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 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Rivers/Creeks Sacramento Battle Clear Beegum Antelope Mill Deer Big Chico 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
Little Sacramento River McCloud River Pit River Central Valley Chinook Salmon Diversity Groups Basalt and Porous Lava Redding Clear Cr Beegum Creek Cottonwood Cr Cow Creek Battle CreekS.F. Battle Cr Antelope Creek Northern Sierra Nevada Northwestern California Central Valley Diversity Groups Red Bluff Thomes Creek Stony Creek Stony Creek Mill Creek Deer Creek Butte Creek Big Chico Feather River North Yuba River Southern Sierra Nevada City River/Creek South Yuba River These are ecoregions for spawning populations Feather River - Mainstem North Fork American River Middle Fork American River South Fork American River Sacramento NW California Mokelumne River North Fork Stanislaus River Delta Basalt and Porous Lava Stockton Tuolumne River Northern Sierra Modesto Merced River Southern Sierra San Joaquin River Merced 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
COSUMNES R SCOTT CR Area of Detail Core 1 and 2 Populations Calaveras steelhead Stanislaus steelhead Tuolumne steelhead Merced steelhead Southern Sierra Diversity Group Priority Areas for Reintroduction San Joaquin River spring-run Chinook below Friant Conduct feasibility studies and habitat evaluations in other historic watersheds PARDEE RES New Melones Goodwin Tulloch Don Pedro La Grange New Exchequer Oroville McSwain New Bullards CV Spring Chinook STANISLAUS R Passage Impediment " Dams # City River/Creeks MOKELUMNE R, S FK TUOLUMNE R MERCED R Southern Sierra Nevada Populations County Boundaries Daguerre STANISLAUS R, N FK Stanislaus River LAKE MCCLURE TUOLUMNE R, N FK Englebright MERCED R, N FK Tuolumne River TUOLUMNE R, M FK SAN JOAQUIN R MERCED R TUOLUMNE R Merced River Friant MERCED R, S FK Fresno San Joaquin River Kings River ± 0 4.5 9 18 27 36 45 Miles California 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
COSUMNES R SCOTT CR Area of Detail Recovery Actions Southern Sierra Diversity Group Evaluate fish passage feasibility throughout SJ basin PARDEE RES New Melones Goodwin Tulloch Don Pedro La Grange New Exchequer Oroville McSwain New Bullards CV Spring Chinook STANISLAUS R Passage Impediment " Dams # City River/Creeks MOKELUMNE R, S FK TUOLUMNE R MERCED R Southern Sierra Nevada Populations County Boundaries Daguerre STANISLAUS R, N FK Stanislaus River LAKE MCCLURE TUOLUMNE R, N FK Englebright MERCED R, N FK Tuolumne River TUOLUMNE R, M FK SAN JOAQUIN R MERCED R Friant TUOLUMNE R Merced River MERCED R, S FK Fresno San Joaquin River Kings River ± 0 4.5 9 18 27 36 45 Miles California 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
Redding Cottonwood Cr Red Bluff Feather River - Mainstem Sacramento Delta Stockton South Yuba River Modesto North Yuba River North Fork American River Middle Fork American River Mokelumne River South Fork American River San Joaquin River Merced North Fork Stanislaus River Tuolumne River Merced River Fresno Little Sacramento River McCloud River Pit River Central Valley Chinook Salmon Diversity Groups Basalt and Porous Lava Clear Cr Cow Creek Northern Sierra Nevada Beegum Creek Battle CreekS.F. Battle Cr Antelope Creek Northwestern California Thomes Creek Stony Creek Stony Creek Mill Creek Deer Creek Butte Creek Big Chico Feather River Southern Sierra Nevada City River/Creek Proposed Recovery Criteria DPS/ESU scale 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 Changes Stakeholders Education/ Outreach 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