The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to write a recovery plan for all listed species. In Washington State, NOAA Fisheries and the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office (GSRO) committed to working with local partners to develop ESA mandated recovery plans for salmon and steelhead.
Between 2005 and 2008, the Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board (YBFWRB) worked with numerous local partners, GSRO and NOAA Fisheries to write the 2009 Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan. This locally written plan was formally incorporated into NOAA’s Middle Columbia River Steelhead Recovery Plan (2009).
The 2009 Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan identifies the causes for the decline of steelhead in the Yakima Basin, sets specific goals for recovery, and identifies the actions that will be needed to achieve those goals. The plan provides an essential road map that will guide recovery efforts for Mid-Columbia steelhead for many years to come.
This was the first time that NOAA compiled multiple locally-generated recovery plans into a larger NOAA Recovery Plan. We are proud to have been a part of developing this plan, and thank NOAA for its commitment to developing it in a cooperative manner.
In 2011, NOAA Fisheries completed a status review that evaluated whether we are making progress towards the goals identified in the Middle Columbia Steelhead Recovery Plan. More information on this process can be found in the NOAA 5-year Status Review.