Draft Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan for Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon Central Valley Steelhead
National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Region
November 2009 1 Themes of the CV Recovery Plan
• This is a long-term plan that will take several decades to fully implement • The recovery plan is intended to be a “living document” that is periodically updated to include the best available information regarding the status or needs of the species • Implementation will be challenging and will require the help of many stakeholders • The plan is intended to have realistic and attainable
recovery criteria (i.e, de-listing criteria) 2 What are Recovery Plans?
• Purpose of the Endangered Species Act: To conserve (recover) listed species and their ecosystems • Required under section 4(f) of the ESA for all Federally listed species • Provide the road map to species recovery • Must contain objective, measurable criteria for delisting a species • Guidance documents, not regulations
3 Winter-run Chinook salmon (Endangered)
4 Status of Species – Winter-run Chinook
5 Central Valley Spring-run Chinook salmon (Threatened)
6 Status of Species – Spring-run Chinook
Declining abundance across range: Extinction risk is increasing
Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon Adult Summer Holding Escapement
Rivers/Creeks 25,000 Sacramento Battle 20,000 Clear Beegum 15,000 Antelope Mill 10,000 Deer Big Chico 5,000 Butte
0
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 7 Central Valley steelhead (Threatened)
8 Key Threats
• Dams: Block passage; 95% loss of spawning habitat for Central Valley salmonids • Water Diversions: Juvenile entrainment and flow modifications • In-river Predation: Contributes to low juvenile survival rates • Climate: Recent coastal upwelling conditions, long-term precipitation patterns • Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: loss of floodplain and riparian habitat • Hatcheries: Hybridization and reduced fitness • Fishery Effects: Ocean harvest of winter-run and spring-run Chinook salmon • Water Quality: Impaired water quality in the lower river systems and the Delta
9 Recovery Planning
Foundational Principles:
• Apply concepts of VSP Viable Salmonid Populations (VSP)
• Technical Recovery Team: Population structure, extinction risk, species viability • Recovery must address the entire natural ecosystem (freshwater spawning, rearing and migration areas; estuarine habitats, and the Pacific Ocean) • Viable populations require a network of complex and interconnected habitats, which are created, altered, and maintained by natural physical process • Recovery strategies must address key threats 10 Central Valley
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11 Proposed Recovery Strategy
A two-pronged approach
• Secure existing populations (and habitat) — Core 1 Populations: Independent populations — Core 2 Populations: Dependent populations — Core 3 Populations: Small, ephemeral populations
• Reintroduce fish to historic habitats — Primary candidate reintroduction areas — Secondary candidate reintroduction areas — Areas not considered for reintroduction
12 Area of Detail R OTT CR NES SC UM COS
MO KEL K r UMN F e E R, v S F N i K , R R S s PARDEE RE S u C U la A s a L i l IS n K if N ta F o A N T S , r S R n E i N a M U L O U er T iv e R Southern Sierra ! mn olu Tu NE R ! TUOLUM New! FK Melones , M E R Diversity Group R MN U GoodwinS! Tulloch OL U!! TU LA ! IS ! N ! !A !! ! T ! !!! K S ! F ! !!!!!!!!! ! L r ! A N ! e ! Don Pedro , v ! K i R R R E D E ! MERC ed c D Mer La Grange M
! E TUOLUM !!! C N C E R! C !! !! ! ! ! R !! ! L !! U !!! ! ! ! New E R S FK M , Exchequer RCED R Core 1 and 2 Populations E ME !! R D ! ! E !! ! McSwain r C Oroville! e R ! iv E !!!!!! ! !! M !! R !!!! in • Calaveras steelhead !! u q New Bullards a o J an • Stanislaus steelhead S Englebright rre gue • Tuolumne steelhead Da r Friant ive • Merced steelhead Kings R ! ! ! !! R !! UIN !!! OAQ !!!! !!! ! AN J S ! ! Priority Areas for Reintroduction Fresno ! • San Joaquin River spring-run Chinook below Friant • Conduct feasibility studies and CV Spring Chinook habitat evaluations in other historic ! Passage Impediment " Dams # City ± watersheds River/Creeks Southern Sierra Nevada Populations 04.5 9 18 27 36 45 County Boundaries Miles 13 Multispecies Recovery Actions
• Restore the ecological habitat function and reduce non-native fish predation in the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin River and the Delta • Provide ecological flows throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins and the Delta • Develop phased reintroduction plans for primary candidate watersheds • Implement all phases of the Battle Creek Restoration Program • Implement the San Joaquin River Restoration Program • Reduce the harvest of listed salmon in commercial and recreational ocean fisheries
14 Area of Detail R OTT CR NES SC UM COS
MO KEL K r UM F e NE R , S N v FK i , R R ES s PARDEE R S u C U la A s a L i l IS n K if N ta F o A N T S , r S R n E ia MN U L O U er T iv e R ! mn olu Tu NE R ! TUOLUM New! FK Melones , M E R R UMN GoodwinS! Tulloch UOL U!! T LA ! IS ! N ! !A !! ! T ! !!! K S ! F ! !!!!!!!!! ! L r ! N ! A e ! Don Pedro , ! K iv R R R E D E ! MERC ed c D Mer La Grange M
! E TUOLUM !!! C NE C R! C !! !! ! ! !! ! ! L R !! U !!! ! ! ! New E R S FK Exchequer M CED R, E MER !! R D ! ! EOroville!! ! McSwain r C ! e R ! iv E !!!!!! ! !! M !! R !!!! in !! u Southern Sierra New Bullards q a o J an S Englebright rre gue Diversity Group Da r Friant ive Kings R ! ! ! !! R UIN !!!!! OAQ !!!! !!! ! AN J S ! ! Fresno ! Recovery Actions
CV Spring Chinook • Evaluate fish passage feasibility throughout SJ basin ! Passage Impediment " Dams # City ± River/Creeks Southern Sierra Nevada Populations 04.5 9 18 27 36 45 County Boundaries Miles • Develop and implement instream flow schedules in consideration of physical habitat modeling and life stage requirements — Cold water pool management
• Improve lower San Joaquin River habitat conditions: — Floodplain availability, contaminant reductions, Stockton Ship Channel
• Implement the San Joaquin River Restoration Program
15 Central Valley
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Merced River Modesto
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R iv e r DPS/ESU scale Fresno • At least two viable independent populations per diversity group • One dependent population per diversity group
Population scale • Viable populations: >2,500 spawning adults & low hatchery influence each year for at least 10 years
Threat abatement criteria • Specific criteria that address threats and factors affecting the species
16 Achieving Recovery
NMFS Agencies Environmental Factors
Institutional Stakeholders Education/ Outreach Changes
17 Next Steps
• Draft Recovery Plan available at: http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery/centralvalleyplan.htm • 120-day Public Comment Period October 7 – February 3 • Review all comments and revise Recovery Plan accordingly • Issue Final Recovery Plan 2010
Comments may be submitted: • Via email - [email protected] • Via regular mail - National Marine Fisheries Service, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300, Sacramento, CA 95814
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