Native Wild Fish Conservation Policy Criteria

Wild Fish Management Goals
2002

Adopt legal and science based standards for the protection and health of native fish populations to include the following:

á         Define the conservation management unit as the population by watershed

á         Prevent the depletion of indigenous species in their native habitats by managing for the protection and recovery of every population

á         Maintain and protect the life history and genetic diversity of populations by species and watershed

á         Maintain and recover the adaptive and productive capacity of each population by species and its supporting habitats recognizing that managing for diversity will maximize production and species resiliency

á         Protect and restore habitats capacity to support life history diversity of populations

á        Prevent interbreeding and ecological interactions between hatchery and wild fish

Wild Native Fish Research, and Monitoring and Evaluation Criteria

á         Establish research program to support management and increase knowledge of indigenous fish

á        Develop and fund a monitoring and evaluation program to determine the efficacy of management program

á         Inventory biological diversity and establish a biological baseline for each population including life history and genetic attributes

á         Determine smolt to adult survival and smolts per female for each population by population  and establish standards

á         Establish reference watersheds and populations for long-term monitoring and evaluation

á         Establish long term data base on life history and the biodiversity of populations and species

á         Establish optimum freshwater, estuary, and marine habitat conditions for each life history stage by species and set standards.

á         Establish a life history and genetic diversity benchmark per population by species

á         Research will  strive to validate management assumptions

á         Present program plan to public and Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission

Independent Scientific Audit

á         Impanel an independent scientific body to evaluate biological objectives, management plans and research

á         Panel will identify research needs and identify critical uncertainties

á         Meet annually and make findings available to public

Funding

á         Fund monitoring, evaluation and research at beginning of process

Hatchery Management Goals

á         Establish legal and science based standards for hatchery operations consistent with native, wild fish conservation

á         Provide a cost effective product for harvest

á         Reduce domestication selection

á         Reduce stray rates to less than 5%

á         Manage for maximum number of families

á         Manage for maximum effective breeding size

á         Support the wild fish management goals

Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Criteria

á         Smolt to adult survival rate per release group

á         Cost per adult per release group

á         Contribution to catch and to ecosystem criteria achieved?

á         Was domestication selection minimized?

á         Were stray rates within standards?

á         Were life history and genetic diversity criteria achieved?

á         Were the maximum number of families criteria achieved?

á         Was the production cost effective?

á         Was the maximum effective breeding size criteria achieved?

á         Was the hatchery operation supportive of native wild fish management goals and was there any harm to the ecosystem?

Harvest Management Goals

á         Establish a legal and science based standards for harvest so that it supports native, wild fish conservation standards

á         Harvest fish at sustainable levels while causing no harm to the ecosystem

á         Harvest rate on native wild populations is less than 15%

á         Support native wild fish management goals

á         Establish and achieve spawner abundance goals by species per population in each watershed

á         Support rebuilding goals by species and population

á         Harvest shall be cost effective

á         Establish spawner abundance goals by species and stock in each stream

á         Establish spawner abundance criteria to fully seed habitat by species

á         Establish nutrient enrichment criteria from salmonid carcasses by species and watershed

á         Maintain the natural distribution and abundance for each population in streams

á         Maintain life history and genetic characteristics by species and population

á         Support rebuilding and recovery actions for declining populations

á         Provide a public review of harvest evaluation relative to these criteria.

Harvest Management Monitoring and Evaluation Criteria

á         Were the harvest management goals achieved by species and population in watersheds?

á         Was harvest consistent with native wild fish management goals?

á         Were spawner abundance goals achieved?

á         Were standards and criteria achieved?