Regional Recovery
Organizations and Plans
The federal Endangered Species Act requires the federal government to develop recovery plans for salmon determined to be at risk of extinction.
Regional Organizations
The federal government requires that recovery plans be based on an Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU). An ESU is a population, or group of populations of salmon, that is substantially, reproductively isolated from other populations and contributes substantially to the evolutionary legacy of the biological species. Based on this, seven regional organizations formed to develop recovery plans and coordinate their implementation.Who Makes up a Regional Organization?
Regional organizations are made up of local, state, and federal agencies; tribes; citizens; and others interested in salmon recovery.Purpose and Roles
A regional organization may have many roles, including:- Providing a forum for communities to create and sustain a local vision of the goals they are striving to achieve.
- Providing technical support to local salmon recovery projects.
- Promoting implementation of the recovery plan's elements by those responsible.
- Analyzing how the salmon recovery goals are being met and identifying changes that may be needed over time.
- Integrating, through a collaborative partnership, the salmon planning and recovery activities of all recovery participants (federal and state agencies, tribes, local governments, citizens, and other stakeholders) for habitat, hatcheries, harvest, and hydropower.
- Broadening support for salmon recovery activities.
- Providing a place of information sharing and public outreach throughout the process.
The Salmon Recovery Regions
- Hood Canal
- Lower Columbia River
- Middle Columbia River
- Northeast Washington
- Puget Sound
- Snake River
- Upper Columbia River
- Washington Coast
Council of Regions
Regional organizations coordinate their efforts through the Council of Regions.
Salmon Recovery Plans
Recovery plans often include information on:- Integration of economic, social, and cultural goals and impacts.
- Recovery actions needed in the 4Hs – habitat, hatcheries, harvest, and hydropower.
- Funding and resources needed to complete plans.
- Endangered Species Act compliance mechanisms.
- Local versus regional-scale recovery.
- Recovery plan review process.
- Implementation funding.
- Future institutional framework to continue recovery implementation.
The Plans
- Lake Ozette (coast region) Sockeye Recovery Plan
- Lower Columbia River Bull Trout, Chinook, Chum, Coho, and Steelhead Recovery Plan
- Middle Columbia River Bull Trout and Steelhead Recovery Plan
- Upper Columbia River Bull Trout, Chinook, and Steelhead Recovery Plan
- Hood Canal Summer Chum Recovery Plan
- Puget Sound Chinook Recovery Plan
- Snake River Steelhead
What Happens Next?
Regional recovery plans have been approved in all seven regions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service and implementation has begun.
