21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Initiative

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife developed the 21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Initiative to meet its responsibilities in recovering salmon and steelhead and provide sustainable fisheries. This resulted in an integrated management framework designed to:

• Restore federally listed populations through six salmon recovery plans.
• Create and maintain selective and sustainable fisheries.
• Protect and restore habitat.
• Retool hatchery operations to support wild fish recovery.
• Further state-tribal co-management.
• Develop new strategic partnerships.

All-H approach
Through the initiative, WDFW is following a comprehensive �"all-H” model in which management decisions on hatchery, harvest, habitat and hydro activities are coordinated to restore salmon and steelhead populations and meet sustainable fishery goals.

Integrated management
The framework helps WDFW to better identify and evaluate long-term, science-based management strategies.  It sets out goals, assesses where WDFW is in relation to those goals, and identifies benchmarks to measure progress.  The framework is intended to guide future funding decisions and department budget priorities, and provide direction on regional recovery plans, hatchery reform and harvest management.