Animals being raised in cages do not give a picture of the status of the species in the wild. The federal government is addressing other threats to salmon. The United States has worked with other countries to drastically cut the quota of salmon that can be taken in commercial fisheries. At the same time, we have increased research into salmon predators. The ESA requires us to protect salmon in the freshwater habitat, and the federal government is committed to providing protection in the estuaries and oceans as well.
Recovery depends on protection of all life stages and throughout the range of the species.
We cannot afford to experiment with a partial approach to recovering the species. It is an open scientific question whether the biological status of the salmon stock is determined more by events in rivers, estuaries, or open oceans. Scientists have been exploring this for some time and some recent work indicates the mortality rate may be higher in fresh water and during smolt outmigration than biologists previously thought. But again, law and common sense both tell us that we need to protect these unique fish throughout their range. Listing does not have to undermine partnerships.