The Salmon Struggle
Salmon lead complex lives, which make them resilient to change but also make them vulnerable to a wide variety of threats. Salmon are born in freshwater, rear in streams, then head downstream to spend time in estuaries where they can grow large enough to survive in the ocean. They return home to spawn, beginning the cycle all over again.
Salmon recovery in Washington focuses on the key factors that led to salmon declines: habitat degradation, water quality and quantity declines, fish passage barriers, climate change, predation, scarcity of food, hatchery impacts, harvest, and hydropower operation.
Scientific Evaluation of Recovery Work Must be Fully Funded
The indicators in this report show the status of fish populations, watershed health, and implementation of recovery and sustainability plans, statewide. For details at the regional scale, please visit the individual region pages on this site.
The indicators also describe how well recovery is working and whether recovery plans should be adjusted. Although scientific monitoring and evaluation of recovery investments was written into recovery plans from the beginning, they have never been fully funded.
Salmon have complicated lives, which helps make them resilient to change, but also makes them vulnerable to a wide variety of threats.
Banner photograph by Toan Chu, Unsplash
Photograph for funding of a Chinook salmon by Gerry Webb
Photograph for climate change by Marc Duboiski, formerly of the Recreation and Conservation Office
Photograph for hatcheries of the Chief Joseph Dam hatchery courtesy of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation