Salmon Recovery and Restoration

In our state we're proud of the strong partnerships that have formed around salmon recovery. Watershed coalitions, volunteer organizations, representatives of agriculture and business, local, state and tribal governments have all joined together to protect and restore salmon.

In 1991, the federal government declared Snake River sockeye salmon as endangered. In the next few years, 16 more species of salmon were listed as either threatened or endangered. 75% of the state was covered by federal listings of at-risk salmon.

In response to this crisis, the State legislature created the Salmon Recovery Act setting in motion one of the most comprehensive, complicated and challenging recover planning efforts ever accomplished in the United States.

For more than a decade, Washingtonians have joined in an unprecedented grassroots effort to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead. Working together, a broad coalition of regional organizations, watershed stewards, volunteer organizations, farmers, foresters and other businesses have lined up with state, tribal and local governments to reverse the long-term decline of the state's wild salmon populations.

As a major partner in this effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is working to address key factors contributing to that decline, while also monitoring the status of the state's salmon and steelhead populations.

This website provides an overview of major recovery initiatives along with information about the state's wild salmon and steelhead populations - including 17 listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. Up-to-date information on these populations is summarized on WDFW's Salmon Conservation and Reporting Engine (SCoRE).

Our Vision: 21^st Century Salmon Initiative

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife developed the 21^st Century Salmon and Steelhead Initiative to meet its responsibilities in recovering salmon and steelhead and provide sustainable fisheries.

All-H approach
Through the initiative, WDFW is following a comprehensive "all-H" model in which management decisions on hatchery, harvest, habitat and hydro activities are coordinated to restore salmon and steelhead populations and meet sustainable fishery goals.

Integrated management
The framework helps WDFW to better identify and evaluate long-term, science-based management strategies. It sets out goals, assesses where WDFW is in relation to those goals, and identifies benchmarks to measure progress. The framework is intended to guide future funding decisions and department budget priorities, and provide direction on regional recovery plans, hatchery reform and harvest management.

WDFW's Role in Recovery

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is mandated by the Washington State Legislature to protect, perpetuate, and manage salmon and steelhead in state waters and offshore waters.

It is the department's responsibility to provide recreational and commercial salmon and steelhead fisheries in a manner that does not impair this incredible resource.

To accomplish this, WDFW is focusing on managing salmon and steelhead in a way that is science-based, well-documented, transparent, well-communicated, and accountable.

As the agency responsible for the state's hatchery and harvest management, WDFW is an important partner in the development, implementation and monitoring of Washington's salmon recovery efforts.

WDFW Priorities:

• Restore federally listed populations through the six salmon recovery plans.
• Create and maintain selective and sustainable fisheries.
• Protect and restore habitat.
• Retool hatchery operations to support wild fish recovery.
• Further state-tribal co-management.
• Develop new strategic partnerships.
• Ensure accountability by tracking and reporting our performance

Accountability/Performance

Accountability and Performance in the Area of Natural Resources
Protecting, preserving, and restoring Washington State's natural resources is vital to our economic vitality, health, and quality of life. Healthy ecosystems contribute to the overall well-being of human populations as well as other species.

Many government agencies, as well as the actions of citizens and businesses, have direct and indirect impacts on natural resources. Responsibility for natural resources spans local, state, and federal government, including many different elected officials.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for reporting on key measures of progress for Chinook salmon and Steelhead in Puget Sound.

Areas where we report our performance are:

1. Governor's State of the Salmon in Watersheds Report
2018 marked the 20^th anniversary of the Washington's Salmon Recovery Act. All across the state, Washingtonians have accomplished some pretty remarkable things during this time. The State of the Salmon Report has worked hard to provide reliable documentation of our progress during these years and beyond.

State of the Salmon Report



2. Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP)
The Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP) is one tool that helps Washington state agencies measure and improve their performance.

Washington State was the first state in the nation to adapt management models from innovative local governments to improve the results of statewide programs and services.

You can read more at their website here >> https://www.atg.wa.gov/government-accountability



3. Salmon Conservation Reporting Engine (SCORE)
This site you're viewing is our SCoRE system. To read more about it, click to our SCoRE tab on this page.

SCoRE (Salmon Conservation and Reporting Engine)

For more than a decade, Washingtonians have joined in an unprecedented grassroots effort to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead. Working together, watershed coalitions, volunteer organizations, farmers, foresters and other businesses have lined up with state, tribal and local governments to reverse the long-term decline of the state's wild salmon populations.

As a major partner in this effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is working to address key factors contributing to that decline, while also monitoring the state's overall progress toward recovery.

This Salmon Conservation Reporting Engine (SCoRE) website will provide up-to-date information on populations, and provide context for the efforts WDFW and its partners are taking in the arenas of habitat, hatcheries, and harvest to protect and conserve salmon and steelhead in Washington.

This SCoRE website, like salmon recovery itself, is a work in progress. As a partner in the statewide recovery effort, WDFW will continue to add information to the SCoRE reporting system as this important work moves forward.

Key Features of SCoRE

SCoRE is a WDFW web tool intended to consolidate and summarize data and information that represents the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's contribution to salmon conservation and salmon recovery. This version of SCoRE is the first phase of a multi-phase project that will be improved upon over time. SCoRE is organized around six key areas of salmon recovery:

• Salmon Species and Populations
• Salmon Conservation: Recovery and Restoration
• Hatcheries
• Harvest
• Habitat
• Governor's Performance Measures