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In the early 1990s state and tribal fisheries biologists
created a Wild Stock Restoration Initiative in response to wild salmon and
steelhead stock concerns and in anticipation of expected Endangered Species Act
petitions for the weakest stocks.
The first step in this comprehensive process was an
assessment of each of the 435 individual salmon and steelhead stocks in the
state. This document, the Salmon and Steelhead Stock Inventory (SASSI) gave
fisheries managers a prioritized list of the stocks in greatest need of
protection and restoration. SASSI identified 187 stocks as healthy; 122 as
depressed, 12 critical; 113 unknown; and one extinct.
During this process, it became apparent to fisheries managers
that a second assessment was needed to catalogue habitat conditions and concerns
throughout the state. The Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Inventory and Assessment
Project (SSHIAP) is an ongoing process that gives natural resources managers a
current view of habitat conditions as well as prescriptions for improving fish
habitat.
The Point No Point Treaty Council’s SSHIAP biologist works
with biologists from other tribes and natural resources entities to both collect
and share important data. The various products that will come out of SSHIAP work
will include:
– Expanded habitat sections describing the location,
amount and current condition of habitats used at various life stages in
the life of salmon and steelhead, as well as the historic habitat loss and
the natural and man-made factors contributing to habitat loss and
degradation in specific watersheds;
– A user-friendly database that can provide graphical
depictions of types and amounts of habitat loss and degradation and how it
has affected certain stocks; and
– Habitat protection and restoration strategies for
each stock and/or watershed.
– Reporting will primarily be accomplished through
the Internet for easy access by biologists and natural resources managers
from throughout western Washington.
SSHIAP is a living document that will continue to evolve and
grow to meet the needs of salmon restoration in this state.
For more information on SSHIAP visit the Northwest Indian Fisheries
Commission Website:
http://www.nwifc.wa.gov/sshiap
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