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Conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon
Conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon
Problem Statement
Research on key factors that affect the viability, structure, and dynamics of salmon
populations is critical for development of effective conservation and recovery strategies
for Pacific salmon.
Critical Factors
- The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is legally responsible for the conservation
and recovery of threatened and endangered salmon populations.
- Effective conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon are based on sound scientific
information and principles.
- Effective salmon conservation and recovery are constrained by:
- insufficient understanding of how disparate factors posing risks of extinction can
be best integrated for analysis.
- an inability to identify demographically-independent populations and their
contributions to the productivity of Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs)
identified for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
- the inadequacy of present methods of evaluating demographic data used to determine
responses to distinct recovery efforts.
- incomplete understanding of the role of ocean conditions in limiting survival
and distribution of migrating juvenile salmon.
- insufficient knowledge of factors that influence salmon straying and colonization
(and, hence, population structure).
Status of Research
NWFSC biologists are involved in several key areas of research that are critical
to forming the scientific basis of salmon recovery planning efforts and are intended
to redress the inadequacies noted above. In particular, scientists are developing
quantitative and qualitative methods of classifying risk for species of conservation
concern. NWFSC scientists are characterizing and quantifying the risk factors
involved in the decline and recovery of Pacific salmon populations through both
computer modeling exercises and data analysis. Researchers are also developing
monitoring and evaluation strategies that will help determine the rate and success
of salmon recovery and they are evaluating the effects of ecological factors that
limit the survival and distribution of juvenile salmonids in the eastern Gulf of
Alaska. Finally, NWFSC scientists are characterizing factors influencing salmon straying
and the colonization of salmon habitat.
Future Considerations
Work will focus more broadly on multi-species conservation and development of habitat
reserves (e.g., marine protected areas (MPAs) as tools for natural resource
management).
Key Players
Conservation Biology (CB) Division, NWFSC
Cumulative Risk Initiative (CRI), NWFSC
Environmental Conservation (EC) Division, NWFSC
Fish Ecology (FE) Division, NWFSC
Fishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring (FRAM) Division, NWFSC
Resource Utilization and Enhancement Technologies (REUT) Division, NWFSC
Southwest Regional Office, NMFS
Northwest Regional Office, NMFS
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
Bonneville Power Administration
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
City of Seattle
King County Department of Natural Resources
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Contact: Dr. Michael Ford, Director, CB Division (206/860-5612) 
NWFSC Issue Paper CB 6102 (HQ ID 309)
Issue Papers Home
last modified 2002-07-12
Web site owner: Northwest Fisheries Science Center
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