Overview
The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) funds the protection, species conservation, and restoration of salmon and steelhead species for the benefit of local communities, including tribal communities. Each PCSRF project advances the common goal of full recovery and sustainability of Pacific salmon and steelhead populations. The continued commitment and collaboration from our partners are vital to reversing the decline of salmon and steelhead species.
As of 2023, PCSRF has appropriated $1.8 billion to state and tribal salmon recovery programs and projects. With this funding, states and tribes have leveraged additional resources to collectively implement nearly 16,000 salmon recovery projects to conserve West Coast salmon. This has resulted in significant changes in salmon habitat conditions and availability. As of October 2023, nearly 1.2 million acres of spawning and rearing habitat have been restored, created, or protected for salmon. Additionally, access to more than 12,000 miles of previously inaccessible streams has been re-established.
Status of Pacific Salmon Populations
Today, 28 Endangered Species Act (ESA)- listed salmon species are at risk, or likely to become at risk, of extinction on the West Coast. Many other populations not listed under the ESA have experienced substantial reductions from their historic abundance levels and face a multitude of threats including climate change. Pacific salmon are foundational to the region’s ecology and Chinook salmon, in particular, are important prey for endangered Southern Resident killer whales and may also be critical for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales.
In 2000, Congress established PCSRF to reverse the decline of Pacific salmon populations. PCSRF is a competitive grant program through which NOAA Fisheries administers funding to states and tribes to protect, conserve, and recover these populations.
Building Climate Resilience
Increasing pressure from climate change and other longstanding stressors continue to challenge the recovery of Pacific salmon. By relying on robust science and adaptive management to inform decisions, we can address uncertainties and monitor the status of species. To advance recovery, NOAA Fisheries incorporated considerations for future climate conditions into design guidance for engineered fish passage facilities and stream crossings. This new guidance provides restoration practitioners with the latest information and best practices, to better incorporate climate resilience into PCSRF-funded fish passage projects.
PCSRF also supports and encourages salmon habitat restoration projects that result in adaptive ecosystems in a changing climate. Salmon habitat restoration activities can reestablish certain ecosystem services that mitigate the impacts of climate-driven disasters. For example, restored riparian and wetland ecosystems can serve as important wildfire breaks that also provide refuge for plants, fish, and wildlife. Restoring, creating, and protecting refugia has growing importance as wildfire severity increases in the West. By restoring the habitats necessary for the viability of Pacific salmon, PCSRF-funded projects contribute to more broadly adaptive and climate-resilient ecosystems.
The Value of PCSRF
Salmon habitat restoration and monitoring projects continue to be key contributors in adding public value to local and regional economies. They provide jobs and revenue, as well as commercial, recreation, and tourism opportunities. Several studies indicate that a $1.0 million investment in watershed restoration, in which PCSRF and state matching funds play a significant role, creates between 13 and 32 jobs and between $2.2 and $3.4 million in economic activity. Furthermore, habitat restoration projects exemplify ecosystem services and mitigate forces against natural disasters and climate change. For example, floodplain restoration reduces flood risk and can lower flood insurance rates. Planting native trees and vegetation naturally sequesters carbon and stores it in plants and soils, increasing nature’s carbon storage. The greatest socio-economic implication of salmon recovery is in securing healthy ecosystems that ultimately provide vast public and private benefits for current and future generations.
Many of these species are of profound cultural importance to Alaska Natives and Native American tribes of the Pacific Coast and Columbia Basin. Pacific salmon recovery is critical to meeting federal obligations as stewards of tribal treaty and trust resources and to supporting tribal treaty fishing and Native subsistence fishing traditions.
PCSRF will receive $172 million ($34.4 million per year) from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over a five-year period (2022-2026) and $15 million from the Inflation and Reduction Act ($7.5 million per year) over a two-year period (2023-2024). This additional funding will accelerate the work grant recipients and project partners are implementing across the region.
Program Reports to Congress
Recent reports to Congress document the program’s accomplishments and contributions.
- FY23 Report to Congress
- FY22 Report to Congress
- FY21 Report to Congress
- FY20 Report to Congress
- FY19 Report to Congress
For additional information or specific questions, please contact Jennie Franks (jennie.franks@noaa.gov) or (503) 231-2344.
