Hood Canal Salmon Recovery Region
Species Listed
| Species | Listed As | Date Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Puget Sound Chinook | Threatened | March 24, 1999 |
| Hood Canal summer chum | Threatened | March 25, 1999 |
| Bull trout | Threatened | November 1, 1999 |
Area: The Hood Canal area is located within the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Region, although it may become a separate salmon recovery region in the near future. It includes portions of Jefferson, Mason, Clallam, and Kitsap Counties.
- Human Population: 71,391
- Counties: Parts of Jefferson, Mason, Clallam, and Kitsap
- Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs): All or parts of Kitsap (15), Skokomish-Dosewallips (16), Quilcene-Snow (17), and Elwah-Dungeness (18)
- Federally Recognized Tribes: Skokomish, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Suquamish
Hood Canal Coordinating Council
Origins and organization: The Hood Canal Coordinating Council is a Watershed-Based Council of Governments. It was established in 1985 in response to community concerns about water quality problems and related natural resource issues in the watersheds. Members include a county commissioner from Kitsap, Jefferson, and Mason Counties; representatives of the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Skokomish Tribes; and ex-officio state and federal agency members. The Council currently operates under a variety of authorities in Hood Canal: it is a public benefit corporation, a non-profit corporation, the management board for aquatic rehabilitation, the lead entity and regional recovery organization for salmon recovery, and the inter-WRIA coordinator for watershed planning.
Recovery planning and relationship to other processes: The first draft of the summer chum recovery plan was completed in June 2005. After review and comments were completed, NMFS posted the draft in the federal register in August 2006. The plan builds on work done by the Council as lead entity and inter-WRIA coordinator for watershed planning. It also relies on the summer chum salmon conservation initiative, an on-going program of the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Point-No-Point Treaty Tribes.
Hood Canal Salmon Recovery Plan
Regional organization: Hood Canal Coordinating Council
Plan timeframe: 10-30 years
Estimated cost: $95 million
Actions identified to implement plan: 296
Status: Final plan adopted by NMFS 5/07
Governor Gregoire Receives Plan for Hood Canal Salmon Recovery
OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire accepted the summer chum salmon recovery plan from the Hood Canal Coordinating Council during a small celebration on April 7, 2006.
Wild salmon play a critical role in Washington's economy and way of life and serve as an indication of the overall health of our watersheds. The Hood Canal plan emphasizes a commitment to ensuring that Washington's actions benefit salmon as well as the communities that depend upon them. Recreational and commercial fishing, for example, are a combined billion dollar a year industry in Washington and support rural jobs and small businesses across the state.
"Our approach integrates economic and environmental concerns in a way that engenders a new kind of prosperity for our state, one that enriches today without impoverishing tomorrow," said Governor Gregoire.
"Salmon are icons of our Northwest culture and the foundation for the health of our watersheds. If the salmon are not doing well, our watersheds are not doing well — and neither are we," said Governor Gregoire. "Up until now, the focus has been on getting these plans done. Now we need to move forward and emphasize getting these plans implemented on the ground.”
Fifteen salmon species, covering 75 percent of Washington, are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Hood Canal Summer Chum Draft Recovery Plan is part of a larger statewide strategy to support locally developed recovery plans in response to the ESA listings. Local organizations from five other areas in Washington have developed similar draft recovery plans - lower Columbia, mid-Columbia, Snake River, upper Columbia and Puget Sound.