Planning Ranges and Preliminary Guidelines for the Delisting and Recovery of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit

The Puget Sound Technical Recovery Team (TRT) (http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/cbd/trt/) is working with the Shared Salmon Strategy (http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org/) to develop a recovery plan for listed salmonids in Puget Sound. The members of the Shared Strategy have agreed to a process by which a recovery plan will be developed in 5 steps. Step 1—to develop an outline for the recovery plan that addresses the needs of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and broader regional goals—is complete. The contents of this TRT document represent the technical underpinnings of Step 2—i.e., the information that follows articulates draft targets for recovery for populations of chinook salmon in Puget Sound. These fish-based targets—termed planning targets—are designed to be used in Step 3 of the Shared Strategy process. In Step 3, watershed groups around Puget Sound conduct necessary analyses to determine what magnitude of effort (in habitat actions) is needed to achieve their population-specific targets for recovery. Additional effects of hatchery and harvest management on achieving planning targets in watersheds must also be accounted for in Step 3. Steps 4 and 5 of the Shared Strategy process include agreeing on recovery actions across the Puget Sound region and documenting how they will be sufficient for ESA and broader recovery goals. 2002 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NWFSC (Northwest Fisheries Science Center) Submitted Public Domain 1861