The Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) recovery domain is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Pacific coast, supporting numerous rare and endemic plants, terrestrial and aquatic animals. This Recovery Domain includes the Klamath and Eel Rivers in California and the Rogue River in Oregon, some of the most productive anadromous salmonid river basins along the Pacific coast.

 

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Arcata Field Office is coordinating the recovery planning efforts for the SONCC coho salmon ESU, and also provides support to the North-Central California Coast Recovery Domain’s for the California Coast Chinook salmon ESU and Northern California Coast Steelhead DPS within geographic areas that overlap SONCC coho salmon. NMFS works closely with other federal agencies, the states of Oregon and California, Native American tribes, regional and local governments, local watershed restoration and conservation groups to address limiting factors affecting listed species and their habitats.

 

ESA Status: Threatened

• The historical abundance of coho salmon is estimated at 150,000 adults per year.

• The recent estimated abundance is less than 20,000 fish.

• In the California portion of the Recovery Domain, coho salmon have been observed in only 32-56 percent of the streams.

Specific threats to Coho salmon populations include:

Stresses to coho salmon populations:

• Degraded estuarine and near-shore marine habitat

• Reduced floodplain connectivity and function

• Degraded channel structure and complexity

• Degraded riparian areas and reduced LWD recruitment

• Degraded stream substrates

• Altered stream flows

• Degraded water quality

• Fish passage barriers

• Illegal harvest

• Predation, competition and disease 

Source of stresses:  

• Artificial barriers

• Dams and diversions

• Dikes, levees and other flood and erosion control structures

• Forestry management

• Road construction and maintenance

• Unscreened diversions

• Urbanization

• Suction dredging

• Gravel extraction and suction dredging

• Industrial and agricultural runoff and pollution

Recovery actions:

The states of Oregon and California receive federal monies from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) through NMFS and subsequently dispersed through Oregon’s Watershed Enhancement Board and California’s Fisheries Restoration Grants Program. Within the SONCC Recovery Domain, from 1999 to 2006, PCSRF -and state-matching funds have contributed to:

• Removal of 200 barriers to adult and juvenile fish passage, opening 225 stream miles of historic habitat

• Installation of 77 fish screens 

• Restoration of over 38 in stream miles of habitat

• Restoration of 1,413 acres of upland habitat and reduced impacts from 598 miles of road 

• Restoration of 375 acres and 127 stream miles of riparian habitat

• Protection of over 25,043 acres of habitat through land acquisition, and conservation easements or leases

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