Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › Division 500 - FISH MANAGEMENT PLANS › Section 635-500-6785 - Implementing the Rogue-South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
The
Rogue-South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and
				Management Plan
(RSP) (State of Oregon 2021, available at the
				Department's Salem office or
www.dfw.state.or.us
) implements the State's
				strategy for protecting, enhancing, and utilizing Oregon populations of winter
				steelhead, summer steelhead, coho salmon, and coastal cutthroat trout along the
				Oregon coast from Elk River near Cape Blanco to the Winchuck River.
(1) Policy. The RSP is based on the premise
			 that the
Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds
provides the best
			 vehicle for securing partnerships, both private and governmental, to
			 successfully implement the actions called for in this plan. This rule describes
			 the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission's (Commission) contribution toward this
			 collective effort and directs the Department's implementation of the RSP. This
			 rule also describes the Department's role in implementing the RSP consistent
			 with the Department's statutory authorities,
Native Fish Conservation
			 Policy
(OAR 635-007-0502 thru
			 635-007-0505) and
Climate
			 and Ocean Change Policy
(OAR
			 635-900-0001 thru
			 635-900-0020). The rule is not
			 intended to be prescriptive but rather to identify the range of opportunities
			 the Department should pursue and how the effectiveness of those opportunities
			 should be evaluated, following the template first established in the
Native Fish Conservation Policy
.
(2) Description of Species Management Units
			 (SMUs) and Populations. The Rogue-South Coast winter steelhead, summer
			 steelhead, coho, and coastal cutthroat trout SMUs (Plan SMUs) which are
			 addressed in the RSP are comprised of geographical strata and independent
			 populations, as listed in RSP Table 2.
(3) Desired Status. The desired status for
			 the Plan SMUs is to maintain or improve SMU status as described in RSP Table 7
			 and to maintain or improve outcomes for populations or strata based on
			 measurable criteria as described in RSP Table 8. Achieving desired status for
			 SMUs, strata, and populations will increase the ecological, economic, and
			 cultural benefits they provide and increase their resilience to climate and
			 ocean change.
(4) Current Status.
			 The status of the Plan SMUs at the time of the adoption of this rule is
			 described in the RSP. The Current Status chapter Overall Status Assessment
			 Approach section and RSP Table 4 summarize the biological attributes, criteria,
			 and metrics used to assess the status of each SMU. Those biological attributes,
			 criteria, and metrics are adopted by reference into this rule.
(5) Primary Limiting Factors.
(a) Numerous factors contribute to the gap
			 between current and desired status of populations comprising the Plan SMUs.
			 Marine survival associated with ocean conditions strongly influences
			 productivity and abundance for Plan SMUs. Although ocean conditions are not
			 manageable at the scale of this plan and are thus not considered a primary
			 limiting factor, attention to other limiting factors will be heightened during
			 periods of poor ocean conditions.
(b) Manageable limiting factors generally
			 causing the gap between current and desired status for the Plan SMUs are
			 broadly defined as:
(A) Habitat access
			 (upstream and downstream passage; access to off-channel habitat);
(B) Water quality;
(C) Water quantity;
(D) Physical habitat structure/complexity;
			 and
(E) Interactions with other
			 species (including predators).
(c) Primary and secondary limiting factors
			 are identified for each population within each SMU in the RSP Limiting Factors
			 chapter, Table 9. The Department will continue to help revise and identify new
			 management actions addressing these factors to aid in reaching desired status.
			 The Department may analyze the limiting factors at a finer, more localized
			 scale when selecting or prioritizing management actions for specific areas
			 within populations. These analyses may find primary and secondary factors
			 different at a local scale than what was found at the SMU or population
			 scale.