Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative: Supplemental Report No. 7 Five-Year Review of the Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative

BACKGROUND

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Point No Point Treaty Tribes distributed the Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative (SCSCI) in April 2000 (WDFW and PNPTT 2000). The initiative described a comprehensive plan for the implementation of summer chum salmon recovery in Hood Canal and eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. The harvest and artificial production components of the SCSCI were subsequently approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under Limits 6 and 5, respectively, of the Endangered Species Act 4(d) rule (NMFS 2001, 2002a). The SCSCI’s harvest and artificial production management provisions were also incorporated into the Summer Chum Recovery Plan prepared by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC 2005). This Recovery Plan, which also addressed habitat protection and restoration, was formally adopted by NMFS under rule 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act in March 2007 (NMFS 2007a, 2007b).

The SCSCI specifies preparation of annual reports that describe the results of plan implementation and assess compliance with and effectiveness of the plan provisions (section 3.6.2 of SCSCI). Two biennial supplemental reports have been distributed that provide updated information, data and analyses for the first four years (1999 through 2002) that were not included in the SCSCI (WDFW and PNPTT 2001, 2003). Additionally, memorandum progress reports have been prepared for the years 2003 through 2006 (WDFW and PNPTC 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). With these progress reports the scheduling has changed from biennial to annual; the reports are relatively brief and focus on providing up to date information on management activities pertaining to stock assessment and harvest, which is needed for preseason harvest management planning.

The present report is characterized as a five-year review, following the provisions under section 3.6.3 of the SCSCI, though the specific range of years covered (through 2004) exceeds five; that is, it includes the six years since the last year (1998) incorporated in the SCSCI. This report provides detailed information for the years 2003 and 2004, consistent with the level of detail provided in the aforementioned biennial reports. It also provides a review of progress through 2004, addressing specific topics for the five year review listed in section 3.6.3 of the SCSCI (p. 331). These topics are addressed in various sections of this report and also are each specifically considered in the below Concluding Remarks & Summary section.

This report is organized to cover, in order, stock assessment, harvest management, artificial production, ecological interactions and habitat; subjects that correspond to the major management areas required to address comprehensive recovery of the summer chum as described in the SCSCI. Additionally, a discussion of progress in meeting SCSCI performance standards and an update on recovery goals are included. Finally, there are concluding remarks and a summary.

UPDATED INFORMATION

This report updates information and data for recent years through 2004. It also provides corrections where applicable, based on new information and found errors. For this reason, the historical information provided in this report takes precedence over that previously reported.