A U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee reintroduces salmon into a Central Valley river.
Aerial view of restored floodplain habitat and agricultural property near Sacramento, California.
Puget Sound Chinook Salmon
The Puget Sound Chinook salmon is a threatened species. NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, along with the Science Centers, work to protect and conserve this species under the Endangered Species Act.
Species Status
ESA Listing Status: Threatened on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14308) and June 28, 2005 (70 FR 37159); updated April 14, 2014 (79 FR 20802)
ESU Description: This evolutionarily significant unit, or ESU, includes naturally spawned Chinook salmon originating from rivers flowing into Puget Sound from the Elwha River (inclusive) eastward, including rivers in Hood Canal, South Sound, North Sound and the Strait of Georgia. This ESU also includes Chinook salmon from the following artificial propagation programs:
- Kendall Creek Hatchery Program
- Marblemount Hatchery Program (spring-run)
- Marblemount Hatchery Program (summer-run)
- Brenner Creek Hatchery Program (fall-run)
- Harvey Creek Hatchery Program (summer-run)
- Whitehorse Springs Hatchery Program (summer-run)
- Wallace River Hatchery Program (yearlings and subyearlings)
- Issaquah Creek Hatchery Program
- White River Hatchery Program
- White River Acclimation Pond Program
- Voights Creek Hatchery Program
- Clarks Creek Hatchery Program
- Clear Creek Hatchery Program
- Kalama Creek Hatchery Program
- George Adams Hatchery Program
- Hamma Hamma Hatchery Program
- Dungeness/Hurd Creek Hatchery Program
- Elwha Channel Hatchery Program
- Skookum Creek Hatchery Spring-run Program
- Bernie Kai-Kai Gobin (Tulalip) Hatchery-Cascade Program
- North Fork Skokomish River Spring-run Program
- Soos Creek Hatchery Program (subyearlings and year-lings)
- Fish Restoration Facility Program
- Bernie Kai-Kai Gobin (Tulalip) Hatchery-Skykomish Program
- Hupp Springs Hatchery-Adult Returns to Minter Creek Program
Current Population Trends: ESA Status Reviews and Five-Year Updates for Puget Sound Chinook Salmon
Critical Habitat: Designated September 2, 2005
Protective Regulations: Issued June 28, 2005 (70 FR 37159)
Recovery Plan: Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan (2007)
Species Recovery
NOAA Fisheries delineated eight recovery domains, or geographic recovery planning areas, for the ESA-listed salmon and steelhead populations on the West Coast. The Puget Sound Recovery Domain is located in the northwestern corner of Washington State. It includes several large river systems flowing from the western slopes of the Cascade mountains, multiple estuaries, the San Juan Islands, Hood Canal, and a northern portion of the Olympic Peninsula (see map of recovery domains).This domain has three ESA-listed species of salmon and steelhead:
- Puget Sound Chinook
- Hood Canal Summer-run Chum
- Puget Sound steelhead
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region manages recovery planning and implementation for this domain through its Oregon and Washington Coastal Area Office.
Recovery Plan
Following the listing of Puget Sound Chinook salmon, the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound and other local partners started working to restore the population to healthy levels. Their collaborative efforts resulted in a recovery plan that is based on the biological needs of fish, including addressing the threats they face, and accounts for the economic and cultural prosperity of the region.
In June 2005, the Shared Strategy presented its recovery plan for Puget Sound Chinook salmon to NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries adopted and expanded the recovery plan to meet its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. The agency's supplement was adopted in January 2007. Together the Shared Strategy's plan and NOAA Fisheries' supplement comprise the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan.
In 2008, the Shared Strategy transferred responsibility for salmon recovery plan implementation to a new state agency, the Puget Sound Partnership. NOAA Fisheries is working closely with the Partnership, as well as federal, state, tribal, and local partners to implement the recovery plan. Under the guidance of a scientific body called the Recovery Implementation Technical Team, recovery partners are working to restore the 14 watersheds within which Puget Sound Chinook salmon migrate and address the human and environmental threats they face.
Partnerships for Recovery
Salmon recovery requires action at all levels of government and by all stakeholders to be effective. Partnerships among federal, state, local, and tribal entities, together with non-governmental and private organizations, are key to restoring healthy salmon runs and ensuring the cultural, economic, and environmental benefits they provide. Implementing recovery actions is especially critical at the local level. NOAA Fisheries supports this by providing scientific and policy support, providing funding as available, and working with our partners to improve regulatory mechanisms for salmon recovery.
Key partners working to restore salmon and steelhead in Puget Sound are identified below.
Federal and State Partners
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Federal Highway Administration
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U.S. Geological Survey
- U.S. Navy
- Washington Governor's Office
- Puget Sound Partnership
- Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office
- Washington State Conservation Commission
- Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Washington State Department of Agriculture
- Washington State Department of Ecology
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Tribal Partners
- Samish Indian Nation
- Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
- Hoh Indian Tribe
- Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
- Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
- Lummi Nation
- Makah Nation
- Muckleshoot Tribe
- Nisqually Indian Tribe
- Nooksack Tribe
- Port Gamble S’Klallam
- Puyallup Tribe of Indians
- Quileute Indian Tribe
- Quinault Indian Nation
- Sauk-Suiattle Tribe
- Skokomish Tribe
- Squaxin Island Tribe
- Stillaguamish Tribe
- Suquamish Tribe
- Swinomish Tribe
- Tulalip Tribes
- Upper Skagit Tribe
- Other Washington Tribes
Local & Private Partners
- Building Industry Association of Washington
- Futurewise
- Hood Canal Coordinating Council
- Long Live The Kings
- Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council
- Washington Environmental Council
- Western Washington Agriculture Association
More Information
- Chinook Salmon Status Reviews and Five-Year Update
- Chinook Salmon Federal Register Notices
- Salmon and Steelhead Federal Register Rules and Notices prior to August 2019
- Chinook Salmon Maps & GIS Data
- Salmon Publications
- Salmon and Steelhead Hatcheries on the West Coast
- Learn about what you can do to help endangered and threatened salmon recover
- Related Stories
Contact
If you have questions, would like to learn more about recovery efforts in your watershed, or would like to get involved directly, please contact:
West Coast Region - Oregon and Washington Coastal Area Office
Elizabeth Babcock
Email: Elizabeth.Babcock@noaa.gov
Phone: 206.526.4505
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee reintroduces salmon into a Central Valley river.
Aerial view of restored floodplain habitat and agricultural property near Sacramento, California.
