Presentation given by Chris Ellings, Salmon Recovery Program Manager

1. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Steelhead
Recovery
Planning
1
Puget Sound Salmon
Recovery Council
March 2014

2. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
2
Nisqually River Watershed

3. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
The
Problem:
Nisqually
Steelhead
abundance
plummets
in
early
90’s
3

4. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
4

5. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
5

6. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Steelhead
Early-­‐Marine
Survival
6

7. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
7

8. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
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9. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Steelhead
Recovery
Plan
Development
9
! Funding
for
Plan:
$87,500
(thank
you
Recovery
Council)
+
NIT
match
! Identify
Goals
and
Objectives
for
all
H’s
! Evaluate
Steelhead
Biological
Information
and
Habitat
Conditions
! Assess
Habitat
Potential
using
EDT
! Identify
Restoration,
Protection,
and
Assessment
Priorities
! Develop
Implementation/Action
Plan
! Integrate
Steelhead
Recovery
into
existing
Nisqually
Chinook
adaptive
management
process
! Develop
an
Open
Standards
nexus
for
integration
with
regional
plan

10. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Steelhead
Recovery
Plan
Goals
and
ObjecJves
10
Goals
and
objecJves
developed
based
on
co-­‐manager
and
Nisqually
River
Council
discussions.
Include
short
and
long
term
habitat
and
harvest
metrics.
In-­‐Review….

11. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
1st
step:
Review
current
and
historic
Nisqually
Steelhead
Biological
InformaJon
and
Nisqually
River
Habitat
CondiJons
11
Some
takeaways:
• Hatchery
influence
has
been
minimal,
with
winter
steelhead
supplementaJon
ending
in
1981
• Current
smolt
to
adult
survival
is
around
1%
• Current
smolt
producJon
is
around
65,000,
with
over
250
smolts/adult
esJmated
for
one
of
the
brood
years
analyzed!
–Freshwater
survival
is
very
good.

12. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Steelhead
Recruits
per
Spawner

13. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Steelhead
Habitat
PotenJal
13

14. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
What
can
we
do
within
the
watershed
to
help
steelhead
in
the
face
of
terrible
marine
survival?
14

15. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
15
Nisqually River Watershed

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Chinook
Annual
Review
Primary
steelhead
habitat
(EDT
esJmate)

17. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Habitat
PotenJal
–
1%
SAR
Current
Abundance
about
62%
of
Historic

18. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
ProtecJon/RestoraJon
PrioriJes
• Mainstem protection priority similar to Chinook
• Mashel restoration of upper reaches emerging top priority
• Muck Creek and Prairie Tributaries are priorities unique to Steelhead

19. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Subbasin
PrioriJes

20. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Steelhead
habitat
protecJon
and
restoraJon
acJon
plan
in
review.
Some
highlights
include:
20
• ConJnue
to
implement
Chinook
Recovery
acJons
including
mainstem
and
Mashel
habitat
protecJon
and
restoraJon
• Implement
Nisqually
Community
Forest
in
upper
Mashel
River
watershed
and
manage
for
watershed
processes
and
ecosystem
services
• Remove
all
barriers
on
small
streams
which
are
not
prioriJes
in
Chinook
plan
• ConJnue
to
work
with
JBLM
to
protect
and
restore
the
unique
Muck
Creek
prairie
ecosystem
• Assess
small
prairie
streams
for
protecJon
and
restoraJon,
establish
a
prairie
stream
stronghold
for
life
history
diversity

21. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
21
IntegraJng
Nisqually
Plan
with
Regional
Effort

22. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Nisqually
Estuary
June
2009
Nisqually
Estuary
March
2010

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Chinook
Annual
Review
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24. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review

25. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Lower
Site
–
Before

26. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Lower
Site
–
Aeer

27. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
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28. Nisqually
Chinook
Annual
Review
Steelhead
recovery
efforts
in
the
watershed
can
help
prevent
exJrpaJon
but
recovery
is
not
possible
without
a
strong
regional
commitment
to
address
survival
in
Puget
Sound.
28
-Support the Salish Sea Marine
Survival Project!