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Working to restore aquatic habitat and remove fish passage barriers that limit access to historically occupied rivers and streams, includes efforts related to: Freeways for Fish, Shasta River Salmon Model, Klamath River Dam FERC Relicensing, and the WISE Project
HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT
Just under half of the salmon, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat trout in the Pacific Northwest are listed as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.
These fishes require clear, cool streams and rivers, expanses of cobble and gravel relatively free of fine sediments, and the ability to migrate freely between their freshwater habitats and the ocean. Because of their narrow habitat and water quality requirements, these fishes are a good bellweather for the native aquatic species of the Pacific Northwest.
Salmon are extremely important in the ecology of Pacific Northwest streams. Because they spend from two to six years in the productive waters of the north Pacific, these fish grow to very large sizes — chinook salmon commonly weigh over fifteen pounds.
All the adult salmon returning to streams from the ocean, and a fair percentage of the steelhead, die once they have spawned. Their carcasses and their eggs are a vitally important source of nutrition during the lean winter months in Pacific Northwest streams for hundreds of aquatic and terrestrial animals.
The National Center focuses its restoration projects at understanding and addressing key factors limiting natural, wild salmon production in the Rogue and Klamath River Basins of southwest Oregon and northern California.
At this time, our projects are working to assess limiting factors or perform on-the-ground restoration activities. The results of our scientific inquiries and restoration projects will be used to inform policy discussions and advance solutions-oriented policy approaches to recovering salmon and other native fishes and aquatic resources in the Pacific Northwest.
* ROGUE BASIN PROJECT - implementing a pilot project to protect and enhance water quality and restore aquatic habitat in a region experiencing rapid urban growth and development, including these two Habitat Restoration Project efforts:
- RESTORING FREEWAYS FOR FISH – an ambitious campaign to restore access to fish habitat across 1,200 miles of the Rogue River Basin by 2008.
- REGIONAL PLANNING (WISE PROJECT) – working with others to develop protected instream water rights in Bear and Little Butte creeks through a regional water management planning project. Our goal is to improve habitat and water quality conditions for native species, recreation and aesthetics.
* SHASTA RIVER SALMON MODEL - working with a number of groups to develop a tool that pinpoints specific limitations to salmon survival in the Shasta River’s natural environment.
* KLAMATH RIVER HYDROELECTRIC DAM RELICENSING – working with other conservation organizations, agencies, tribes, local governments, and PacifiCorp to identify and assess the impacts of Klamath River dams on fish, aquatic habitat, and water quality and develop measures to offset or eliminate these impacts.
Fishing on the Rogue River
Photo by Cindy Deacon Williams
