The Status of Salmon and Steelhead in Oregon

Abstract

Oregon’s conservation laws and regulations provide direction to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for the conservation management of all wild fishes in Oregon. Conservation management includes systematic monitoring and status assessment of species, metapopulations, and local breeding populations, which is followed by management planning and implementation to ensure the conservation of wild fish into the future. Status reviews of the five species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) indicate highly variable trends. The status of chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) populations varies geographically, ranging from good along the mid-to north coast to depressed on the south coast, Columbia River, and Snake River. Coho salmon (O. kisutch) populations are depressed to nearly extinct in the Columbia River Basin while coastal populations are small and many are declining. Most coastal and inland steelhead trout (O. mykiss) populations are stable or slightly declining apparently in cyclic trends. Both chum (O. keta) and sockeye (O. nerka) salmon populations are depressed to nearly extinct throughout their range in Oregon. The anthropogenic causes for population declines include loss and degradation of freshwater habitats, historical overharvest, and impacts from interbreeding and competition due to hatchery programs. Natural cyclic trends in ocean productivity and droughts also affect populations.