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Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan

For the State of Oregon

Prepared by

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
In Partnership with State and Federal Natural Resource Agencies

March 16, 2007

Table of Contents

Executive Summary......................................................................................3
Introduction.................................................................................................10
1. ESU Population Structure....................................................................16
2. Current ESU Status...............................................................................18
3. ESU Desired Status: Vision, Goals, Measurable Criteria, and Gaps20
4. ESU Limiting Factors............................................................................23
5. Conservation Strategy for the Coast Coho ESU.................................26
6. Population-Based Actions and Associated Cost Estimates................32
7. Agency Actions to Support the Conservation Plan............................34
8. Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation................................................52
9. Application of Adaptive Management.................................................54
10. Implementation and Oversight...........................................................56
11. Reaching Desired Status � Time Frame Expectations.....................59
12. Conclusion............................................................................................60

Appendices

Appendix 1 � Oregon Coastal Coho Stakeholder Team
Facilitators� Report

Attachment I � Comments on First Draft of the Plan

Attachment II � Comments on Second Draft of the Plan

Attachment III � Protocols of the Stakeholder Team

Attachment IV � Summaries of Stakeholder Team Meetings

Attachment V � Stakeholder Team Meeting Locations, Issues

Attachment VI � Comments from Public Meetings

Appendix 2 � Desired Status: Measurable Criteria for the Oregon Coast
Coho Conservation Plan for the State of Oregon

Appendix 3 � Description of Oregon and Federal Commitments to the
Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan for the
State of Oregon

Appendix 4 � Description of Research Topics Identified in the Oregon
Coast Coho Conservation Plan for the State of Oregon

Executive Summary

Introduction

The purpose of this Conservation Plan is to ensure the continued viability of the Oregon
Coast Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) and to achieve a desired status that
provides substantial ecological and societal benefits. The Oregon Coast Coho ESU is
viable (see Table 2; State of Oregon 2005) and does not currently require protection
under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) (NOAA Fisheries 2006). The current
status of this ESU reflects a reduction in fishery harvest, improved hatchery management,
and extensive habitat restoration work initiated or maintained under the Oregon Plan for
Salmon and Watersheds (Oregon Plan). This Conservation Plan maintains and enhances
support of the Oregon Plan and meets the requirements of Oregon�s Native Fish
Conservation Policy (NFCP) (OAR 635-007-0502 to 0509). This Conservation Plan does
not propose new land-use regulations, maintains existing regulatory programs, and
enhances support for non-regulatory cooperative conservation. A key element of this
Plan is to provide a higher and more effective level of support to local conservation
groups and private landowners (e.g., Soil and Water Conservation Districts, watershed
councils, industrial forestland owners, Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP)
volunteers, and other individuals and groups). These community-based organizations
have demonstrated an impressive record of planning, prioritizing, and implementing
habitat improvement projects through their participation in the Oregon Plan.

This document is the State of Oregon�s Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast coho
Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU). It was prepared by the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW) in partnership with other state and federal natural resource
agencies. The Conservation Plan incorporates findings presented in the Oregon Coastal
Coho Assessment (State of Oregon 2005; hereafter referred to as the 2005 OCCA) and
extensive experience implementing the Oregon Plan since 1997. Oregonians have
demonstrated extensive and diverse support for non-regulatory, community-based, habitat
improvement work under the Oregon Plan. Participants in this effort include watershed
councils, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program
volunteers, industrial and private landowners and a variety of non-governmental
organizations and individuals. Information put together for the 2005 OCCA show that
implementation of the Oregon Plan across this ESU has included significant investments
($107 million from 1997 to 2003) in restoration work by private landowners and state and
federal agencies; private landowners voluntarily contributed about one-third of these
funds; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board restoration grants supported roughly $13
million during this timeframe.

The Conservation Plan was developed during an iterative process by considering
substantial review, discussion, critique, and recommendations from three primary groups:
a diverse public Stakeholder Team (see Appendix 1), the Oregon Plan Core Team, and
the federal Technical Recovery Team (TRT) established for this ESU. The Conservation
Plan describes commitments by the State of Oregon that will conserve the sustainability
of this ESU and restore biological attributes necessary to achieve a science-based,

socially established desired status goal. Achievement of the desired status goal will
provide significant ecological, economic and cultural benefits for all Oregonians.
Hereafter, the Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan for the State of Oregon will be
referred to as the Conservation Plan or simply the Plan.

This Conservation Plan, in supporting the Oregon Plan, is a dynamic strategy that will
adapt and be modified over time in response to learning from monitoring data and
implementation experience. The intent of this Plan is to conserve1 and enhance Oregon
Coast coho. The primary strategy, like the Oregon Plan, is to support efforts to improve
habitat for coho salmon and other native fish2 and wildlife species through on-the-
ground, non-regulatory work by community-based entities and individuals.

This Plan meets the requirements for conservation plans described in Oregon�s Native
Fish Conservation Policy (NFCP). The NFCP was adopted by the OFWC in 2002 to
support and increase the effectiveness of the 1997 Oregon Plan. The Conservation Plan
does not replace or supersede the Oregon Plan. Fundamentally, the Conservation Plan is
designed to improve the status of the ESU and virtually all of its constituent populations
by increasing the productive capacity of the coho and their habitat to levels significantly
higher than where the ESU could be considered a potential candidate for listing under
federal ESA. Significantly, Oregon notes that all of the actions in this Conservation Plan
are expected to benefit co-existing native species and water quality across the ESU.

The NFCP employs conservation plans to identify and implement appropriate strategies
and actions necessary to restore native fish in Oregon to levels that provide benefits to the
citizens of the state. This is achieved through a sequential process:

1. Define the management unit, or ESU.
2. Determine its current status.
3. Define a desired status.
4. Determine any gap between current and desired status and the factors causing the
gap (limiting factors).
5. Identify and implement strategies and actions that address the limiting factors.
6. Monitor and evaluate the ESU status and actions implemented and use adaptive
management to make adjustments necessary to achieve desired status.

The Conservation Plan contains the elements identified above and is also intended to be
consistent with and contain most of the elements required by a federal ESA Recovery
Plan. The primary required elements of a federal Recovery Plan include 1) objective and
measurable criteria for delisting, 2) site-specific actions required for recovery, and 3)
estimates of the time and cost of implementing the plan. A key distinction between this
Plan and a federal Recovery Plan is the ESU is currently viable; the measurable criteria
therefore establish biological objectives well beyond de-listing requirements, more akin
to �broad sense� recovery goals in federal recovery plans.

1 As defined in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR), the term conservation means managing for
sustainability of native fish so present and future generations may enjoy their ecological, economic,
recreational and aesthetic benefits (OAR 635-007-0501-10).

2 Native fish are defined as indigenous to Oregon and include both naturally and hatchery produced fish
(OAR 635-007-0501-36).

Structure and Biology of the Oregon Coast coho ESU

The Oregon Coast coho ESU includes naturally produced coho salmon in 56 populations
� as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) TRT
(Lawson et al. 2004) � from the Necanicum River near Seaside to the Sixes River near
Port Orford. Twenty one of these populations are classified as potentially or functionally
independent because they occur in basins with sufficient historical habitat to have
persisted through several hundred years of normal variations in marine and freshwater
conditions. These anadromous salmon spawn in rather small low-gradient streams from
November through March, the offspring spend the next summer and following winter in
freshwater, and then migrate through estuaries to the ocean in the spring of their second
year of life. The vast majority of coho salmon then spend one and one half years (two
summers) in the ocean, remaining principally off the Northern California and Oregon
coast, before returning to their home streams to spawn.

Current Status of the ESU

The Oregon Coast coho ESU is not currently listed for protection under federal or state
endangered species acts. Following a comprehensive assessment, Oregon concluded the
ESU is currently viable and sustainable (2005 OCCA). In other words, Oregon Coast
coho populations generally demonstrate sufficient abundance, productivity, distribution,
and diversity to be sustained under the current and foreseeable future range of
environmental conditions, even including conditions somewhat more adverse than were
observed during the 1990s, a period characterized by adverse ocean survival conditions,
drought, and flood across the ESU. NOAA�s Federal Register Notice (NOAA Fisheries
2006) contained the following statement:

After considering the best available scientific and commercial
information available, we have concluded that the ESU is not in
danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its
range, nor is it likely to become so within the foreseeable future. (page
3033)

Desired Status and Measurable Criteria

This Conservation Plan describes a desired status for future condition and performance of
the Coast coho ESU that goes substantially beyond minimum viability to achieve social
objectives. The desired status vision statement for this ESU is: Populations of naturally
produced coho salmon are sufficiently abundant, productive, and diverse (in terms of life
histories and geographic distribution) such that the ESU as a whole is 1) self-sustaining
into the foreseeable future, and 2) providing significant ecological, cultural, and
economic benefits. This vision statement is consistent with the mission statement for the
Oregon Plan.

The vision statement and measurable, scientifically-based objectives for desired status
were developed collaboratively with the Stakeholder Team and represents consensus
among members. The goal targets an average return of spawners to the ESU that ranges
from a low of greater than 100 thousand spawners when marine survival is extremely low

(this is about twice the spawners observed during 1993-1996) to a high of over 800
thousand spawners when marine survival is high (this is about three or four times the
spawners observed in 2002 and 2003). This Plan describes a set of measurable criteria
that will be monitored and evaluated to determine if and when the desired status goal has
been achieved (see Appendix 2). These measurable criteria include parameters such as
abundance, productivity, distribution, persistence, diversity, and habitat.

Oregon�s Coho Conservation Strategy

Oregon is relying on a combination of existing regulatory programs plus effective long-
term participation in non-regulatory conservation work to achieve the desired status goal
for the Coast coho ESU. The existing regulatory programs were not intended to improve
habitat to the extent needed to achieve the desired status goal outlined in this plan. The
state has determined that the best way to increase the quantity and quality of coho habitat
throughout the ESU, and achieve desired status, is through the voluntary participation of
landowners and local groups.

Thus, the primary strategy to achieve the desired status in this Conservation Plan is based
on the following general premise: Habitat management and improvement is the key to
protecting and enhancing coastal coho; much of the most important coho habitat is on
private land; habitat improvement on private land is most likely to occur through
incentive-based cooperative partnerships with landowners; and the Oregon Plan
provides the best vehicle for securing these partnerships and implementing habitat
improvements.

Policies and actions in this Plan will address the potential effects of human activities, or
threats, across the full life-cycle of the Coast coho ESU including management activities
upstream from the distribution of coho salmon, downstream through tributaries,
mainstems, estuaries where coho reside and/or migrate, and the ocean. Principal
activities that could potentially limit or support achievement of the desired status goal for
the ESU include fishery harvest, hatchery operation, land use management, and on-the-
ground work to increase the productive capacity of coho habitat. These policies and
actions are framed to 1) conserve the existing productivity, distribution, diversity of coho
salmon and habitat across the ESU and 2) improve the productive capacity of coho
populations and habitat. Both elements are considered essential to achieve Oregon�s
desired status goal.

The long-term effectiveness of this Conservation Plan requires developing and
implementing conservation and restoration strategies at scales within populations.
Oregon will continue to support local watershed entities as they implement population-
specific actions at scales appropriate for conservation. These finer resolution strategies
will include prioritized and time sequenced action plans across all land ownerships. This
conservation plan is not intended to prescribe habitat actions at local scales, but instead,
establish direction and sideboards to help local conservation entities custom tailor
restoration activities to address specific limiting factors within their watersheds.

Key Conservation Commitments

Oversight

� Desired status goal. This Conservation Plan establishes policy regarding the
desired status for the ESU and constituent populations within the ESU. The
desired status goal (and measurable criteria) in this Conservation Plan is
significant because it provides a quantitative target for the ESU that can be used
to evaluate the Plan�s effectiveness over time.
� Regulatory programs. State and federal agencies will continue to implement,
monitor compliance with, and enforce their existing, legislatively mandated,
regulatory programs.
� The Oregon Plan Core Team is responsible for providing policy guidance and
accountable for implementation of conservation efforts statewide (i.e., the Oregon
Plan), including this Conservation Plan. An Oregon Plan Regional Management
and Implementation Team will be responsible for tracking and coordinating
implementation and preparing reports described as part of Oregon�s adaptive
management commitment in this Plan.

Implementation

� Modified hatchery programs with minimal impact to fisheries. Two coho
hatchery programs are being altered in a manner that is designed to achieve
viability for the affected populations while having little or no impact on the
selective coho sport fishery in the ocean and increasing commercial and sport
harvest opportunities in the lower Columbia River.
� Conservation priorities. The plan provides information intended to guide funding
and action investments in watershed conservation by diverse management entities.
� Oregon Plan Habitat Strategy. The strategy is to provide more effective financial
and technical support and outreach to private landowners to maintain and increase
participation in cooperative conservation actions. Implementing the strategy will
support the viability of the ESU and will help achieve the desired status for
habitat � roughly a doubling in the amount of high quality habitat across the ESU.
The habitat strategy enhances the Oregon Plan approach for developing
cooperative conservation partnerships and conducting effective habitat restoration
projects.

The habitat strategy of this Conservation Plan will provide additional resources to
community-based conservation networks (e.g., watershed councils, Soil and
Water Conservation Districts, STEP volunteers, and other community groups) and
private landowners engaging in voluntary, cooperative conservation projects.
Oregon has over ten years of positive experience implementing habitat restoration
under the Oregon Plan (State of Oregon 2005). Specifically, this strategy will
provide 1) a better understanding of coho�s ecological needs, 2) a better
understanding of where and how habitat restoration can be most effective, 3)
improved financial incentives to conduct voluntary habitat restoration, and 4)
more technical support for project designs, permits, monitoring and reporting for
restoration projects. Although this is not a new initiative, it will better focus

assistance and support for Oregon Plan participants so that their involvement can
be most effective.

This strategic approach � recognizing and building upon the good work already
completed under the Oregon Plan and a growing level of participation in Oregon
Plan programs � is currently supported by the Oregon Forest Industries Council,
Oregonian�s for Food and Shelter, and the Oregon Farm Bureau. Enhanced
partnerships among private forest and agricultural landowners represent a
powerful means of increasing the level of investment and participation in
effective voluntary habitat-improvement work on private lands. The Oregon Plan
Core Team will coordinate this strategy among participating entities and seek to
gain support from other groups throughout the ESU.

The Oregon Plan Habitat Strategy will focus on a bottom-up approach for
developing and implementing actions, effectively utilizing the Oregon Plan
network of conservation groups and partners. Regional or ESU-wide projects and
programs that span multiple local jurisdictions can be brought directly to the
Oregon Plan Regional Management and Implementation Team for consideration
and implementation.

� Multi-agency effort. State and federal agencies provided detailed descriptions of
their respective contributions to the Conservation Plan along with abstract
summaries of their actions. Abstracts are in the main body of this Conservation
Plan, detailed descriptions are in Appendix 3 to the Conservation Plan. Funding
available to support conservation infrastructures (especially SWCDs and
watershed councils) will be maintained and most likely, modestly increased
during the next biennium (2007-2009).

Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

� Research. Although not comprehensive, eight topics that merit research are
identified, including ocean conditions, pinnipeds and a better understanding of
high quality coho habitat. These topics include information needs that are
particularly relevant to achieving Oregon�s desired status goal for this ESU.
� Monitoring. Monitoring within the ESU has been modified to improve estimates
of coho spawners; juvenile coho density and distribution; and habitat quality.
� Evaluation to support adaptive management. First, Oregon commits to assess the
ESU and the effectiveness of the Conservation Plan (in 6 years, every 12 years
thereafter, or as needed). Second, Oregon will produce a succinct annual report �
an early warning system �that will alert Oregon to the need to reconsider the
status of the Coast coho ESU, monitoring, and management systems in place
throughout the ESU.

Reaching Desired Status � Time Frame Expectations

Whereas immediate benefits to coho are expected as the actions identified in the Plan are
implemented, the desired status goal for this ESU is ambitious and unlikely to be
achieved in the near term. Achieving the desired status goal will require

institutionalization of the cooperative conservation commitments embedded in the
Oregon Plan and this Conservation Plan, sustained leadership, extensive non-regulatory
participation by private landowners, funding, reassessment, and adaptive management.
With the enhanced level of habitat monitoring proposed in this plan, Oregon will be able
to determine the trajectory of habitat condition and the approximate time-frame required
to achieve the desired status goal. A 50 year time-frame is probably the most realistic
scenario to achieve the desired status goal for the ESU, given likely levels of funding, the
time required to resolve scientific uncertainty, and the time required for habitat actions to
effect fish survival and production.

Oregon is relying on a combination of the current regulatory programs plus effective
long-term participation in non-regulatory, cooperative conservation work to achieve the
desired status goal for the Coast coho ESU. The Oregon Plan habitat strategy is designed
to support effective work by the existing cooperative conservation network (including
SWCDs, watershed councils, STEP volunteers and others) across the ESU. This effort is
expected to increase participation in non-regulatory cooperative conservation work by
private landowners, especially landowners in areas with the greatest potential to create
high quality coho habitat and support achievement of the desired status goal for the ESU.

Oregon is generally optimistic that the elements of this Conservation Plan will achieve
the desired status goal for the ESU, based on the following observations.

� Coho salmon are broadly distributed across all 21 independent populations within the
ESU and spawning escapements during recent years of relatively favorable ocean
survival have been higher on average than in the last 5 decades.
� The ESU is currently viable and adaptive management has virtually eliminated
significant adverse impacts of fishery harvest and hatchery programs on the ESU.
� Practical methodologies exist to improve the environmental conditions currently
limiting productive capacity of the ESU.
� An extensive and diverse locally-based infrastructure of committed groups and
individuals has demonstrated a decades-long track record of restoration commitment
and action. The fiscal support for restoration efforts and infrastructure support in the
ESU is likely to increase.

Introduction

The purpose of this Conservation Plan is to ensure the continued viability of the Oregon
Coast Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) and to achieve a desired status that
provides substantial ecological and societal benefits. The Oregon Coast Coho ESU is
viable (State of Oregon 2005) and does not currently require protection under the federal
Endangered Species Act (ESA) (NOAA Fisheries 2006). The current status of this ESU
reflects a reduction in fishery harvest, improved hatchery management, and extensive
habitat restoration work initiated or maintained under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and
Watersheds (Oregon Plan). This Conservation Plan maintains and enhances support of
the Oregon Plan and meets the requirements of Oregon�s Native Fish Conservation
Policy (NFCP) (OAR 635-007-0502 to 0509). This Conservation Plan does not propose
new land-use regulations, maintains existing regulatory programs, and enhances support
for non-regulatory cooperative conservation. A key element of this Plan is to provide a
higher and more effective level of support to local conservation groups and private
landowners (e.g., Soil and Water Conservation Districts, watershed councils, industrial
forestland owners, Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) volunteers, and
other individuals and groups). These community-based organizations have demonstrated
an impressive record of planning, prioritizing, and implementing habitat improvement
projects through their participation in the Oregon Plan.

The Oregon Plan is a comprehensive partnership between government, communities,
private landowners, industry and citizens funded by the Oregon Legislature. Efforts
under the Oregon Plan include regulatory and non-regulatory programs designed to
restore native salmon runs, improve water quality and maintain healthy watersheds and
human communities throughout Oregon.

State agencies that participate in the Oregon Plan have the legal and regulatory
authorizations, staffing, and commitment to carry out their conservation commitments
(e.g., Oregon Coastal Coho Assessment (State of Oregon 2005; hereafter referred to as
the 2005 OCCA)). Oregonians have demonstrated extensive and diverse support for non-
regulatory, community-based, habitat improvement work under the Oregon Plan.
Participants in this effort include watershed councils, Soil and Water Conservation
Districts, Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program volunteers, industrial and private
landowners and a variety of non-governmental organizations and individuals.
Implementation of the Oregon Plan across this ESU from 1997 to 2003 included
significant investments ($107 million) in restoration work by private landowners and
state and federal agencies; private landowners voluntarily contributed about one-third of
these funds; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board restoration grants supported roughly
$13 million during this timeframe. In addition, the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund
constitutes a small, but important, portion of the money used by OWEB to carry out
conservation activities. These dollars are used mostly for non-capital expenditures
(assessment, monitoring, education, and outreach).

In concert, these regulatory and non-regulatory elements support the Oregon Plan
mission:

To restore the watersheds of Oregon and to recover the fish and wildlife
populations of those watersheds to productive and sustainable levels in a manner
that provides substantial environmental, cultural and economic benefits.

This document is Oregon�s Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast coho ESU and has
been prepared by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in partnership
with state and federal natural resource agencies. The Conservation Plan incorporates
findings presented in the 2005 OCCA and extensive experience implementing the Oregon
Plan since 1997. The Conservation Plan was developed during an iterative process by
considering substantial review, discussion, critique, and recommendations from three
primary groups: a diverse public Stakeholder Team, the Oregon Plan Core Team, and a
Technical Recovery Team (TRT). This active participation has helped improve the
Conservation Plan. A report by the facilitation contractor and a record of written critique
submitted regarding each draft of the Conservation Plan is included as Appendix 1.

This document is the Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast Coho ESU. Oregon�s
NFCP stipulates developing conservation plans for Species Management Units (SMUs)
that will be formally defined by adoption of each respective conservation plan. ESU and
SMU are both terms that refer to a group of populations from an area that share similar
genetic and ecological characteristics. Because the Oregon Coast Coho ESU and the
SMU are identical, the remainder of this Conservation Plan will refer only to the Oregon
Coast Coho ESU or the ESU.

This Conservation Plan represents a significant step forward for the Oregon Plan through
implementation of the NFCP. The Plan gives Oregon the ability to immediately
implement an effective conservation program across this ESU. Oregon has established a
desired status goal for the ESU that, by a very large margin, will exceed a level where the
ESU would be considered viable (see Table 2). Oregon�s conservation commitments are
designed to improve the productive capacity of the coho and their supporting habitat.
The Plan contains measurable criteria by which progress may be evaluated in the future.
The Conservation Plan describes commitments by the State of Oregon and its federal
partners that ensure the sustainability of this ESU and will restore biological attributes
necessary to achieve a science-based, socially established desired status goal.
Achievement of the desired status goal will provide significant ecological, economic and
cultural benefits for all Oregonians.

Native Fish Conservation Policy

The Native Fish Conservation Policy (NFCP) was adopted by the Oregon Fish and
Wildlife Commission (OFWC) in 2002 as an essential policy refinement that supports
implementation of the Oregon Plan. The NFCP employs conservation plans as a means
to identify and implement appropriate strategies and actions to restore and maintain
native fish in Oregon to levels that provide benefits to the citizens of the state. As
defined in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR), the term conservation means managing

for sustainability of native fish so present and future generations may enjoy their
ecological, economic, recreational and aesthetic benefits (OAR 635-007-0501-10).
Native fish are defined as indigenous to Oregon and include both naturally and hatchery
produced fish (OAR 635-007-0501-36).

The NFCP focuses on the conservation of naturally produced fish because they are the
basis for federal ESA listings and are the foundation for productive hatchery programs.
The NFCP represents a maturation of the Oregon Plan by providing monitoring data,
scientific analyses, and focused restoration priorities that improve the effectiveness of
conservation efforts under the Oregon Plan.

1. Define the management unit, or ESU.
2. Determine its current status.
3. Define a desired status.
4. Determine any gap between the two and the factors causing the gap (limiting factors).
5. Identify strategies and actions that address the limiting factors.
6. Monitor and evaluate the ESU status and actions implemented and use adaptive
management to make adjustments.

The Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan also considers and adds support to Basin Fish
Management Plans that were developed in the 1990�s. These Basin Fish Management
Plans provide fish management guidance for most freshwater fish species in the basins of
the Coos, Salmon, Siletz, Yaquina, Alsea, Yachats, Siuslaw, Tenmile Lakes, and Mid-
Coast Small Ocean Tributaries. While these basin plans provide guidance just for ODFW
fish management, this Conservation Plan documents management strategies, actions, and
commitments for all Oregon natural resource agencies.

Salmon Management Planning � Historical Perspectives

Declines in salmon populations, salmon catch, and the adverse impacts of various
traditional land and water use practices have been the subject of successive restoration
plans since the late 1800s. Each of these plans proposed actions to improve the
abundance of salmon available for harvest. Essentially, all of these plans failed to
achieve their stated intent. All of the salmon restoration plans created prior to the Oregon
Plan noted the adverse effects of traditional land and water uses, but none offered any
substantive means of protecting or restoring habitat. These historical salmon
management plans were created solely by an Oregon fisheries agency, independently, and
without support of the various state and federal management agencies that directly
affected the watersheds that support salmon throughout their life cycle. Oregon fishery
agencies historically proposed to employ legally authorized management action, namely,
hatchery production and harvest management.

Consistent with the management philosophy of the time, historical salmon management
plans proposed to employ hatchery production 1) to replace lost or altered salmon habitat

and 2) to maintain or increase salmon harvest. These historical salmon management
plans also tended to treat each salmon species (i.e., coho salmon, chinook salmon,
steelhead, and so on) as rather homogeneous animals � the philosophy was that a fish is a
fish and fish from one river were exchangeable with fish from another river. Science and
experience has shown that these philosophies and management practices were overly
optimistic and technically inaccurate.

A Coho Salmon Management Plan adopted by ODFW in1982 represented a change in
thinking and set the management stage for subsequent development of the Oregon Plan,
because it introduced the importance of stock differences, impacts of hatchery
production, potential to over-harvest naturally produced salmon, and noted the impacts of
various land use management practices on production potential. The Oregon Plan and
this Conservation Plan are very different than the salmon management plans created prior
to the 1982 plan because these and other recent plans 1) recognize natural production as
the foundation of ESU sustainability; 2) recognize effects of fishery harvest, hatchery
programs, marine survival, predation, and various land use practices across the entire life
cycle of the fish; and 3) include commitments from the management entities that affect
the fish.

Recent Conservation Planning for the Oregon Coast Coho ESU

The Oregon Coast coho ESU has, since 1995, been subject of extensive conservation
planning; data gathering; scientific and policy analysis; restoration action by government
and private landowners using public and private funds; and contentious debate and
litigation regarding whether the ESU should or should not be listed. Since 1997, the ESU
has been provisionally not-listed, listed, held in abeyance from being listed, and most
recently not-listed by NOAA.

In January 2006, the National Marine Fisheries Service published in the Federal Register
their finding that the Oregon Coast coho ESU does not warrant listing as an endangered
or threatened species under the ESA (NOAA Fisheries 2006). This decision by NOAA is
currently being contested in Federal court. Oregon does not expect the outcome of the
current litigation to be the final chapter in the ongoing debate over the ecological and
policy status of the ESU.

Considering the ongoing debate and litigation, the Conservation Plan contains the
elements required under NFCP and is also intended to contain most of the elements
required by a federal ESA Recovery Plan. The primary required elements of a federal
Recovery Plan include 1) objective and measurable criteria for delisting, 2) site-specific
actions required for recovery, and 3) estimates of the time and cost of implementing the
plan. A key distinction exists between this Conservation Plan and a federal Recovery
Plan. Specifically, whereas ESA Recovery Plans focus on criteria actions needed to
achieve delisting of species, this Conservation Plan is developed for a species that is not
listed under federal ESA. This Plan, therefore, establishes criteria and identifies actions
needed to achieve a socially established desired status goal that reaches substantially
beyond minimum viable status, similar to broad sense recovery objectives identified in
some federal recovery plans. This Conservation Plan would need to be modified

somewhat in order to serve as a federal Recovery Plan, such as revising delisting criteria
and actions.

Biological Features of the Oregon Coast Coho ESU

Coho salmon are widely distributed, essentially ubiquitous, in large and small Oregon
Coastal river basins in this ESU and were historically well distributed in Oregon
tributaries to the Columbia River. During pre-development times (circa 1850) coho
salmon were far more abundant than Chinook salmon in the majority of Oregon coastal
streams, and the runs of coho salmon to these areas was likely only approached or
exceeded by runs of chum salmon in rivers along the northern portion of the Oregon
coast.

Coho were the most abundant salmon species in rivers of the Oregon Coast Coho ESU
and were the most numerous species in commercial and recreational catches off the
Oregon coast during the 1950s through the 1970s. Whereas spawning runs of naturally
produced Chinook salmon in Oregon coastal streams have demonstrated a stable or
increasing trend since 1950, production (catch plus spawning escapement) of naturally
produced coho salmon declined to historically low levels since the 1950s. However,
returns of spawning coho to the Coast coho ESU since 2000 have been higher than
decadal averages since the 1950s. This improvement is primarily related to two factors:
1) harvest related mortality in ocean fisheries has decreased from levels of over 80% to
levels generally less than 15%, and 2) marine survival improved from the very low levels
observed during the 1990s.

When compared to Chinook salmon and steelhead, coho salmon exhibit a relatively less
complex life history. The vast majority of coho migrate as juveniles through estuaries to
the ocean after spending one winter in freshwater and then spend two summers in the
ocean before returning to spawn as 3-year old adults in the autumn and winter. Coho
salmon normally spawn in relatively small tributaries with moderate to low gradient
stream reaches and, as adults, return to spawning areas close to where they were hatched.
Juvenile coho salmon migrate to the ocean as smolts in the spring, typically from late
April, May, and early June. As smolts, coho may be present in estuaries for a period of
weeks to perhaps a month during their migration to the ocean. As noted elsewhere in this
Conservation Plan and in the 2005 OCCA, production of coho smolts in the Coast coho
ESU is particularly limited by the availability of complex stream habitat that provides
shelter to over-wintering juveniles during periods when flows are high, water
temperatures are low, and food availability is limited. Oregon notes, however, that
considerable uncertainty exists regarding the duration and value of estuarine residence by
juvenile and adult coho; and the potential to improve estuarine habitat to the benefit of
coho and other native species.

Oregon coastal coho tend to make relatively short ocean migrations. Coho from this ESU
are present in the ocean from northern California to southern British Columbia, but the
bulk of the ocean harvest of coho from this ESU would be expected to be off the Oregon
coast. This ESU is strongly influenced by ocean conditions off the Oregon Coast,
especially by the timing and intensity of upwelling (a condition characterized by near-

shore ocean currents providing cool, nutrient-rich water that stimulates production of
food that supports coho and other fish species).

Various estimates have been proposed to represent the size of the coho runs returning to
the Oregon Coast during the 1800s and early 1900s. For the purposes of this discussion,
the Conservation Plan accepts that historical (pre-development) coho runs to the Coast
coho ESU may have been in the range of one to two million fish during periods of
favorable ocean conditions. If true, and if the runs were not fished (harvested) this
represents concentrations of several hundred spawners per mile across the ESU, assuming
that roughly 4,000 miles of spawning habitat was available to these fish. Such densities
of coho spawners are within the range with spawner densities that have been observed for
this species in many undisturbed watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Densities of spawning coho from 1993 - 1999 (a period characterized by very poor
marine survival of coho salmon) often averaged in the range of 10 to 15 spawners per
mile. Densities of spawning coho during 2000 - 2006 (when ocean survival was better)
have averaged in the range of 30 to 60 fish per mile. These recent densities of coho
spawners are far below historical numbers; however the density of naturally produced
coho in most populations has been higher in recent years than in the past five decades.

2005 Oregon Coastal Coho Assessment: Key Findings

� ESU population structure. The TRT identified 56 coho populations as components of
the ESU; 21 are classified as functionally or potentially independent (hereafter
independent) and 35 are classified as dependent populations.
� Viability analysis. The ESU is viable and sustainable.
� Population limiting factors. Stream complexity and water quality are the primary
limiting factors for the vast majority of, but not all, populations. The term stream
complexity refers to any of the various combinations of conditions that result in over-
winter shelter conditions sufficient to support sustainable populations through adverse
marine survival periods. Habitats with higher levels of complexity also tend to
provide benefits to all coho life stages.
� Current regulatory programs. A wide variety of Oregon and federal laws and conservative
management practices related to watershed function, stream and estuary alteration, fish
harvest management, and hatchery practices have been implemented since the 1950s and,
most significantly, from the 1970s through the present. Taken as a whole, these laws and
policies represent a significant improvement over legal protections and management
practices that were historically common across the ESU. Oregon concluded that the
framework of existing regulatory programs is sufficient to maintain or slightly improve the
viability of the ESU (2005 OCCA).
� Threats to ESU viability. The most significant threats to this ESU noted in the 2005 OCCA
would be if 1) a significant decrease occurred in marine survival of coho (compared to what
was observed during 1993 � 1999), and/or 2) a significant reduction occurred in the
availability of high quality, complex stream habitat to support over-wintering juvenile coho.
� Coho distribution and conservation opportunities. A very high proportion (~90%) of
stream reaches with the highest potential to produce coho is on private lands,
including forest, agricultural, and urban lands. Land use practices and management

objectives vary considerably across the distribution of coho from high gradient
headwaters to estuaries.

1. ESU Population Structure

Oregon has adopted the population structure proposed by the NOAA Technical Recovery
Team (Lawson et al. 2004) for the Coastal coho ESU. The NOAA TRT identifies 57
populations comprising five population strata within the ESU. Within these 5 strata, 21
populations (Figure 1) are thought to occur in basins with sufficient historical habitat to
have persisted through several hundred years of normal variations in marine and
freshwater conditions These have been classified as potentially independent and
functionally independent populations. Potentially independent populations were
historically self-sustaining but also likely were demographically influenced by
neighboring functionally independent populations. Functionally independent populations
were historically self-sustaining and likely had relatively little demographic influence
from neighboring populations (Lawson et al. 2004). This Plan will subsequently refer to
all of the 21 previously mentioned populations as independent populations. Independent
populations identified by the NOAA TRT are listed in Table 1; their location within the
ESU is shown in Figure 1.

Table 1. Geographic strata and independent populations that comprise the Oregon Coast
coho ESU.

Geographic Stratum

Populations

Northern

Necanicum

Nehalem

Tillamook

Nestucca

North-Central

Salmon

Siletz

Yaquina

Beaver

Alsea

Siuslaw

Umpqua

Lower Umpqua

Mid Umpqua

North Umpqua

South Umpqua

Lakes

Siltcoos

Tahkenitch

Tenmile

South-Central

Coos

Coquille

Floras

Sixes

Future analysis may support a revised ESU population structure, perhaps changing the
classification of some dependent populations to independent status. The 21 independent

populations are grouped into five strata. The vast majority (~ 95%) of the coho
historically produced in this ESU probably originated from these independent populations
(Lawson et al. 2004). The remaining 36 dependent populations, in concept, are thought
to be largely sustained by periodic reproductive contribution of strays from adjacent
larger populations in order to naturally persist for periods longer than 100 years.
Populations are the basic elements of the ESU and population strata are used to represent
clusters of populations that share ecological or geographic similarities.

Figure 1. Independent populations and geographic strata of the Oregon Coast coho ESU.

2. Current ESU Status

Conceptual Classification of ESU Status

A conceptual partitioning of various levels of species performance into progressive
classifications � from very poor to very good � permits development of specific criteria
for status assessment. A conceptual classification of various levels of ESU status
(performance) used in this Conservation Plan is illustrated in Table 2. Currently, the
Oregon Coast coho ESU is classified as viable. The goal of this Conservation Plan is to
improve the productivity of the fish and their supporting habitat to a level where desired
status classification is achieved.

Table 2. Conceptual steps of biological status for a species from pristine to extinct and
associated definitions.

Classification

Definition

Pristine

All historical populations within the ESU are healthy and
adverse impacts from human activities are insignificant at the
population and ESU scale.

Desired status

(aka: broad-sense
recovery/Oregon Plan
goal)

Populations of naturally produced fish comprising the ESU are
sufficiently abundant, productive, and diverse (in terms of life
histories and geographic distribution) that the ESU as a whole
will: a) be self-sustaining, and b) provide environmental,
cultural, and economic benefits.

Viable

Threatened

The ESU is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable
future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Endangered

The ESU is likely to become extinct within the foreseeable
future throughout all or significant portion of its range.

Extinct

Means an ESU contains so few members that there is no chance
their evolutionary legacy will ever re-establish itself within its
native range.

Conservation Plan Considers the ESU as Viable

Based on Oregon�s assessment of the status of coastal coho relative to viability criteria
presented in the 2005 OCCA, the ESU is viable (Table 3). Specifically, coho populations
generally demonstrate sufficient abundance, productivity, distribution and diversity to be
sustained under the current and foreseeable range of environmental conditions. In fact,
the ESU retains sufficient productivity and is supported by sufficient habitat to be
sustainable through a future period of adverse ocean, drought and flood conditions
similar to or somewhat more adverse than the most recent period of poor survival
conditions (late 1980s and 1990s).

Table 3. Conclusions from the 2005 OCCA viability analysis for Oregon Coast coho at
the population, strata and ESU level.

ESU criteria
conclusion

Geographic
stratum

Stratum criteria
conclusion

Population

Population criteria
conclusion

Pass

Northern

Pass

Necanicum

Pass

Nehalem

Fail

Tillamook

Fail

Nestucca

Pass

North-Central

Pass

Salmon

Fail

Siletz

Fail

Yaquina

Pass

Beaver

Pass

Alsea

Fail

Siuslaw

Pass

Umpqua

Pass

Lower Umpqua

Pass

Mid Umpqua

Pass

North Umpqua

Fail

South Umpqua

Pass

Lakes

Pass

Siltcoos

Pass

Tahkenitch

Pass

Tenmile

Pass

South-Central

Pass

Coos

Pass

Coquille

Pass

Floras

Pass

Sixes

Fail

NOAA Concludes that the ESU does not Warrant Listing

NOAA was recently required to consider ESA listing status of 27 ESUs across the Pacific
Northwest. NOAA�s conclusion regarding the Oregon Coast coho ESU (NOAA
Fisheries 2006) contained the following statement. After considering the best available
scientific and commercial information available, we have concluded that the ESU is not
in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, nor is it likely
to become so within the foreseeable future.

Uncertainty Regarding ESU Viability

Although Oregon concluded that the ESU is viable and sustainable; and NOAA
concluded that the Coast coho ESU does not warrant listing under federal ESA, the
NOAA TRT provided the following cautionary perspective regarding the status of the
ESU (letter to Robert Lohn, August 19, 2005). �We have preliminary indications for the
recovery status of the Oregon Coast coho Salmon ESU. At this time our evaluation
indicates, with a moderate degree of uncertainty, that the ESU is persistent (persistence
is relevant to Endangered status). Our evaluation of biological sustainability (relevant to
Threatened status) based on current and recent past conditions shows a high degree of
uncertainty with respect to the statement that the ESU is sustainable. Again these are
preliminary results and are subject to change upon further testing and review�.

3 Self-sustaining (ORS 496.430) means having a sufficient proportion and distribution of constituent
populations that: (a) are likely to survive prolonged periods of habitat, oceanic, climatic and environmental
conditions that are detrimental to a population; and (b) have habitat of sufficient quality and quantity that is
likely to provide survival rates adequate to maintain associated ecological, cultural and economic benefits.

Oregon recognizes the TRT�s uncertainty regarding their preliminary assessment that the
ESU is sustainable and also recognizes that litigation has been filed contesting NOAA�s
decision to not list the ESU under the federal ESA.

Relevance of Viability and Listing Status Uncertainty

Debate or uncertainty regarding the listing status of the ESU is not a lynch-pin of the
Conservation Plan. Why? Simply stated, this Conservation Plan is designed to improve
the status of the ESU and virtually all of its constituent populations and to improve the
productive capacity of the coho and their habitat to levels significantly higher than a level
where the ESU could be considered a potential candidate for listing under the federal
ESA.

This Conservation Plan maintains effective management protections and initiates
additional actions that are intended to produce a significant improvement in the
productive capacity of the ESU � regardless of how the ESU�s current viability and
listing status under federal ESA is defined.

The most important aspect of the Conservation Plan is its commitment to ensure that the
trajectory for the coho salmon ESU and the habitat that supports the fish is improving �
that the productive capacity of the habitat and the fish will be substantially greater in the
future than they are today.

3. ESU Desired Status: Vision, Goals, Measurable Criteria,
and Gaps

Oregon�s Vision for ESU Desired Status

General Description of Desired Status for the Coast Coho ESU: Populations of naturally
produced coho salmon are sufficiently abundant, productive, and diverse (in terms of life
histories and geographic distribution) that the ESU as a whole 1) will be self-sustaining3
into the foreseeable future, and 2) will provide significant ecological, cultural, and
economic benefits.

Oregon�s desired status goal for this ESU is ambitious. What will Oregon look like
across this ESU if the desired status goal is achieved? Here are some characteristics of
the ESU, the watersheds, the fish, and the communities that should be observable when
this desired status goal is achieved.

� There will be, on average, abundant numbers of coho salmon in our coastal streams
including adults in the fall and winter and juveniles throughout the year.
� During return years affected by extremely poor marine survival conditions (similar to
the 1990s), roughly twice as many coho will return to the ESU, compared to the

numbers that were observed spawning in the 1990s; during return years affected by
favorable marine survival there will be well over a half a million spawners returning
to the ESU.
� Tributary, mainstem, estuarine, and wetland reaches of coastal rivers will provide
sufficient high-quality habitats and water quality to support increased numbers of
ocean-bound coho smolts.
� Some hatcheries in coastal basins (with program guidance provided in this
Conservation Plan, NFCP, and Fish Hatchery Management Policies), will be
producing hatchery coho to support consumptive fisheries that achieve societal and
cultural needs not met by the natural production goals of this plan.
� Ample opportunity will exist for people to fish-for and keep naturally produced coho
in the ocean and in many streams, again, consistent with population-based
conservation goals.
� There will be on average, 2 to 4 times more coho carcasses in the spawning streams
as there have been in the last 5 decades and these carcasses will provide ecological
benefits to native fish and wildlife and the ecosystem.
� There will be a wide variety of traditional land use activities throughout the ESU,
including forestry, agriculture, recreation, and industrial and housing development.
� Coho salmon will be a far more significant feature of the cultures of Native
Americans across the ESU than has recently been possible.
� Coho salmon will be a far more significant factor in the cultures and employment in
coastal communities across the ESU than has recently been possible. These
biological, social, and economic benefits will be widely shared across the ESU.
Societal values of coho salmon will include intrinsic values (based simply on the
knowledge of the resource's existence) and bequest values (which confer value to the
resource for the benefit of future generations).

Desired Status Goal

The description of the goal and the gap between current and desired status presented in
this Chapter emphasizes abundance. Other physical and biological aspects of desired
status (see list under Measurable Criteria for Independent Populations section) are
described in Appendix 2.

Oregon�s desired status for the Coast Coho ESU is a science-based, socially established
goal. As previously noted, this goal represents a condition of the ESU that is
significantly higher than a level where it could be considered a potential candidate for
listing under federal ESA. The desired status goal targets a return of spawners to the
ESU (at 1.1% survival from smolt-to-adult in the marine environment) that is roughly
twice the number of coho spawners observed during 1993-1999 (i.e., about 100 thousand
versus about 50 thousand). The desired status goal for this ESU is consistent with the
mission of the Oregon Plan, namely, to create conditions in which coho across the ESU
are sufficiently abundant, productive, and diverse that the ESU is self sustaining and
provides substantial environmental, cultural, and economic benefits. Desired status
represents a level of population performance that exceeds the level at which an ESU is
considered viable and is a goal that is based on a combination of legislative mandates,
social values, and non-regulatory contributions.

Measurable Criteria for Desired Status

The Native Fish Conservation Policy requires each conservation plan to include
measurable criteria of species performance. Achievement of the desired status goal for
the Coast coho ESU will be based on measurable criteria defined in Appendix 2. The
desired status goal will be met under the following conditions: 1) all independent
populations pass the six measurable criteria for independent populations and 2) the
aggregate of dependent populations within a biogeographic stratum pass the two
measurable criteria for dependent populations.

Measurable Criteria for Independent Populations.

Measurable criteria (Appendix 2) to evaluate achievement of the desired status for the
Coast Coho ESU are presented for the following attributes of species performance:

1. Abundance � the number of naturally-produced spawners.
2. Persistence � the forecast likelihood that the population will persist in the
future.
3. Productivity � the number of recruits (progeny) produced per spawner
(parent).
4. Distribution � the distribution of spawners among habitats within a
population�s home range.
5. Diversity � indices of genetic variability related to a population�s ability to
adequately respond to unpredictable natural variations in the environment and
retain those adaptive genetic characteristics that promote optimum survival in
basin specific habitats.
6. Habitat � The amount of available high quality habitat across all freshwater
and estuarine life stages.

Gap (Difference between Current and Desired Status)

Achieving the desired status goal for the overall ESU will result in having roughly one
hundred thousand coho (on average) return to spawning streams in the ESU during an
extended period of extremely poor ocean survival (<1.1%) like was observed during
1993-99 when the average return to these streams was about fifty thousand coho. During
periods of high ocean survival (>15%), returns of spawning coho to the ESU would be
expected to range around eight hundred thousand fish (see Appendix 2, Desired Status
Measurable Criteria). The overall ESU gap does not necessarily relate directly to the
gaps for individual independent populations. Some populations are currently well below
half of their desired status goal for extremely poor ocean survival, whereas other
populations have a much smaller relative gap (Appendix 2).

Achieving the desired status for the ESU will require a combination of improving
productive capacity of the fish and the habitat that supports them in amounts that will
lead to twice the number of spawning adults that were seen in the 1990�s for the overall
ESU. This Conservation Plan assumes that most of the improvement will require
enhancing the productive capacity of the habitat, although significant improvement in the

productive capacity of the populations across the ESU will also accrue from recent
changes to harvest and hatchery management programs.

4. Limiting Factors

Numerous factors contribute to the gap between current and desired status of populations
comprising the Oregon Coast Coho ESU. Primary factors that currently constrain the
ESU, or limiting factors, were identified in the 2005 OCCA (State of Oregon 2005). In
general, ocean condition is the primary factor influencing coho abundance, and stream
habitat complexity is the primary factor limiting achievement of desired status.

Ocean Conditions as a Limiting Factor

Although marine survival of coho associated with ocean conditions is the largest single
factor regulating coho productivity and abundance, it is not considered a primary factor
limiting the ESU�s ability to reach desired status. This is because desired status criteria
are scaled appropriately for variable marine survival and because management has little
influence on marine survival.

Ocean conditions, or the availability of food sources for coho in the marine environment,
determine the rate at which coho smolts will survive to become adults. These conditions
are influenced by cyclic and periodic fluctuations in ocean currents and cannot currently
be predicted or managed. For this reason, this Conservation Plan recognizes the
importance of ocean conditions on coho survival and abundance, but focuses on those
limiting factors that can be influenced by management actions. Understanding and
predicting ocean conditions have been identified as a research need in this Conservation
Plan.

Although Oregon cannot currently influence ocean conditions, the state will be able to
determine whether improvements or declines in ESU status are attributable to the ocean
or to the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of actions taken under this plan. The desired
status criteria were developed to provide for measurable goals at varying ocean survival
rates. This will allow status assessments to be put in the context of recent ocean
conditions.

Stream Complexity Defined

Stream complexity is a term that refers to the ability of a stream to provide a variety of
habitats. The type of habitat most limiting in the Coast coho ESU is high quality over-
winter rearing habitat. In the context of factors most limiting coho in this ESU, stream
complexity and high quality over-winter rearing habitat refer to the same thing: habitat of
sufficient quality to produce over-winter survival at rates high enough to allow coho
spawners to replace themselves at full-seeding during periods of poor ocean conditions
(3% smolt to adult survival). Both terms refer to a variety of habitat conditions that
create shelter for juvenile coho salmon during the over-winter rearing period. During this
critical period, high stream flows can flush juvenile coho out of streams into saltwater
where they perish. Based on several years of studying coho streams and determining
how many smolts are produced out of each type of habitat (Nicholson et al. 1992a,

1992b), habitat capable of producing 2,800 coho smolts per mile is classified as high
quality over-winter habitat.

High quality over-wintering habitat for juvenile coho is usually recognizable by one or
more of the following features: large wood, a lot of wood, pools, connected off-channel
alcoves, beaver ponds, lakes, connected floodplains and wetlands, and other conditions:
therefore, more than one set of habitat conditions is capable of providing high over-
winter survival. High quality over-wintering habitat is almost always present only in
areas where the stream is fairly low gradient and there are broad valley areas alongside
the stream.

Because high quality over-winter rearing habitat can take many forms, the term stream
complexity is used to define this limiting factor.

Limiting Factors for Coast Coho Populations

Several limiting factors are identified for individual independent coho populations in this
ESU (Table 4), including stream complexity (high quality habitat), water quality, water
quantity, hatchery impacts, spawning gravel and exotic species. Stream complexity is the
predominant limiting factor for populations in the Oregon Coast coho ESU.

It should be noted that factors that are listed as secondary, such as water quality, are
important to address or maintain, and may become the most limiting as efforts are made
to achieve the desired status goal. It is expected that many of the actions taken through
this Conservation Plan to address the primary limiting factor stream complexity will
support maintenance or improvement of water quality suitable to native aquatic species,
including coho salmon.

Table 4. Primary and secondary limiting factors for independent populations in the
Oregon Coast coho ESU. (Source: 2005 OCCA)

Population

Primary

Limiting Factor

Secondary

Limiting factor

Necanicum

Stream Complexity

Nehalem

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Tillamook

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Nestucca

Stream Complexity

Salmon

Hatchery Impacts

Stream Complexity

Siletz

Stream Complexity

Yaquina

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Beaver

Spawning Gravel

Stream Complexity

Alsea

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Siuslaw

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Lower Umpqua

Stream Complexity

Water Quality

Middle Umpqua

Water Quantity