WATER RESOURCES INVENTORY AREA 6 (WHIDBEY & CAMANO ISLANDS) MULTI-SPECIES SALMON RECOVERY PLAN Adopted by the Island County Water Resources Advisory Committee May 5, 2005 Adopted by the Board of Island County Commissioners May 9, 2005 WRIA 6 (Whidbey & Camano Islands) Multi-Species Salmon Recovery Plan May 2005 Table of Contents List of Appendices: ........................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... iii List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... iii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... v I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 A. Salmon Recovery Act ......................................................................................................... 1 B. WRIA 6 Salmon Recovery Program ................................................................................... 1 C. WRIA 6 Salmon Recovery Plan ......................................................................................... 3 1. Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 3 2. Scope ................................................................................................................................. 3 3. Plan Organization.............................................................................................................. 3 4. Vision and Goals ............................................................................................................... 4 5. Guiding Principles ............................................................................................................ 6 II. Status of Salmon and Related Marine Species ....................................................................... 7 A. Endangered Species Act (ESA) .......................................................................................... 7 B. ESA and Salmon Listings ................................................................................................... 7 C. Recovery Requirements ...................................................................................................... 8 D. Summary of Salmon Stocks Utilizing WRIA 6 Habitats .................................................... 8 E. ESA Listed Species – Status and Recovery Goals .............................................................. 9 1. Chinook ............................................................................................................................. 9 2. Hood Canal Summer Chum ............................................................................................ 12 3. Bull Trout ........................................................................................................................ 13 F. Salmon Prey and Predators ............................................................................................... 14 1. Forage Fish ..................................................................................................................... 14 2. Predation on Salmon – Marine Mammals and Other Species ......................................... 17 III. Regional Factors Influencing Salmon Viability ............................................................... 21 A. Harvest .............................................................................................................................. 21 1. Puget Sound Salmon Management Plan ......................................................................... 21 2. Fishery Enforcement ....................................................................................................... 22 B. Hatcheries.......................................................................................................................... 23 C. Hydropower ...................................................................................................................... 23 IV. Primary Local Factors Influencing Salmon Viability ...................................................... 24 A. Landscape Context ............................................................................................................ 24 1. Regional Context ............................................................................................................ 24 2. Local Context .................................................................................................................. 25 Ecosystem Processes ............................................................................................................... 28 1. Nearshore Processes........................................................................................................ 28 2. Coastal Stream Processes ................................................................................................ 30 B. WRIA 6 Habitats ............................................................................................................... 30 1. Habitat Classifications .................................................................................................... 31 3. Habitat Functions for Salmon ......................................................................................... 34 4. Assessment of Current Salmon and Forage Fish Habitats – Protection .......................... 35 D. WRIA 6 Limiting Factors ................................................................................................. 38 1. Assessment of Historic Salmon and Forage Fish Habitats in WRIA 6 ........................... 40 2. Restoration Opportunities ............................................................................................... 44 i WRIA 6 (Whidbey & Camano Islands) Multi-Species Salmon Recovery Plan May 2005 VI. Strategy ............................................................................................................................ 47 A. Strategy Overview ............................................................................................................. 47 1. WRIA 6 conceptual approach ......................................................................................... 47 2. Guiding Principles .......................................................................................................... 47 B. WRIA 6 Salmon Recovery Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 48 VII. Implementation plan ........................................................................................................ 52 A. Current Salmon Recovery Environment ........................................................................... 52 1. Supporting Conditions .................................................................................................... 52 2. Limiting Conditions ........................................................................................................ 55 B. Ten Year Implementation Plan ......................................................................................... 58 1. Protecting, Enhancing, and Restoring Ecosystem Processes and Salmon Habitats ........ 58 2. Understanding Habitat Functions ................................................................................... 60 3. Engage An Informed Community ................................................................................... 62 4. Cultivate a Supportive Environment ............................................................................... 63 C. Recommended Commitments and Conditions Needed for Salmon Recovery .................. 65 D. Adaptive Management of Implementation Plan................................................................ 68 1. Evaluating Actions for Certainty of Success .................................................................. 68 2. Monitoring ...................................................................................................................... 68 3. Evaluation ....................................................................................................................... 68 4. Linking Evaluation Back to Action Plan – Updating Actions ........................................ 69 Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 70 References .................................................................................................................................... 77 LIST OF APPENDICES: Appendix A – Summary of WRIA 6 SRFB Grants (Rounds 1-5) Appendix B – January 12, 2005 Letter from Board of Island County Commissioners to Shared Strategy Appendix C – Summary of Salmon and Steelhead Inventory for Puget Sound Stocks (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2002) Appendix D – Pacific Salmon and Trout Life History Characterization