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Evaluation of habitat restoration for Pacific Salmon
Evaluation of habitat restoration for Pacific Salmon
Problem Statement
Governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to restore
salmon habitat, but little money is spent on evaluation or monitoring
to determine whether or not habitat restoration efforts are effective.
Critical Factors
- Little is known about which species and life history stages benefit
from restoration projects or how those projects affect fish community
structure, diversity, or interactions among species.
- Many stream restoration activities are designed to improve conditions
for one or two species of salmonids, with relatively little concern
being paid to other salmonid and non-salmonid fish species that might
be resident in the stream.
Status of Research
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center's (NWFSC) Instream Restoration
Project is evaluating the extent to which placing logs, boulders, and other
structural elements in streams improves habitat quality and in-creases salmon
abundance. NWFSC researchers have sampled 30 small streams in Washington
and Oregon to determine the effectiveness of stream restoration techniques,
comparing restored streams to those with natural reaches. In particular,
scientists wish to determine the effects of instream structures on the abundance,
density, movement, and interactions of juvenile coho, steelhead, and cutthroat
trout. To date, fish species that prefer pools to continually-flowing water
(e.g., coho) seem to benefit from additional instream structures, while
certain life stages of steelhead and cutthroat do not.
NWFSC scientists are also evaluating restoration projects on large rivers
such as the Stillaguamish and Skagit and they are conducting a historical
reconstruction of fish habitat in the Stillaguamish River basin.
In addition, the effects of salmon carcasses on juvenile chinook production,
the effects of salmon-derived nitrogen and nutrients on riparian vegetation,
and the overall relationship between salmon carcasses and stream productivity
are being examined.
Habitat restoration using log weirs
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Future Considerations
NWFSC scientists will continue to investigate the most effective ways
to restore degraded aquatic and riparian habitats for Pacific salmon.
This research will be critical to the success of recovery plans, habitat
conservation plans (HCPs), monitoring plans, and other efforts to protect
and maintain valuable salmon populations.
Key Players
Environmental Conservation (EC) Division, NWFSC
Bonneville Power Administration
King County Department of Natural Resources
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Trout Unlimited
Mid-Puget Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group
Tulalip Tribe
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Watershed groups funded by Jobs in the Woods and Jobs for the
Environment programs
Contact: Dr. Tracy Collier, Director, EC Division (206/860-3312)
NWFSC Issue Paper EC 6507 (HQ ID 305/315)
Issue Papers Home
last modified 2002-07-29
Web site owner: Northwest Fisheries Science Center
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