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.
Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon
The Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho 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 May 6, 1997 (62 FR 24588) 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 coho salmon originating from coastal streams and rivers between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Punta Gorda, California. Also included are coho salmon from the following artificial propagation programs:
- Cole Rivers Hatchery Program
- Trinity River Hatchery Program
- Iron Gate Hatchery Program.
Current Population Trends: ESA Status Reviews and 5-Year Updates Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon
Critical Habitat: Designated May 5, 1999 (64 FR 24049)
Protective Regulations:Issued June 28, 2005 (70 FR 37159)
Recovery Plan: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Salmon Recovery Plan (2014)
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 Southern Oregon and Northern California Coast Recovery Domain is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the West Coast, supporting numerous plant life and terrestrial and aquatic animals. The domain includes California's Klamath and Eel rivers and Oregon's Rogue River (see map of recovery domains).
There is one ESA-listed salmon in this domain: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon. However, this domain overlaps with the North-Central California Coast Recovery Domain and the area within that domain that is home to Northern California steelhead, and California Coastal Chinook.
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region manages recovery planning and implementation for this domain through its California Coastal Area Office.
Recovery Plan
NOAA Fisheries released the final Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon Recovery Plan on September 30, 2014. The goal of the plan is to restore SONCC coho salmon to healthy, self-sustaining numbers so that the protections of the Endangered Species Act are no longer necessary. Conservation partners have advanced many habitat restoration, barrier removal, and threat reduction actions since the species was listed in 1997, and the plan was developed with extensive input from these partners. The recovery plan provides a means to organize and coordinate recovery of this species based on the best available scientific information.
Implementing recovery plans is an adaptive process. Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation helps to prioritize and select the right projects in the right places. This ensures investments are focused on the greatest needs of the species. In addition, these investments provide substantial benefits to local communities. Habitat restoration, for example, creates jobs at a level comparable to traditional infrastructure investments, such as road and water projects. Restored habitat also improves water supplies, reduces property damage from flooding, and limits risks associated with high severity fire, among other recreational and cultural benefits.
Partnerships for Recovery
Federal and State Partners
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- National Resources Conservation Service
- North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Redwood National State Park
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Forest Service
Tribal Partners
- Hoopa Valley Tribe
- Karuk Tribe
- Quartz Valley Indian Reservation
- Round Valley Tribes
- Smith River Rancheria
- Wiyot Tribe
- Yurok Tribe
Local and Private Partners
- Applegate Partnership and Watershed Council
- Bear Creek Watershed Council
- California Trout
- Curry County Soil and Water Conservation District
- Del Norte Resource Conservation District Eel River Forum
- Eel River Recovery Project
- Eel River Watershed Improvement Group
- French Creek Watershed Advisory Group
- Friends of the Eel River
- Fruit Growers Supply Company
- Green Diamond Resource Company
- Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District
- Humboldt Bay Initiative
- Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
- Humboldt County Resource Conservation District
- Humboldt Redwood Company
- Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District
- Illinois Valley Watershed Council
- Kalmiopsis Audubon Society
- Lindsay Creek Watershed Group
- Little Butte Creek Watershed Council
- Lower Rogue Watershed Council
- Mad River Alliance
- Mad River Stakeholders Group
- Mattole Restoration Council
- Mattole Salmon Group
- Mendocino Redwood Company
- Mendocino Resource Conservation District
- Mid-Klamath Watershed Council
- Montague Water Conservation District Pacific Coast Fish Wildlife and Wetlands Restoration Association
- Pacificorps
- Redwood Community Action Agency
- Salmon River Restoration Council
- Salmonid Restoration Federation
- Sanctuary Forest
- Save-the-Redwoods League
- Scott River Fire Safe Councils
- Scott River Water Trust
- Scott River Watershed Council
- Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District
- Siskiyou Field Institute / Deer Creek Center
- Siskiyou Land Conservancy
- Siskiyou Resource Conservation District
- Smith River Advisory Council
- Smith River Alliance
- South Coast Watersheds Council
- Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
- Stream Restoration Alliance of the Middle Rogue
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Salmon River Restoration Council
- Trinity County Resource Conservation District
- Trinity River Restoration Program
- Trout Unlimited
- Upper Rogue Watershed Association
More Information
- Coho Salmon Status Reviews and Five-Year Updates
- Coho Salmon Federal Register Notices
- Salmon and Steelhead Federal Register Rules and Notices prior to August 2019
- Coho 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 - California Coastal Office
Julie Weeder
Email: Julie.Weeder@noaa.gov
Phone: 707.825.5168
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.
