Friday August 19, 2022
Northwest Sportsman —
NOAA Fisheries has released 5-year reviews for seven salmon and steelhead species in the Interior Columbia Basin protected by the Endangered Species Act. The reviews found that species in the Snake River and upper and middle Columbia River should retain their current listing statuses. However, climate change increases the urgency of recommended recovery actions. These include further improving passage through hydropower dams, restoring tributary and estuary habitat, controlling predators, and modifying hatchery practices.
The comprehensive recovery actions will help improve the resilience of the species to climate change, the reviews said.
The review of Snake River spring/summer-run Chinook salmon signaled an “increased level of concern” for the species based on declining population trends and climate change impacts. It called for further review if that trend continues. The review recommended additional habitat restoration. Research indicates that at least 20 percent of floodplain and side-channel habitat in a watershed must be restored to support a 25 percent increase in surviving salmon smolts.