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 r Chinook Salmon e iv R r o e t v n i e R m d a r u Diversity Groups c lo a C S c le M r t ive it it R L P Basalt and Porous Lava r Redding C C r ow C a reek e l C eek Northern Sierra Nevada tle Cr ek Bat um Cre Cottonwood Cr S Beeg .F. Ba ttle Cr eek e Cr Northwestern California elop Ant Red Bluff k ree ill C ek M Cre er Southern Sierra Nevada De eek Cr r s e me v ho i T R r e City h o t S c a to i e ny h F C C Central Valley r e g ek i B River/Creek k e e North Yuba River k r e C e te r t u C B y Diversity Groups n m to e t S s n i a South Yuba River M - r e v i R North Fork American River r e h t a e F These are ecoregions for Middle Fork American River spawning populations South Fork American River Sacramento • NW California Mokelumne River North Fork Stanislaus River Delta Stockton • Basalt and Porous Lava Tuolumne River Merced River Modesto • Northern Sierra Merced S a n J o a q u in • Southern Sierra R iv e r Fresno 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 KELU K r MN 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 N ! A ! e ! Don Pedro , ! K iv R R R E D E ! MERC ed c D Mer La Grange M ! E TUOLUM !!! C N C E R! C !! !! ! ! ! R !! !! ! L !!! ! ! ! New U 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 watersheds # City ± 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 KE K r LU F MN e E R, v S F N i K , R R S s PARDEE RE S u C U a A l a L is S l I 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 er La Grange M M ! E TUOLUM !!! C NE C !! R! ! C !! ! L R !! !! ! !!! ! ! ! New U E R S FK M Exchequer 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 r Chinook Salmon e iv R r o e t v n i e R m d a r u Diversity Groups c lo a C S c le M r t ive it it R L P Basalt and Porous Lava r Redding C C r ow C a reek e l C reek Northern Sierra Nevada ttle C eek Ba m Cr Cottonwood Cr S Beegu .F. Ba ttle Cr eek e Cr Northwestern California elop Ant Red Bluff k ree ill C ek M Cre er Southern Sierra Nevada De eek Cr r s e me v ho i T R r e City h o t S c a to i e ny h F C C r e g ek i B River/Creek k e e North Yuba River k r e C e te r t u C B y n m o t e t S s n i a South Yuba River M - r e v i R North Fork American River r e h t a e F Middle Fork American River South Fork American River Sacramento Proposed Recovery Criteria Mokelumne River North Fork Stanislaus River Delta Stockton Tuolumne Rive r Merced River Modesto Merced S a n J o a q u in 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 - CentralValleyPlan.SWR@noaa.gov • Via regular mail - National Marine Fisheries Service, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300, Sacramento, CA 95814 18.