Regional Nearshore and Marine Aspects of Salmon Recovery in Puget Sound
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Regional Nearshore and Marine Aspects of Salmon Recovery in Puget Sound Compiled and edited by Scott Redman, Doug Myers, and Dan Averill Puget Sound Action Team From contributions by the editors and Kurt Fresh and Bill Graeber, NOAA Fisheries Delivered to Shared Strategy for Puget Sound for inclusion in their regional salmon recovery plan June 28, 2005 Regional Nearshore and Marine Aspects of Salmon Recovery June 28, 2005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors and editors acknowledge the considerable contributions and expert advice of Carol MacIlroy of Shared Strategy, Chris Davis and Josh Livni of CommEn Space, members of the Nearshore Policy Group, and others who reviewed earlier drafts. We are indebted to each but accept full responsibility for any errors or mischaracterizations presented in this document. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Section 1: Introduction................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Statements of premise: our basis for regional assessment of nearshore and marine aspects of salmon recovery........................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 The scope and scale of our effort ..............................................................................1-2 1.3 The conceptual basis for our assessment and recovery hypotheses and strategies.....................................................................................................................1-4 1.4 Some general goals/strategies for nearshore and marine aspects of Puget Sound salmon and bull trout recovery...................................................................................1-6 1.5 Our approach to developing recovery hypotheses and strategies and developing an adaptive management plan.........................................................................................1-6 Section 2: Puget Sound Nearshore And Marine Ecosystems: Processes, Landscapes, Habitats ......................................................................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Key nearshore and marine ecosystem processes .......................................................2-2 2.2 Regions and sub-basins ..............................................................................................2-4 2.3 Landscape Classes......................................................................................................2-6 2.4 Major uncertainties & data gaps ..............................................................................2-13 Section 3: Salmon In The Nearshore And Marine Waters Of Puget Sound ...............................3-1 [This section is a draft from late February 2005] A. Introduction................................................................................................................3-1 B. The Puget Sound Chinook Salmon and Summer Chum Salmon ESUs.....................3-1 C. Influence of Species, Population, and Life History Strategy on Nearshore Habitat Use. ..............................................................................................3-5 D. Nearshore Habitats.....................................................................................................3-9 E. Use of Nearshore Habitats by Salmon.....................................................................3-15 F. Geographic Distribution- Differences Between Subbasins .....................................3-27 G. Response of Salmon to Nearshore Habitat Conditions ............................................3-29 i Regional Nearshore and Marine Aspects of Salmon Recovery June 28, 2005 Section 4: Threats, stressors, and existing management actions ................................................4-1 4.1 Historical considerations............................................................................................4-4 4.2 Loss & simplification of estuaries and wetlands .......................................................4-4 4.3 Alteration of flows through major rivers of Puget Sound..........................................4-8 4.4 Modification of shorelines by armoring, overwater structures, and loss of riparian vegetation....................................................................................................4-13 4.5 Contamination of nearshore and marine resources..................................................4-21 4.6 Alteration of biological populations and communities............................................4-28 4.7 Urbanization of small marine drainages ..................................................................4-34 4.8 Colonization by invasive plants ...............................................................................4-36 4.9 Key Uncertainties and Data Gaps ............................................................................4-39 4.10 Assessment Of Existing Management Actions ......................................................4-40 Section 5: Recovery hypotheses .................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Hypotheses about nearshore and marine processes and habitats ...............................5-1 5.2 Hypotheses about effects of nearshore and marine environments on salmon...........5-2 5.3 Hypotheses about human interactions with nearshore and marine ecosystems as an influence on the viability of salmon and bull trout...........................................5-5 Section 6: Sub-basin evaluations ................................................................................................6-1 6.1 South Georgia Strait...................................................................................................6-5 6.2 Padilla/Samish Bay..................................................................................................6-15 6.3 Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca..................................................................................6-22 6.4 San Juan Islands.......................................................................................................6-32 6.5 Admiralty Inlet.........................................................................................................6-37 6.6 Whidbey Basin.........................................................................................................6-44 6.7 Hood Canal ..............................................................................................................6-53 6.8 Central Puget Sound ................................................................................................6-64 6.9 Port Madison/Sinclair Inlet ......................................................................................6-75 6.10 Carr/Nisqually........................................................................................................6-82 6.11 South Sound ...........................................................................................................6-91 Section 7: Recovery goals and strategies....................................................................................7-1 7.1 Recovery goals and objectives...................................................................................7-1 7.2 Recovery Strategies....................................................................................................7-6 Section 8: Toward adaptive action plans ....................................................................................8-1 ii Regional Nearshore and Marine Aspects of Salmon Recovery June 28, 2005 8.1 Convene the right people to develop adaptive action plans – for sub-basins and for the region...........................................................................................................................................8-2 8.2 Describe the situation.................................................................................................8-2 8.3 Initial suite of action and framework for assessment.................................................8-5 8.4 Logistics of adaptive management.............................................................................8-7 References...............................................................................................................................REF-1 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. Major estuaries of Puget Sound.................................................................................2-9 Table 4-1. Effects of Loss and Simplification of Estuaries and Wetlands on Ecosystems and Salmon and Bull Trout Functions .............................................................................4-8 Table 4-2. Effects of alteration of flows on ecosystems and salmon and bull trout functions . 4-13 Table 4-3. Effects of shoreline modification on ecosystem processes and habitats and salmon and bull trout functions.........................................................................................................4-20 Table 4-4. Effects of contamination on ecosystems and salmon and bull trout functions.........4-27 Table 4-5. Effects of alteration of biological populations and communitities on ecosystems and salmon and bull trout functions......................................................................................4-34 Table 4-6. Effects of urbanization of small marine drainages on ecosystems and salmon and bull trout functions ................................................................................................................4-36 Table 4-7. Effects of colonization