-up dams, dewatering, etc. Contaminants that make their way into streams Loss of habitat Channelizing streams & rivers All levels of government, industry, and rural and urban communities alike have a role to play in saving salmon. 4
Recovery Plans Required Elements ESA Requirements 1. Identify recovery (delisting) goals 2. Identify actions necessary to achieve goals 3. Estimate the cost and time required to carry out those actions In addition: * Identify factors for decline/limiting factors * Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation program
National Marine Fisheries Service Policy Guidance • NMFS/FWS policy statements: • Stakeholder participation • Ecosystem considerations • Peer review • Secretarial Order re. American Indian Tribal Rights and the ESA
National Marine Fisheries Service NMFS Approach to Recovery Planning • Geographic area-based, multispecies approach for anadromous salmonids • Two processes: Technical and Planning • Technical: NMFS, in collaboration with states, tribes, others, establishes recovery goals • Planning: States, tribes, others, in collaboration with NMFS, identify site-specific measures to achieve recovery
National Marine Fisheries Service Benefits of Two-Part Approach • Technical process provides science foundation in the form of goals and limiting factors and threats analysis • Planning process brings forth state, federal, local and tribal processes
Recovery Plan Components Subbasin (local) Recovery Plans + Estuary/Nearshore + Mainstem + Harvest + Large Scale Hatchery + Natural & Climatic Variability + Monitoring & Evaluation Population Recovery Goals + ESU Recovery Goals + Limiting Factors ESA Recovery Plan . * Many ESUs include several subbasins
Recovery Planning Tasks Technical Tasks Policy Tasks • develop recovery goals • develop factors for decline/threats criteria • develop/prioritize actions • assess ability of existing programs • evaluate whether actions add up to goals • promote implementation • ID & characterize pops. • pop viability criteria (biological goals) • population/habitat relationship • ESU viability • Threats/Factors for Decline/Limiting factors • Monitoring &Evaluation
Ongoing Columbia Basin Programs • Federal Land Management • Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC) • Clean Water Act - TMDLs • State Recovery Strategies • Federal Caucus All H Conceptual Recovery Plan- • Tribal Recovery Plans
Next Steps/Issues • Recovery Goals -(How will we know when we get there?) • science based • Easily understood • Subbasin/Watershed Plans (Highest Priorities? Accountability?) • good assessments of problems/limiting factors • management plans with clear priorities • Develop ESU Perspective/All H perspective (Accountability?) • Communicate Every Step - (Help Society Choose)