Species Status:

The SONCC coho ESU includes all naturally spawned populations of coho salmon in coastal streams between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Punta Gorda, California.  Three artificial propagation programs are considered to be part of the ESU: the Cole Rivers Hatchery (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) stock # 52), Trinity River Hatchery, and Iron Gate Hatchery coho programs.  NMFS has determined that these artificially propagated stocks are no more than moderately diverged from the local natural populations.

The estimated historical abundance of the SONCC coho ESU is 150,000.  The recent mean abundance is 5,170, which is the highest such abundance since 1980.  However, this estimated abundance is derived from the only reliable time series of adult abundance for the naturally spawning component of the SONCC coho ESU – the Rogue River population in southern Oregon.  The California portion of the ESU is characterized by a paucity of data, with only a few available spawner indices and presence-absence surveys.  Less reliable indices of spawner abundance in several California populations exist, and suggest flat or declining trends.  Relatively low levels of observed presence in historically occupied coho streams (32–56 percent from 1986 to 2000) indicate continued low abundance in the California portion of this ESU.  Currently, indications of weak 2006 coho salmon returns in several California populations are expected.  Only three rivers have hatchery populations and natural populations are depressed throughout the range of the ESU.  Although extant populations reside in all major river basins within the ESU, there is concern about the loss of local populations in the Trinity, Klamath, and Rogue River systems.  The high hatchery production in these systems may mask trends in ESU population structure and pose risks to ESU diversity. 

The overall ESU trend since the time of listing or first review shows that productivity has remained unchanged, and population abundance has remained unchanged. 

Recovery Plan Status:

No recovery plan has been completed, but recovery planning is under way.  In 2002, NMFS began Phase I recovery planning for the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast and the Oregon Coast coho ESUs (ONCC) through a Technical Recovery Team (TRT).  The ONCC TRT was divided into two working groups, one addressing the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) coho ESU and the other addressing the Oregon Coast coho ESU. 

The first phase of the Southwest Region’s recovery planning efforts has been carried out by the ONCC TRT developing technical information for all SONCC Coho salmon populations (e.g., population structure, population viability criteria, ESU viability criteria, research needs, and monitoring requirements).  In June 2006, the SONCC TRT released its historic population structure report for the SONCC coho salmon ESU.

The ONCC TRT has preliminarily identified 62 historical populations of SONCC coho salmon, of which 27 are considered functionally independent and potentially independent, with all other coho populations dependent on others within the ESU.  Additionally, the SONCC TRT is expected to release a draft of its SONCC coho population viability criteria report for public review and comment in January 2007.  This technical information will serve as the scientific foundation for the SONCC coho ESU recovery plan.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southwest Region has initiated recovery planning for all salmon and steelhead populations listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in California, including the SONCC coho salmon ESU.  NMFS’ Southwest Region is working with various agencies from both Oregon and California to compile necessary data for conducting a detailed assessment across the ESU to identify limiting factors and threats for each population within the SONCC Coho salmon ESU.  This assessment, coupled with the species historic population structure and viability requirements described above will provide the basis for identifying specific measures, and their costs, that must be taken to recover SONCC coho salmon to the point that listing under the ESA is no longer warranted.  Associated with this is the necessary monitoring to ensure that the goals and objectives of the plan are being accomplished.  A draft recovery plan is expected in December 2007, with a final plan in March 2008.

Threats and Impacts:

The SONCC coho salmon ESU declined in abundance over the past several decades as a result of loss of, and damage or change to the natural environment.  Water diversions for agriculture, flood control, domestic, and hydropower purposes have greatly reduced or eliminated historically accessible habitat and degraded the remaining habitat.  Forestry, agriculture, mining, and urbanization have degraded, simplified, and fragmented habitat.  The destruction or modification of estuarine areas has resulted in the loss of important rearing and migration habitats.  Oregon wetlands are estimated to have diminished by one-third, and California wetlands by over 80 percent.  Habitat fragmentation and loss of habitat complexity have also contributed to the decline of this ESU.  Sedimentation from historic and current extensive and intensive land use activities is recognized as a primary cause of habitat degradation throughout the range of this ESU.  Most of the primary producing rivers in the range of the ESU were designated as impaired (primarily due to sediment and water temperature) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1990s.

The following sources of limiting factors are prevalent throughout the range of this ESU and affect most populations.  These limiting factors include:

• Agricultural operations,  Artificial barriers, Conditions severing surface/subsurface hydrologic connection of stream channel and wetlands

• Dams

• Erosion-control structures

• Flood-control structures

• Pits from gravel mining

• Road crossings (e.g., bridges, culverts, and low-water fords)

• Forestry operations

• Gravel extraction

• Illegal harvest

• Streambed alteration

• Substandard fish screens on diversions

• Suction dredging

• Unscreened water diversions

• Urbanization

•  Water demand exceeding availability

• Water pollution

The following limiting factors, and their level of threat to the SONCC Coho ESU, were identified in the 2006 Pacific Coastal Salmonid Restoration Fund Report to Congress:

Degraded Habitat:

• Estuarine & near-shore Marine: Moderate Threat

• Floodplain Connectivity & Function:  High Threat

• Channel Structure & Complexity: Moderate-High Threat

• Riparian Areas & LWD Recruitment:  High Threat

• Stream Substrate:  Moderate Threat

• Stream Flow:  Moderate to High Threat

• Water Quality: Moderate Threat

• Fish Passage:  Moderate Threat

Hatchery-related Adverse Effects:  Very Low Threat

Harvest-related Adverse Effects:  Low Threat

Predation/Competition/ Disease:  Moderate to High Threat

Recovery Priority Number:          1

Ranking for the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho ESU was based on a high magnitude of threat, a high potential for recovery, and anticipated conflict with current and future land disturbance and water-associated development within the range of the ESU.  The Biological Review Team (BRT) conducting an updated status review in 2004 stated that the SONCC coho ESU is “likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.”  This determination was made based on substantially low abundance from historical levels, as coho salmon populations occupy roughly 50 percent of their historic range.  Long-term abundance trends are clearly down but stable on the Oregon side of the ESU, and there is concern for many lost coho populations within the larger river basins – namely the Rogue, Klamath, and Trinity Rivers.  Strong risks to the abundance, productivity, spatial structure, and diversity of this ESU have largely persisted since its status was first reviewed, and the magnitude of threat for this ESU is high.  The recovery potential for this ESU has also been classified as high.  Although numerous factors limit the recovery of this ESU, the source of these factors and their demographic impacts are known and recovery planning is currently under way.  Although it may be cost-prohibitive to completely address every limiting factor, it is likely that integrated reduction of most threats can achieve recovery of this ESU.  Finally, as a complex variety of activities and management practices continue to impact the conservation and recovery of all Pacific salmon ESUs listed under the ESA, NMFS has determined conflict exists with regard to this ESU. 

Priority Recovery Actions Needed:

Several priority recovery actions are needed for the SONCC coho salmon ESU, including the following:

·        Complete the recovery plan and begin to implement recovery actions.

• Research and monitor distribution, status, and trends of salmon.

• Complete and fund a population-monitoring plan.

• Promote operations of current recovery hatcheries and develop HGMPs to minimize negative influences of hatcheries.

• Improve freshwater habitat quantity and quality.

• Conduct focused freshwater habitat restoration in anadromous salmonid streams (e.g., erosion control, bank stabilization, riparian protection and restoration, and reintroduction of large woody debris).

• Balance water supply and allocation with fisheries needs through a water rights program, designate fully appropriated watersheds, develop passive diversion devices or off-stream storage, eliminate illegal water diversions, and improve criteria for water drafting and dam operations.

• Improve agricultural and forestry practices, in particular, riparian protections, road construction, and road maintenance.

• Improve county and city planning, regulations (e.g., riparian and grading ordinances), and county road maintenance programs.

• Remove/upgrade high-priority man-made fish passage barriers (e.g., watercourse crossings and non-hydropower dams). 

• Implement screening of all water diversion structures.

• Replace existing, outdated septic systems and improve wastewater management.

• Identify and treat point and non-point source pollution of streams from wastewater, agricultural practices, and urban environments.

• Modify channel and flood control maintenance and eliminate artificial breeching of sandbars for improvements in channel and estuarine habitats.

Conservation Actions:

Numerous conservation actions were conducted from 2004–2006 for Southern Oregon/Northern California ESU recovery and are detailed below. 

 Agricultural Land Management Practices

• Collaborated proactively with counties on General Plan Updates, Grading Ordinances, and Riparian Ordinances.

• Completed ESA section 7 Biological Opinions for all Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMPs) and associated activities (under the LRMPs) for all listed species found within each of the individual National Forests or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Areas.

• Contributed to the State of California Coho Recovery Plan – The State of California listed two California coho populations (from San Francisco Bay to the Oregon border) under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) in 2003. 

 ESA Section 7 Consultations

• Conducted over 200 ESA section 7 consultations over the past 2 years with Federal action agencies that fund or carry out projects such as irrigation and water diversion, timber sales, watershed restoration, fish passage at barriers, gravel mining, grazing, and transportation projects throughout southern Oregon and northern California.

• Worked closely in 2005-2006 with the Yurok Tribe in its development of a Tribal 4(d) rule covering their Tribal Resource Management Plan for Chinook and coho salmon.

Gravel Mining

• Applied the NMFS Southwest Region (SWR) Gravel Mining Guidelines entitled “Sediment Removal from Freshwater Salmonid Habitat:  Guidelines to NMFS Staff for the Evaluation of Sediment Removal Actions from California Streams.”

• Continued collaboration with Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino Counties on the Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino Gravel Plans.

• In addition to applying the SWR Gravel Mining Guidelines, applied the interagency developed guidelines entitled “Sediment Removal from Active Stream Channels in Oregon: Considerations for Federal Agencies for the Evaluation of Sediment Removal Actions from Oregon Streams” and the 2005 NMFS National Gravel Extraction Guidance in streams of southern Oregon. 

Municipal and Agricultural Water Diversions

• Developed “Guidelines for Maintaining Instream Flows to Protect Fisheries below Water Diversions,” which are used by NMFS and the California State Water Resources Control Board for flow standards when issuing water rights permits.

• Applied the Water Drafting Specifications, Guidelines for Salmonid Passage at Stream Crossings, Fish Screening Criteria for Anadromous Salmonids, and the Addendum to Fish Screening Criteria for Pumped Water Intakes.

• Continued working with the Bureau of Reclamation on the Klamath Project 10-Year Biological Opinion to ensure its Klamath Project operations and programs are consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative.

• Continued working with the Bureau of Reclamation on the Rogue River Basin Project Biological Opinion to develop a reasonable and prudent alternative that stabilizes flows in the Bear Creek watershed, formalizes a ramping requirement for the Emigrant Dam operations, and reemphasizes fish passage improvement activities.

• Continued working with the Bureau of Reclamation on the Savage Rapids Dam removal and irrigation pump installation work by completing a Biological Opinion and participating in the interagency implementation team.  Also continued work with the Grants Pass Irrigation District by assisting the District in applying for an extension on their incidental take permit for the interim operations of Savage Rapids Dam until the irrigation pumps are constructed.

• Continued working with the city of Gold Hill, the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, and other agencies involved with the removal of the Gold Hill Dam on the Rogue River.

Summer Dams

• Developed a database of summer dams and commenced proactive efforts to engage with landowners to minimize the effects of such dams.

• Implemented staff guidelines entitled “The Effects of Summer Dams on Salmon and Steelhead in California Coastal Watersheds & Recommendations for Mitigating Their Impacts.”

Timberland Management and Forest Conversions

• Engaged in on-site reviews of timber operations, and implemented the “Salmonid Guidelines for Forest Practices” when evaluating non-Federal timber harvest operations.

• Implemented the Stewardship Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan program in negotiation with the State Board of Forestry to encourage and minimize regulatory burdens on small forest landowners operating under a stewardship philosophy.

• Worked on the Pacific Lumber Company Habitat Conservation Plan (PALCO HCP) – The HCP covers approximately 210,000 acres of industrial timberlands in Northern California and includes activities related to timber management, forest road development and maintenance, and commercial rock quarrying.

• Green Diamond Resource Company submitted a final Habitat Conservation Plan and EIS in October 2006 for much of its industrial timber lands.  Final issuance of the permit is anticipated in the Spring of 2007.

• Continued to work with the USDA Forest Service and BLM on Federal land management issues regarding fire fuels treatments throughout the Rogue Basin.

Urbanization/Channelization

• Conducted ESA section 7 consultations with ACOE to minimize the effects of flood control projects, levee setbacks, and floodplain management on the ESU.

• Collaborated with Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) on the development of a habitat conservation plan (HCP) to significantly reduce direct mortality of salmon at the water diversion, better coordinate withdrawals to improve instream-flows on the Mad River, and improve operations.

Restoration

• Continued to provide annual grants to the State of California to assist recovery efforts in coastal watersheds as part of the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund program.

• Participated as a member of the Trinity River Restoration Program Task Force – NMFS provided technical input during the preparation of the Trinity River flow study and habitat restoration plan, which includes flow allocations and direct in-channel actions, as well as continued watershed restoration activities, replacement of bridges and structures in the flood plain, monitoring, and adaptive management. 

• Continued efforts as a member of the 16-member Klamath Conservation Program Task Force, which provides technical and scientific input to restoration programs and projects throughout the Klamath River Basin. 

• Consulted under ESA section 7 with the San Francisco District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) regarding ACOE’s issuance of a Regional General Permit (RGP) to the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) – The RGP is for restoration activities pursuant to CDFG’s “California Salmonid Stream Habitat Restoration Manual” and the resulting effects on ESA-listed salmon north of San Francisco to the Oregon border.  This RGP authorizes CDFG (and the agents contracted, funded, and/or supervised by CDFG) to carry out fisheries habitat restoration program projects compliant with the manual.  To date, more than 1,000 projects have been implemented, with hundreds of miles of Pacific salmon habitat being restored and available for use by juvenile and adult Pacific salmon.

• Continued working closely with Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) and Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCSs) to help identify potential impacts to ESA species, to help develop measures to address the impacts, and to help obtain regulatory relief under the ESA.

• Continued working with the California Resource Agency and numerous state, local, and regional agencies; non-profit and stakeholder groups; and consultants as part of the State of California’s Fish Passage Forum – The Forum addresses man-made barriers to adult and juvenile salmon passage throughout California’s coastal rivers and streams.

• Continued prohibition on recreational fishing for coho salmon throughout the central California coast.

• Streamlined programs through programmatic strategies and developed best management practices for Federal, state, county, or city governments and private landowners for the benefit of salmon habitat – Some programmatic strategies and actions have been completed and others are currently under way.  These include the following:

*         State of California Road Maintenance Manual

*         Bank Stabilization Guidelines

*         Gravel Mining Guidelines (completed in 2004)

*         Ground Water Management Guidelines

*         Water Development and Rights Policies

*         Minimum Flow Policies for dry seasons to ensure appropriate water temperatures and conditions (under way)

*         Desalination Management Policy and Timber Harvest Guidelines (completed in January 2005)

• Worked with five northern California counties (Siskiyou, Trinity, Del Norte, Humboldt, and Mendocino) to develop a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Five Counties Road Program.  NMFS has developed an Environmental Assessment and is currently drafting a Section 7 Biological Opinion for this plan. 

• Commenced collaboration with CDFG in the development of Hatchery and Genetics Management Plans (HGMPs) for the Trinity River and Mad River Hatcheries located in northern California – It is anticipated that upon completion of these plans, programs will qualify for the ESA 4(d) rule exemption from ESA take violations.

• Adopted the standards established in the Oregon Coho Plan for the Rogue River coho salmon HGMP, whose goal is to limit hatchery spawners to less than 10 percent of the spawning population.

02/20/2008