In response to the federal Endangered Species Act listing of summer chum salmon as threatened, the Hood Canal and Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca Summer Chum Salmon Recovery Plan (Plan) was developed and completed in November 2005 by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC). The Plan was accepted by Governor Gregoire and the State of Washington in April 2006 and adopted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries on May 2007 as the final recovery plan (click here to download a copy of the plan and here to download the Federal Supplement). Implementation of the Plan is in progress. Habitat restoration projects in conjunction with the Plan are being developed, designed, and implemented as part of the HCCC Lead Entity program (click here for more information).

Building on the approach of the Plan, implementation consists of many aspects particularly focusing on programmatic actions. In development is a protected lands database project. This project is being designed to map and describe lands throughout the summer chum geographic area that provide protection for salmon habitat and key ecosystem functions and processes. The project will examine the relative levels of protection afforded each area and the habitats and processes that are most important from an ecosystem-based management perspective. These results will be compared relative to our build-out analysis and land use permit tracking programs. The build-out analysis was completed as part of the Plan (click here for a copy of the build-out analysis). The land use permit tracking program is a work in progress that examines where on the landscape in the summer chum geographic area development is occurring relative to assumed build-out. Also in development is a programmatic database, which is designed to track the progress of programmatic actions such as Shoreline Master Program updates. Also in development is a process and program to address monitoring and adaptive management. The Plan calls for annual and five year reviews to track progress and re-evaluate Plan approach and capture relevant new information. Working with the Tribal and State co-mangers and the various groups throughout the region involved in salmon recovery, the review and adaptive management process is intended to bring together all aspects of H-integration (habitat, harvest, hatcheries) including the results of the build-out analysis, land use tracking, and protected lands programs described above. For questions or more information please contact Scott Brewer, Salmon Recovery Program Manager.