Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › Division 500 - FISH MANAGEMENT PLANS › Section 635-500-6550 - Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Steelhead Populations in the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1)
Policy
. The Conservation and
			 Recovery Plan for Oregon Steelhead Populations in the Middle Columbia River
			 Steelhead Distinct Population Segment (Oregon Mid-C Steelhead Plan) (State of
			 Oregon 2010, available at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offices)
			 implements the State's strategy for protecting and enhancing Oregon populations
			 of steelhead in the Middle Columbia, in cooperation with other federal and
			 local partners, including Oregon Plan natural resource agencies and NOAA
			 Fisheries. This rule describes the Commission's contribution toward this
			 collective effort and directs the Department's implementation of the Oregon
			 Mid-C Steelhead Plan. The Oregon Mid-C Steelhead Plan is based on the following
			 general premises: first, that habitat management and improvement is the key to
			 protecting and enhancing Mid-C steelhead; second, that much of the most
			 important steelhead habitat is on private land; third, that habitat improvement
			 on private land is most likely to occur through incentive-based cooperative
			 partnerships with landowners; and fourth, that the Oregon Plan for Salmon and
			 Watersheds provides the best vehicle for securing these partnerships and
			 implementing habitat improvements. This rule describes the Department's role in
			 implementing the Oregon Mid-C Steelhead Plan consistent with the Department's
			 statutory authorities and the Native Fish Conservation Policy (OAR
			 635-007-0502 thru
			 635-007-0505). The rule is not
			 intended to be a rigid recipe 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 Unit and Populations
. The
			 Species Management Unit (SMU) for Oregon Mid-C steelhead is the Oregon portion
			 of the Middle Columba Distinct Population Segment (DPS) that is comprised of
			 component major population groups (MPGs) and independent populations, as
			 described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
			 Interior Columbia Technical Recovery Team (ICTRT) reported in ICTRT in 2003 and
			 2005. The Department adopts the definitions of steelhead populations proposed
			 by the NOAA ICTRT. These include all significant Oregon streams flowing
			 directly into the Columbia River from, and inclusive of, Fifteenmile Creek east
			 to, and inclusive of, the Walla Walla River. To avoid confusion and because the
			 SMU is the same as the federal DPS designation, the term DPS will be used to
			 designate the SMU for Oregon Mid-C steelhead.
(3)
Desired Status
. The desired
			 status goal for Oregon populations of Mid-C steelhead is two-tiered such that:
(a) Initial improvements in steelhead
			 survival from actions implemented for habitat, hydrosystem and hatcheries so
			 that:
(A) The DPS-level criteria, based on
			 the Viability Criteria for Application to Interior Columbia Basin Salmonid ESUs
			 as described by the NOAA ICTRT in 2007, are met for long-term persistence of
			 the DPS; and
(B) Those independent
			 populations identified in the MPG Recovery Scenarios in Section 5 of the plan
			 as needing to be viable achieve the level classified as viable, based on the
			 Viability Criteria for Application to Interior Columbia Basin Salmonid ESUs, as
			 described by the NOAA ICTRT in 2007.