NOAA Fisheries releases its Final Recovery Plan for California Coastal Salmon and Steelhead

Last week, NOAA Fisheries released its final version of a recovery plan set to recover California's Coastal Chinook Salmon ESU and the Northern California Steelhead DPS. In January 2016, Native Fish Society staff and River Stewards provided comments on the Draft Recovery Plan with respect to the California Coastal Chinook ESU: Upper Eel River Population, and comments on the benefits, risks and best practices of reintroducing both CC Chinook and NC to the habitats found above Scott Dam.

In particular, we would like to send a big thank you to NOAA Fisheries for taking a hard look at the intrinsic potential of habitat above Scott Dam based on modeling by Spence 2012, and for consistently noting the 200 miles of potential habitat that would be available to wild steelhead if they were able to regain access to this currently inaccessible, previously occupied suitable habitat with the removal of Scott Dam in the upper Eel River. Our monitoring efforts through our Eel River Headwaters Campaign will continue to generate a better scientific understanding of the cold water resources available to wild salmon and steelhead in the upper Eel River above Scott Dam, and we look forward to continuing to be an active partner in the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead in the Eel watershed.

Click here to view NOAA Fisheries Final Recovery Plan for California Coastal Chinook Salmon ESU and Northern California Steelhead DPS

Click here to view Native Fish Society's comments on the Draft Recovery Plan, and our 2015 Upper Eel River Temperature Monitoring Report.