Salmon

What We Know About Fish Populations

Today non-listed fall, summer, and spring Chinook runs are rebuilding and coho and sockeye salmon have been reintroduced, making the mid-Columbia region once more a major producer of salmon in the Columbia River basin.

Bull Trout

The 14 populations of bull trout—all listed—show varying trends, with some populations declining while others are improving. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a recovery plan but did not set abundance goals for bull trout populations. Bull Trout recovery is a high priority in the Yakima River basin, where some populations are on the brink of extinction.

Steelhead

Of the six populations of steelhead, five have sufficient data to determine population trends. Wild steelhead runs in the Yakima River basin have improved dramatically since the 1980s, only to drop significantly since 2015. The Klickitat River wild steelhead population exhibited relatively stable run sizes in the early 2000s but has experienced low abundance recently. Rock Creek wild steelhead run sizes have been near or below minimum abundance thresholds. Low streamflows and high hatchery stray rates are the two main limiting factors in Rock Creek.

View more detailed data on Salmon. Visit the Salmon Data Hub for more of the data behind the indicator charts and graphs used throughout this site.