Elwha Watershed Information Resource

Salmon eggs. Barb Maynes, National Park Service

The Elwha River Fish Restoration Plan - NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-90, developed pursuant to the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, Public Law 102-495 has been published by the US Department of Commerce (April 2008). This document identifies research, methodologies and strategies required to preserve and restore Elwha River fish populations before, during and after removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams. The Fish Restoration Plan includes descriptions of fish stock restoration, the role of hatcheries and harvest, artificial propagation and habitat restoration methods, population recovery objectives, and monitoring and adaptive management needs.

The Elwha River Fish Restoration Plan is the culmination of over 15 years of planning efforts by staff from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Olympic National Park, NOAA Fisheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The fish in the Elwha can be divided into four groups based on life history, and the restoration needs of each group will be addressed in the management plan:

• Anadromous fish (such as Chinook salmon and steelhead) spawn in rivers or streams (freshwater), but spend the majority of their lives in the ocean.

• Fluvial fish (such as cutthroat trout) spawn in tributaries (or a portion of a river), and then migrate to other parts of the river.

• Adfluvial fish (such as kokanee) spawn in rivers or streams, but spend the majority of their lives in lakes or reservoirs.

• Resident fish (such as sculpin and western brook lamprey) spawn, rear, and live their entire lives in rivers or streams.