Pacific Salmon at the Crossroads: Stocks at Risk from California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington

The American Fisheries Society herein provides a list of depleted Pacific salmon, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat stocks from California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, to accompany the list of rare inland fishes reported by Williams et al. (1989). The list includes 214 native naturally-spawning stocks: 101 at high risk of extinction, 58 at moderate risk of extinction, 54 of special concern, and one classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and as endangered by the state of California. The decline in native salmon, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat populations has resulted from habitat loss and damage, and inadequate passage and flows caused by hydropower, agriculture, logging, and other developments; overfishing, primarily of weaker stocks in mixed-stock fisheries; and negative interactions with other fishes, including nonnative hatchery salmon and steelhead. While some attempts at remedying these threats have been made, they have not been enough to prevent the broad decline of stocks along the West Coast. A new paradigm that advances habitat restoration and ecosystem function rather than hatchery production is needed for many of these stocks to survive and prosper into the next century. That part of the industry dependent on the Columbia River salmon run has expressed alarm at the possibility of disastrous effects upon the fish through the erection of the tremendous dams at Bonneville and the Grand Coulee.. Aside from the fish ladders and elevators contemplated, there is a program for artificial propagation set up which may be put into effect if the fish-passing devices fail to meet expectations. No possibilities, either biological or engineering, have been overlooked in devising a means to assure perpetuation of the Columbia River salmon. ---M. C. James, Report of the Division of Commercial Fishing presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 1937. Introduction D uring the 193Os, society had little appreciation of the complexity of adaptations of stocks to local conditions, their differing life history requirements, or the number of distinct stocks that composed the salmon fisheries. Maintenance of salmon appeared deceptively easy. In the 199Os, native anadromous Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) are at a crossroads, the habitats of these once wide-ranging fishes are severely curtailed, many stocks are extinct, and many remaining stocks face a variety of threats. Since the 185Os, development activities such as hydropower, The authors are members o f the AFS Endangered Species Committee. This paper states the opinions of the Committee and does not necessarily reflect AFS policy or the views of the employers of any of the authors. Correspondence should be addressed to Jack E. Williams, Division of Wildlife and Fisheries, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. 4 fishing, logging, mining, agriculture, and urban growth have caused extensive losses in salmon and steelhead populations and habitats. In most cases, enough of the native resource remains to allow a variety of remedial actions. If the salmon and their habitat continue to diminish, however, available options for present and future generations will diminish or disappear. The challenge for the 1990s is to take maximum advantage of technical, legal, and management avenues available to us now. The task ahead is critically important. Salmon and steelhead are a cornerstone of West Coast industry, recreation, and culture. Native stocks are needed and will be needed in the future to (1) maintain natural genetic diversity within and among fish stocks needed to respond to major ecological and climatic changes, (2) provide the basis for re-establishing natural stocks where opportunities occur, (3) optimize natural production in streams, (4) support natural ecosystem function, (5) re-establish genetic variability in existing hatchery stocks, and (6) provide the basis for new hatchery stocks. While much progress has been made in artificially producing these fish, artificial production in itself cannot sustain them, and may contribute to the decline of native populations (Goodman 1990). We identify 214 native naturally-spawning Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho that appear to be facing a high or moderate risk of extinction, or are of special concern. The American Fisheries Society (AFS) Endangered Species Committee recently identified vanishing inland fish species and subspecies (Williams et al. 1989). The Committee inventoried inland fishes that were endangered, threatened, or of special concern, updating the decade-old Deacon et al. (1979) report. The present paper is intended to complement Williams et al. (1989) by reporting on declining anadromous fish stocks. Fisheries, Vol. 16, No. 2 About 60 copies of the manuscript were distributed for review, and about 25 agencies, tribes, and individuals responded. Most reviewers offered additional information on stocks included in our draft list, and suggestions for additional stocks; the list presented here generally reflects that information. Although every effort was made to take the comments of the reviewers into account, the AFS Endangered Species Committee is responsible for the opinions expessed herein. Interpretation of the limited data is hindered because concepts of stocks, thresholds for endangerment, and the role of artificial production are still being developed. Additional work on the fundamental concepts of stock identification is needed.