Spring Chinook Salmon – Willamette SMU – State Wildlife Action Plan

Chinook Salmon - Spring/Summer Run — Photo Credit: ODFW

Overview

Species Common Name Chinook Salmon
Species Scientific Name Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Spring Chinook - Willamette SMU (Upper Willamette ESU)
Federal Listing Status Threatened
State Listing Status Sensitive
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Spring Chinook - Willamette SMU (Upper Willamette ESU)

Ecoregions

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon's Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

Special needs

Require streams with clean gravel, complex habitat, and cool temperatures for spawning and rearing. Require access for anadromous migration. Spring/Summer Run require cool, deep resting holes for holding over summer. Productive nearshore marine habitat that provides high-quality prey in sufficient quantity for rapid growth at time of ocean entry.

Limiting factors

Water quality. Alterations of hydrology and watershed function. Fish passage. Riparian condition. Marine survival.

Data gaps

Continue ongoing monitoring of populations and conservation effectiveness. Mechanisms affecting marine survival and spatial, temporal utilization of nearshore marine waters.

Conservation actions

Maintain or restore aquatic and riparian habitat. Continue ongoing restoration efforts involving landowners, tribes, and agency partners (NOAA, NMFS, ODFW, OWEB, Willamette NF, BLM, USACE). Manage for sustainable harvest, cold water refugia, and deep pool habitat.