Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead federal agencies' recovery responsibilities, expenditures and actions

Book excerpt: Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead populations were once the world's largest. Before 1550, an estimated 16 million salmon and steelhead returned to the basin annually to spawn. Over the past 25 years, however, the number of salmon and steelhead returning to the Columbia River Basin has averaged around 660,000 per year, although annual population levels have varied widely. Various factors have contributed to the long-term decline including over-harvesting, the construction and operation of dams, the degradation of spawning habitat, increased human population, and unfavorable weather and ocean conditions. The population decline has resulted in the listing of 12 salmon and steelhead populations in the basin as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once a species is listed as threatened or endangered, the ESA requires that efforts be taken to allow the species to recover. The Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the lead agency responsible for the recovery of the threatened or endangered populations of Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead. The recovery of a species entails the development and implementation of a plan for the species' conservation and survival. The ESA also requires other federal agencies to consult with NMFS before they take any action that may jeopardize the continued existence of listed salmon or steelhead populations in the Columbia River Basin. You asked us to (1) identify the roles and responsibilities of the federal agencies involved with the recovery of Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead, (2) determine how much they have spent collectively on recovery efforts, and (3) determine what recovery actions they have undertaken and what they have accomplished.