ABSTRACT
Spring-run chinook salmon populations in California’s Central Valley have been depressed by a wide range of habitat problems, but particularly water project operations. Listing of the spring-run chinook under the Federal and California State Endangered Species Acts (ESA) was proposed by environmental groups in 1992. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), a commercial fishermen’s group, proposed and initiated an alternative recovery strategy. The Spring-run Chinook Salmon Work Group was organized by a coalition of fishermen, environmental groups, and government agency biologists. Initial efforts of the Work Group led to extensive community outreach activity by the University of California Sea Grant Program. The Work Group also supported the formation of local watershed conservancies in several key watersheds which had remnant spring-run populations. As a result of this collaborative process, a broad range of habitat protection and restoration measures have already been implemented. Thanks to Work Group habitat restoration activities, a 5-year ESA listing reprieve was obtained during which local environmental groups agreed to suspend their listing petition process. In the meantime, the Pacific Rivers Council petitioned NMFS to list the spring-run in 1996. As of publication, listing of spring-run chinook has occurred in California under the state ESA and the run was proposed for federal listing March 9, 1998 (63 Fed. Reg. 11482). A final decision on federal listing of the spring-run is expected in September of 1999. Successful community-based habitat restoration activities in the meantime may have helped mitigate the impact of such a listing or shortened the time between listing and recovery.
