State of Salmon in Watersheds Reports

2006 State of Salmon in Watersheds

This is the fourth in a series of biennial State of Salmon Reports. In the last State of Salmon Report, we used a three-tiered approach to reporting our progress — at watershed, regional, and statewide scales. In this 2006 State of Salmon in Watersheds report we continue that approach and refine our look at information and monitoring from all three perspectives.

Tracking and understanding the performance of our recovery efforts is challenging because of the diversity, technical complexity, and magnitude of actions being taken. Recovery actions are occurring across the state, from habitat restoration project sites in watersheds, to region-wide approaches for resource management, to statewide programs that affect how resources are regulated.

2004 State of Salmon in Watersheds Report

Salmon in Washington are in trouble. Since the federal government listed the first salmon in 1991, thirteen more salmon species have been added and another is proposed for listing by next year.

The 2004 State of Salmon in Watersheds looks at what we have done to recover these fish and what progress we have made. It offers a view of current conditions in each of the salmon recovery regions preparing regional salmon recovery plans. And, the "Dozen Dials" are updated to reflect progress made in conditions these high-level indicators track.

This 2004 publication may be downloaded in eight parts:

Habitat Ratings by WRIA for the State of Salmon Report — August 2004 (Excel)
This Excel spreadsheet provides background data and methods for the habitat ratings found in the State of Salmon Report.

2004 Washington Salmon and Steelhead Abundance Index
This PDF report by Bruce Crawford (Salmon Recovery Funding Board) and Greg Volkhardt (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) provides background methods and data for the spawner abundance and juvenile salmon freshwater production.

2002 State of Salmon Report

The Salmon Recovery Planning Act (ESSB 2496), passed in 1998, requires the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office to submit a "state of salmon" report biennially, beginning in December 2000. The 2002 State of Salmon Report is presented here, in four parts that together capture important activities the Governor's Office and state agencies have undertaken to recover salmon.

As a first step to restore salmon, in 1999 the Joint Natural Resources Cabinet developed the Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon: Extinction is Not an Option. The next year, state agencies developed detailed action plans describing their salmon recovery efforts to implement the Strategy. A Salmon Recovery Scorecard for monitoring agency progress in these areas also was published.

These 2002 publications are meant to report progress we have made in our efforts to recover salmon. They also respond to the Legislature, federal review, public comment, the Independent Science Panel, and what we have learned from our own experience. There are four parts:

  • 2002 State of Salmon Report 
    This document is a summary of state agency accomplishments in salmon recovery. It also contains the Governor's recommendations to improve efforts during the 2003-2005 Biennium.
  • 2002 State of Salmon Staff Summary Report  
    This volume contains highlights of accomplishments from the 1999-2001 State Agency Action Plan; expectations from the 2001-2003 State Agency Action Plan; and reports the first data from the Salmon Recovery Scorecard. In one concise document, we show the conceptual framework for recovery - the goals and strategies from the 1999 Statewide Strategy - and give examples of actions we are taking to implement our strategy.
  • 2002 State of Salmon Detailed Data Reports 
    This volume contains data from the Salmon Recovery Scorecard and State Agency Action Plans for 1999-2001 and 2001-2003.
  • 2002 Salmon Recovery Funding Board Biennial Report  
    This report focuses on accomplishments and expenditures covering three SRFB project grant cycles, as well as other salmon recovery-related programs and activities funded by the Board through June 30, 2002. This report also includes a summary of lead entity activities for the same period.

The urgency to save wild salmon is tempered by how long it takes to see progress. The life cycle of salmon from freshwater to saltwater and back generally is three to five years; it may take our commitment through several salmon generations to know if we are doing the right things for enduring results. The challenge we all face is making this complex and potentially confusing situation clear enough so that we may make wise choices about the future of salmon.

While our work to recover salmon is far from finished, we continue to stand firm behind our vision: to restore salmon, steelhead and trout to healthy, harvestable levels and improve the habitats upon which fish rely

2000 State of Salmon Report