Recovery Plan for the Klickitat River Population of the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment
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Klickitat Steelhead Recovery Plan September 2009 Recovery Plan for the Klickitat River Population of the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment September 2009 Prepared by National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region Klickitat Steelhead Recovery Plan September 2009 DISCLAIMER Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plans delineate reasonable actions which the best available information indicates are necessary for the conservation and survival of listed species. Plans are published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), usually with the assistance of recovery teams, state agencies, local governments, salmon recovery boards, non-governmental organizations, interested citizens of the affected area, contractors, and others. ESA recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views, official positions, or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than NMFS. They represent the official position of NMFS only after they have been signed by the Northwest Regional Administrator. ESA recovery plans are guidance and planning documents only; identification of an action to be implemented by any public or private party does not create a legal obligation beyond existing legal requirements. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in any one fiscal year in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that fiscal year in contravention of the Anti- Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new information, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. With respect to the Middle Columbia Steelhead Recovery Plan, where areas of disagreement arose between a management unit plan and the species level, distinct population segment (DPS) plan, NMFS worked with the relevant parties to resolve the differences and in a few cases, identified in the DPS plan, decided not to incorporate the disputed material into the DPS plan. ESA recovery plans provide important context for NMFS’s determinations pursuant to section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act. However, recovery plans do not place any additional legal burden on NMFS or the action agency when determining whether an action would jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or adversely modify critical habitat. The procedures for the section 7 consultation process are described in 50 CFR 402 and are applicable regardless of whether or not the actions are described in a recovery plan. ii Klickitat Steelhead Recovery Plan September 2009 Contents Acronyms ........................................................................................................................ xiv Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... xvi Purpose of Plan ......................................................................................................................... xvi Context of Plan Development ................................................................................................. xvii Biological Background .......................................................................................................... xviii Recovery Goals and Criteria .................................................................................................... xxi Threats Criteria and Approach ............................................................................................... xxii Current Status Assessment ..................................................................................................... xxiii Limiting Factors and Threats ................................................................................................ xxiii Recovery Strategy and Actions ................................................................................................ xxv Cost Estimates ...................................................................................................................... xxviii Implementation ....................................................................................................................... xxix Research, Monitoring, and Adaptive Management .................................................................. xxx 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of Plan ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 ESA Requirements ........................................................................................................ 3 1.1.2 Coordination with Others.............................................................................................. 3 1.2 Context of Plan Development ............................................................................................... 5 1.2.1 Technical Recovery Teams ........................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Planning Forums ........................................................................................................... 6 1.3 How NMFS Intends to Use the Plan ..................................................................................... 8 2. Biological Background.................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Populations and Major Population Groups ........................................................................... 9 2.2 Physical Setting ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Ecosystem Conditions ......................................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Hydrology ................................................................................................................... 12 2.3.2 Water Quality .............................................................................................................. 14 2.3.3 Riparian Function and Condition ................................................................................ 15 2.3.4 Migration Barriers ...................................................................................................... 15 2.4 Life History Characteristics ................................................................................................ 17 3. Recovery Goals and Viability Criteria ...................................................................... 26 3.1 Recovery Goals ................................................................................................................... 26 3.2 Biological Viability Criteria ................................................................................................ 27 3.2.1 DPS and MPG Viability Criteria ................................................................................ 27 3.2.2 Application of Biological Viability Criteria to Klickitat Population .......................... 28 3.3 Threats Criteria ................................................................................................................... 29 4. Current Status Assessment ........................................................................................ 33 4.1 ICTRT Status Assessment .................................................................................................. 33 4.1.1 Major and Minor Spawning Areas .............................................................................. 33 4.1.2 Abundance and Productivity ....................................................................................... 35 4.1.3 Spatial Structure and Diversity ................................................................................... 36 4.1.4 Overall Risk Rating .................................................................................................... 40 5. Limiting Factors and Threats .................................................................................... 42 5.1 Hatchery Effects .................................................................................................................. 42 5.2. Freshwater Habitat .............................................................................................................. 45 5.2.1 Major Spawning Areas ............................................................................................... 46 iii Klickitat Steelhead Recovery Plan September 2009 5.2.2 Minor Spawning Areas ............................................................................................... 53 5.3 Tributary Harvest ................................................................................................................ 55 5.4 Out-of-Subbasin Limiting Factors and Threats ................................................................... 58 5.4.1 Harvest ........................................................................................................................ 59 5.4.2 Columbia River Hydro Operations ............................................................................. 60 5.4.3 Ocean Conditions ........................................................................................................ 61 5.4.4 Climate Change .........................................................................................................