Guidance for Monitoring Recovery of PNW Salmon & Steelhead listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act

Abstract or Description

This guidance document is designed to better assist those involved with salmon recovery in understanding the recovery monitoring needs and the associated level of certainty at the regional, local, and project levels. The recommendations included are for federal and state agencies, Indian tribes, local governments and watershed organizations participating within each evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) and distinct population segment (DPS) which are actively developing recovery plan monitoring programs, or are modifying existing monitoring. It is our intention that these recommendations will be considered as the desired level of monitoring to be conducted and will provide a consistency across recovery domains. Recommendations include monitoring that addresses all of the viable salmonid population (VSP) criteria and the listing factors and threats. Following are specific NOAA‟s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recommendations for monitoring, data collection, and reporting ESA information. The recommendations are not listed in order of importance, but by the logical chapters of the document. The recommendations are based upon scientific information available, but include policy decisions for what standard is attainable and reasonable. The relative importance of each recommendation is left to the reader to determine based upon their own circumstances and biological and physical conditions. This document is not intended as a step by step process to de-list a species.