Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE › Division 500 - FISH MANAGEMENT PLANS › Section 635-500-6775 - Implementing the Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
(1) Policy. The
			 Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) (State of Oregon
			 2014, available at the Department's Salem office or www.dfw.state.or.us [File
			 Link Not Available]) implements the State's strategy for protecting, enhancing
			 and utilizing Oregon populations of Chinook salmon, spring Chinook salmon, chum
			 salmon, winter steelhead, summer steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout along
			 the Oregon coast from Elk River near Cape Blanco to the Necanicum River near
			 Seaside. The CMP 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 Commission's contribution toward this collective
			 effort and directs the Department's implementation of the CMP. This rule
			 describes the Department's role in implementing the CMP 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 Units (SMUs) and Populations.
The SMUs for Oregon Coastal salmon, steelhead, and trout which
				are addressed in the CMP are comprised of geographical strata and independent
				populations, as listed in Table 2 of the CMP.
(3) Desired Status. The first desired status
			 goal for Oregon Coastal salmon, steelhead and trout SMUs is to assure that all
			 populations that are currently viable remain so, and that those not viable
			 become so. The second goal is that eventual improvements in salmon, steelhead
			 and trout survival from management actions provide for all populations to be
			 highly viable and productive enough that they can provide greater ecological
			 and fisheries benefits than are currently being provided. The desired status
			 goals for the SMUs shall be achieved when:
(a) For the first desired status goal, viable
			 populations identified in Table A-II: 11 of the CMP maintain the current level
			 of metrics and scores identified in this table and populations that are not
			 viable in this table (excluding Netarts chum, which may not be an independent
			 population) have metrics and scores indicating they are viable, and
(b) For the second desired status goal, all
			 independent Oregon Coastal salmon, steelhead and trout populations pass all of
			 the measurable criteria for highly viable status. Measurable criteria for the
			 second desired status of Oregon Coastal salmon, steelhead and trout SMUs are
			 defined in Table A-III: 1 of the CMP for the following primary biological
			 attributes:
(A) Abundance (adult fish
			 abundance for constituent populations);
(B) Productivity (standardized rate of
			 population growth for constituent natural populations);
(C) Persistence (forecast likelihood of SMU
			 persistence in the near and long terms);
(D) Spatial structure (distribution of
			 populations within unit and population connectivity); and
(E) Diversity (within and among population
			 diversity);
(c) While
			 criteria for survival rate to each critical life history stage cannot yet be
			 developed with the available information and monitoring, staff shall establish
			 such criteria for these biological attributes when adequate information and
			 monitoring are available.