Coho Salmon – Coastal SMU – State Wildlife Action Plan

Overview

Species Common Name Coho Salmon
Species Scientific Name Oncorhynchus kisutch
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Coastal SMU (Oregon Coast ESU)
Federal Listing Status Threatened
State Listing Status Sensitive
SMU/ESU/DPS/Subspecies Coastal SMU (Oregon Coast ESU)

Ecoregions

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

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. Productive nearshore marine habitat that provides high-quality prey in sufficient quantity for rapid growth at time of ocean entry.

Limiting factors

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

Data gaps

Consult Oregon Coast Coho Conservation Plan and Coastal Coho Assessment.

Conservation actions

Implement measures identified in Coastal Coho Assessment with landowners and agency partners (NOAA, NMFS,ODFW, OWEB, Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team, Watershed Councils, SWCD, Wild Salmon Center, Coastal Coho Stakeholder Team). Build relationships, partnerships, stewardship, and incentives to implement habitat improvements on private lands. Continue restoration efforts to improve freshwater habitat conditions.