We need the following questions to ensure votes from all groups 

have been fairly represented in this survey. 

OMB Control No. 2090-0028 

Approval expires 6/30/2015

Question 20: What year were you born? 19__ __

Question 21: Are you male or female? O Male O Female

Question 22: How many years have you lived in Oregon? ______________

Question 23: Do you regularly purchase a license to fish in Oregon? 

O Yes O No

Question 24: Does anyone else in your household regularly purchase a license to 

fish in Oregon? O Yes O No

Question 25: Including yourself, how many people currently live at your 

residence? ______________

Question 26: How many of those people are 18 or older? ________________

Question 27: Does anyone in your household belong to an environmental 

organization (such as Sierra Club, or National Audubon Society)? 

O Yes O No

Question 28: From the following options, do you consider yourself to be:

O American Indian O Latino/Hispanic 

O Asian O White

O African American O Other __________________________

Question 29: From the following income categories, please indicate the one that 

includes your estimated household income for 2012.

O Less than $20,000 O $80,000 to $99,000 

O $20,000 to $39,999 O $100,000 to $149,999

O $40,000 to $59,999 O Above $150,000

O $60,000 to $79,999 

Oregon Salmon and Steelhead Recovery

What do YOU think 

should be done?
Definitely Neutral Definitely 

WOULD NOT WOULD 

support support

 1 2 3 4 5 

2

WHAT THIS SURVEY IS ABOUT

This survey asks for your opinion on Willamette River watershed salmon & steelhead 

fisheries management. Your household was chosen at random from a list of Oregon 

addresses to receive this survey. Your responses will help authorities choose the best 

option. Some of the background information is based on Oregon Department of Fish and 

Wildlife and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sources, but this survey 

was written by the EPA and is sponsored by the EPA.

Question 19: Rate the importance of different recreational activities for 

your household along or on rivers and streams

Activity Not Somewhat Very

Important Important Important

Walking 1 2 3 4 5 

Biking 1 2 3 4 5 

Camping 1 2 3 4 5 

Swimming 1 2 3 4 5 

Wildlife viewing 1 2 3 4 5 

Motorized boating 1 2 3 4 5 

Unmotorized boating 1 2 3 4 5 

Catch & Release Fishing 1 2 3 4 5 

Catch & Keep Fishing 1 2 3 4 5 

Picnicking 1 2 3 4 5 

Other_________________

______________________

 

 1 2 3 4 5 

23

Fish species

 There are several species of salmon and steelhead trout in Oregon. These 

fish live most of their life in the ocean, but return to Oregon rivers and 

streams to spawn. There are two kinds of fish: wild fish, reproducing on 

their own; and hatchery fish, bred in fish hatcheries and released to 

provide fishing opportunities. 

Location

 This survey is about the salmon and steelhead in the Willamette River 

watershed only, shown in the map on the next page. The Willamette River 

is the main river passing through the most populated parts of Oregon, 

such as Portland, Salem, and Eugene. Fish have to swim through 

Portland to get to any part of the upper Willamette watershed. Major 

tributary rivers included in the Willamette watershed are the Clackamas, 

Molalla, North Santiam, South Santiam, Calapooia, McKenzie, and Middle 

Fork Willamette Rivers.

Population numbers

 The total number of wild and hatchery salmon and steelhead returning to 

the Willamette River watershed to spawn is about 80,000 per year. For 

comparison, this is about 5% of the 1.6 million salmon and steelhead 

returning to the rest of the Columbia River watershed as counted at the 

Bonneville Dam fish ladder.
 

 

 

 

 

In the Willamette River watershed, about 75% of the returning salmon and steelhead 

are hatchery fish, the remaining 25% are wild fish. 

Scientists believe that over 1 million wild salmon and steelhead historically returned to 

the Willamette watershed. Current wild salmon and steelhead returns to the 

Willamette are about 20,000 fish. This is less than 5% of estimated historical wild 

returns. The combined effects of fish harvest, hatchery fish interactions, dams and 

flood control, and habitat alterations have led to these declines. 

Declining abundance and reductions in range provided scientific evidence for 

Willamette River Spring Chinook and Winter Steelhead to be listed as "Threatened" 

under the federal Endangered Species Act. These listings occurred in 1999.

Willamette Basin of Oregon

BACKGROUND

3

Question 15: 

 How often do members of your household engage in recreation where 

rivers or streams are an important part of the experience? Examples are a 

trip to a river, or walking along a path alongside a river. Just write “0” if 

there are no such trips and go to Q13.

_____________ trips per year.

 How many of those trips are within a 1 hour drive of your home?

 _____________ trips per year.

 How many of those trips are within your city or community?

 _____________ trips per year.

 How many of those trips involve any portion of the Willamette River?

_____________ trips per year.

 How many of those trips involve any portion of the Willamette watershed?

_____________ trips per year.

Question 16: Before reading this survey were you aware that the salmon and 

steelhead in the Willamette watershed were considered “Threatened” under the 

Endangered Species Act?

O Yes O No

Question 17: Before reading this survey were you aware that the state of Oregon 

has hatcheries for salmon and steelhead?

O Yes O No

Question 18: Before reading this survey were you aware that most of the salmon 

and steelhead in the Willamette watershed were hatchery fish? 

O Yes O No

22

Wild Fish Background

 The wild salmon and steelhead in the Willamette River watershed were listed as 

“Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. These fish are called Spring 

Chinook and Winter Steelhead. 

 Threatened means the populations are not self-sustaining. Chinook have a 60% to 

100% chance of going extinct in the next 100 yrs.

 These wild salmon and steelhead cannot be harvested by recreational or commercial 

anglers in the Willamette watershed.

 There are other Threatened or Endangered fish in Oregon. Another well-known 

example is coastal Coho Salmon.

 There are other Willamette watershed fisheries, such as sturgeon, a wild and native 

fish. There are also non-native fish species that are self-sustaining in Oregon, such as 

bass, with largemouth and smallmouth bass fisheries in the Willamette River 

watershed.

 There are other fisheries within Oregon but outside of the Willamette watershed. 

There are wild salmon and steelhead fisheries in Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon, 

and throughout Oregon’s Coast Range. 

Willamette watershed boundary

The following question will ask you for your 

views on hatchery versus wild salmon and 

steelhead in the Willamette watershed

A large reduction in the number of hatchery salmon and steelhead in the 

Willamette watershed may be required to meet wild fish recovery goals.

These reductions may be necessary to reduce competition between 

hatchery and wild fish for resources and habitat. Reductions in the number 

of hatchery fish in the Willamette watershed would mean fewer salmon and 

steelhead available for recreational anglers to catch and bring home.

Question 14. Would your household support a large reduction in hatchery 

salmon and steelhead in the Willamette watershed if it were necessary to 
5

Question 11: If you ever voted for “No Intervention” in Q6 to Q8, why?

CHOOSE ONE ANSWER THAT FITS BEST

O NEVER CHOSE “No Intervention”.

O No ability to pay.

O Recovery options were not worth it to my household.

O I don’t believe wild fish recovery is realistic.

O Prefer to make a donation than to increase taxes.

O Other reason: ____________________________________ 

Question 12: If you voted for an option of Wild fish recovery in Q6 to Q8, why?

CHOOSE ONE ANSWER THAT FITS BEST

O NEVER CHOSE any type of wild fish recovery.

O I want there to be more wild fish for catch & release fishing.

O I want wild fish recovery regardless of fishing opportunities.

O Other reason: ____________________________________ 

Question 13: If you voted for any type of recovery in Q6 to Q8, what best describes 

your choice of Time to Recovery?

CHOOSE ONE ANSWER THAT FITS BEST

O When I could afford it, I wanted recovery to happen sooner than later. 

O The time to recovery is not important to my household.

O Other reason: ____________________________________ 

Hatchery Fish Background

20

 As noted earlier, fish hatcheries produce the majority of the salmon and steelhead 

that return to the Willamette River watershed. There are 33 fish hatcheries in Oregon, 

and 7 fish hatcheries in the Willamette River watershed. The primary reason for 

Oregon fish hatcheries is to replace losses in wild fish.

 Hatchery fish can be harvested, and are marked with a clipped fin so they can be 

distinguished from wild fish. Wild salmon and steelhead cannot be harvested in the 

Willamette watershed. Thus, anglers who are mainly interested in harvest prefer 

hatchery salmon and steelhead.

 Almost none of the salmon sold in Oregon comes from the Willamette watershed 

since it is such a small percentage of the West Coast salmon fishery.

 Hatcheries are not the same thing as privately-owned or corporation-owned ‘fish 

farms’. Hatcheries release fish into the wild, but farmed fish are bred and harvested in 

captivity.

 Because hatchery fish can crowd wild fish out of their habitat, fish managers reduce 

impacts on wild fish by releasing hatchery fish at a different time of year, or by 

releasing hatchery fish in places where wild fish are not normally found. 

 

Hatchery Spring Chinook 

Salmon at Willamette 

Hatchery in Oakridge, 

Oregon
Strongly

agree

Agree Neither 

agree 

nor 

disagree

Disagree Strongly

disagree

I would choose the same options in an 

actual referendum 1 2 3 4 5

It is important to restore Willamette 

watershed salmon and steelhead no 

matter how much it costs

1 2 3 4 5

I do not believe I should have to pay to 

contribute to wild salmon and steelhead

recovery in the Willamette watershed

1 2 3 4 5

I think wild salmon and steelhead

recovery in the Willamette watershed will 

happen too far into the future to be 

worthwhile

1 2 3 4 5

When thinking about my choices, I was 

thinking more about the impacts to future 

generations of people than the current 

generation

1 2 3 4 5

THIS SURVEY WILL ASK YOU TO MAKE 

CHOICES ABOUT WILLAMETTE 

WILD SALMON & STEELHEAD RECOVERY

6 19

Question 10. Thinking about the choices you made in Q6 to Q8, please rate how much you 

agree or disagree with each of the following statements (circle the number that matches your 

answer).

 Recovery would mean the populations would be self-sustaining. There 

would no longer be a significant risk of extinction in the next 100 years for 

wild Willamette watershed salmon and steelhead.

 Since there is no legal harvest of wild salmon and steelhead in the 

Willamette watershed, these wild fish tend to be important to people who 

like the idea of fish reproducing on their own. 

 Hatchery fish are important to recreational anglers who want the 

opportunity to keep fish they have caught. The voting questions do not 

consider any changes to hatcheries. 

THIS SURVEY WILL ALSO ASK YOU TO MAKE 

CHOICES ABOUT THE TIME TO RECOVERY

FOR WILD SALMON & STEELHEAD

 If there is public support for wild salmon and steelhead recovery for the 

Willamette watershed, it would be a long-term process.

 The schedule of recovery would be anywhere from 15 yrs to 50 yrs, 

depending on the methods of recovery chosen, and the amount of 

recovery funding.
Effect on my answers for questions 6 - 8

Very Low Moderate Very High

.

Wanting more fishing opportunity 

for my household

Wanting more fishing opportunity 

for others

Wanting to keep wild fish from 

going extinct

Wanting to improve fishery 

conditions close to my home

Wanting to improve fishery 

conditions for future generations

Environmental conditions besides 

fish

Wanting to minimize increases in

taxes or costs to my household

Other_______________________

Question 9: How much did the following factors affect your answers for Q6 to Q8? 

Check one box for each.

 

18 7

Recovery planners have identified a range of necessary management 

strategies to recover wild fish, all of which cost money. The funding 

would come from a new tax that would be in effect for 25 years. Money 

collected from the tax would be used to implement programs that 

address the primary threats to fish recovery. Some examples include:

 Retrofit dams to allow fish to swim past, such as fish ladders. 

 Collect returning fish in holding ponds below dams and truck 

them above the dam.

 Buy or lease more waterfront land and dedicate it to habitat 

restoration. 

 Change the schedule of water releases from dams to help fish 

migration.

 Reduce pollution from urban and agricultural areas. 

 

CHANGES CONSIDERED IN THIS SURVEY 

WOULD REQUIRE HIGHER TAXES
Willamette 

Watershed No Intervention Option A Option B

Wild 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

Threatened

(20,000 wild 

fish returning)

Broad 

Recovery

(70,000 wild 

fish returning)

Broad 

Recovery

(70,000 wild 

fish returning)

Time to 

Recovery 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

No Recovery 15 years 50 years

$

Cost to Your 

Household per year

for 25 years

$0

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$200

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$75

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

HOW WOULD YOU 

VOTE?

(CHOOSE ONE 

ONLY)

I vote for

No Intervention 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option A 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option B 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

Willamette Wild Salmon and Steelhead Options

 

Question 8. Given a choice between No Intervention, Option A, and Option B

for the Willamette River watershed, how would you vote?

 No Intervention - Currently Spring Chinook and Winter Steelhead are both 

listed as “Threatened” species. The risk of Spring Chinook going extinct in 

the next 100 years would remain between 60 and100 percent. Estimated 

returns of wild salmon and steelhead to the rivers of the Willamette

watershed currently total about 20,000 fish per year. There IS NOT an 

ability to harvest these fish, but there is catch and release fishing in the 

appropriate season.

 Minimal Recovery - This option would use the tools listed on page 7 to

create the conditions for more wild fish to reproduce on their own. A 

Minimal Recovery target would mean both Spring Chinook and Winter 

Steelhead would no longer be a “Threatened” species and there would no 

longer be a significant risk of them going extinct in the Willamette 

watershed in the next 100 years. The estimated returns in the Willamette 

watershed would be about 40,000 fish per year. There WOULD NOT be an 

ability to harvest these fish, but there is catch and release fishing in the 

appropriate season.

 Broad Recovery - This option would more aggressively use the tools listed 

on page 7 to create the conditions for more wild fish to reproduce on their 

own. A Broad Recovery target would mean both Spring Chinook and Winter 

Steelhead would no longer be a “Threatened” species and there would no 

longer be a significant risk of them going extinct in the Willamette 

watershed in the next 100 years. The estimated returns in the Willamette 

watershed would be about 70,000 fish per year. There WOULD NOT be an 

ability to harvest these fish, but there is catch and release fishing in the 

appropriate season.

8 17
Willamette 

Watershed No Intervention Option A Option B

Wild 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

Threatened

(20,000 wild 

fish returning)

Minimal 

Recovery

(40,000 wild 

fish returning)

Broad 

Recovery

(70,000 wild 

fish returning)

Time to 

Recovery 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

No Recovery 15 years 50 years

$

Cost to Your 

Household per year

for 25 years

$0

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$120

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$75

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

HOW WOULD YOU 

VOTE?

(CHOOSE ONE 

ONLY)

I vote for

No Intervention 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option A 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option B 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

16 9

 No Recovery - If “No Intervention” is selected for wild fish, there is no 

schedule of recovery.

 15 years - The minimum time to recovery being considered is 15 years. 

This option would apply to whichever type of recovery is selected.

 25 years - The next time to recovery being considered is 25 years. 

This option would apply to whichever type of recovery is selected.

 50 years - The longest time to recovery being considered is 50 years. 

This option would apply to whichever type of recovery is selected.

Question 7. Given a choice between No Intervention, Option A, and Option B

for the Willamette River watershed, how would you vote?

Time to Recovery Options

Broad Recovery

Minimal Recovery

Threatened

40,000 fish

70,000 fish

20,000 fish &

high risk of 

extinction

Current 

Time

Time to 

Recovery
Willamette 

Watershed No Intervention Option A Option B

Wild 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

Threatened

(20,000 wild 

fish returning)

Minimal 

Recovery

(40,000 wild 

fish returning)

Minimal 

Recovery

(40,000 wild 

fish returning)

Time to 

Recovery 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

No Recovery 15 years 25 years

$

Cost to Your 

Household per year

for 25 years

$0

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$120

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$60

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

HOW WOULD YOU 

VOTE?

(CHOOSE ONE 

ONLY)

I vote for

No Intervention 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option A 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for

Option B 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

10 15

Question 6. Given a choice between No Intervention, Option A, and Option B

for the Willamette River watershed, how would you vote?

Question 1. How well do you 

feel you understood what you just 

read about Recovery options?

Please check one box.

 I understood it very well.

 I have gained some understanding, 

but parts of it were hard to understand.

 I didn’t understand it at all.

Question 2. How well do you 

feel you understood what you just 

read about Time to Recovery 

options?

Please check one box.

 I understood it very well.

 I have gained some understanding, 

but parts of it were hard to understand.

 I didn’t understand it at all.
Issue Importance (Rank 1-6)

a. National security & defense _______

b. Public health and safety _______

c. Poverty and hunger _______

d. Environmental protection _______

e. Economic improvement and jobs _______

f. Education _______

Not At All Moderately Very 

Important Important Important

.

Water quality safe for swimming

Reducing flood damages

Conditions for all fish and wildlife 

Conditions for salmon & steelhead 

Protecting drinking water quality

Cleaning up trash

Providing more recreational access

Other________________________

14 11

AS YOU VOTE, REMEMBER THESE 

IMPORTANT DETAILS

 There are 3 different voting questions, each on a different page.

 Review each question carefully. Your votes are important and will 

help determine the best option for wild salmon and steelhead in the 

Willamette watershed. 

 Voting for recovery would not mean the ability to harvest wild salmon 

and steelhead.

 Costs to your household will range from $0 to $200 per year, 

depending on the option. All funds are legally guaranteed to be used 

for the designated purpose.

 The “No Intervention” option shows current condition at no added cost.

Choose this if other options are not worth it to your household.

The next two questions help us understand your attitudes on 

public issues besides Willamette salmon & steelhead issues

Question 3. Please rank the following, with 1 the most important and 6 the least 

important. Use each number only once.

Question 4. How would you rate the following issues for Oregon rivers and streams?
Willamette 

Watershed No Intervention Option A Option B

Wild 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

Threatened

(20,000 wild 

fish returning)

Minimal

Recovery

(40,000 wild 

fish returning)

Broad 

Recovery

(70,000 wild 

fish returning)

Time to 

Recovery 

Salmon & 

Steelhead

No Recovery 15 years 50 years

$

Cost to Your 

Household per year

for 25 years

$0

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$120

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

$75

Increase in 

Annual taxes for 

25 years

HOW WOULD YOU 

VOTE?

(CHOOSE ONE 

ONLY)

I vote for 

No Intervention 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for 

Option A 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

I vote for 

Option B 

for the Willamette 

Watershed

Willamette

Watershed

 Not Somewhat Very

 Important Important Important

Wild Salmon & Steelhead

From: Threatened 

To: Minimal Recovery

 

 1 2 3 4 5 

Wild Salmon & Steelhead

From: Threatened

To: Broad Recovery

 

 1 2 3 4 5 

Wild Salmon & Steelhead

Speed of Recovery

 

 1 2 3 4 5 

$

Increased Cost to your 

Household per Year

 

 1 2 3 4 5 

If you prefer

No Change,

check here

If you prefer

Option A,

check here

If you prefer

Option B,

check here

  

13 12

BEFORE YOU VOTE, HOW WOULD 

YOU RATE THE IMPORTANCE OF 

THESE CHANGES IN GENERAL?

Question 5. Rate each of the following in terms of their importance to your 

household. For each, use “1” for the least important, and “5” for the most important.

EXAMPLE VOTE 

voting questions will look like the sample below