EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

protecting quality growth, reproduction, and feeding. The critical habitat designation for this
DPS identifies primary constituent elements that include sites necessary to support one or more
steelhead life stages. Specific sites include freshwater spawning sites, freshwater rearing sites,
freshwater migration corridors, nearshore marine habitat and estuarine areas. The physical or
biological features that characterize these sites include water quality and quantity, natural cover,
forage, adequate passage conditions, and floodplain connectivity. The final rule (70 FR 52630)
lists the watersheds that comprise the designated subbasins and any areas that are specifically
excluded from the designation.
In total, there are 114 watersheds within the range of Middle Columbia River steelhead. The
total area of habitat designated as critical includes about 5,800 miles of stream habitat. This
designation includes the stream channels within the designated stream reaches, and includes a
lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high water line. In areas where the ordinary high-water
line is not defined the lateral extent is defined as the bankfull elevation. Of the 114 watersheds
reviewed in NMFS' assessment of critical habitat for Middle Columbia River steelhead, nine
watersheds received a low rating of conservation value, 24 received a medium rating, and 81
received a high rating of conservation value for the species. Although pristine habitat conditions
are still present in some wilderness, roadless, and undeveloped areas, habitat complexity has
been greatly reduced in many areas of designated critical habitat for Middle Columbia River
steelhead. Limiting factors identified for Middle Columbia River steelhead include: hydropower
system mortality, reduced stream flow, impaired passage, excessive sediment, degraded water
quality, and altered channel morphology and floodplain.
Final Protective Regulations
On June 28, 2005, as part of the final listing determinations for 16 ESUs of West Coast salmon,
NMFS amended and streamlined the 4(d) protective regulations for threatened salmon and
steelhead (70 FR 37160) as described in the Protective Regulations for Threatened Salmonid
Species section of this document. Under this change, the section 4(d) protections apply to
natural and hatchery fish with an intact adipose fin, but not to listed hatchery fish that have had
their adipose fin removed prior to release into the wild. The amended June 2005 4(d) rule
applies to the Lower Columbia River steelhead DPS.
Northern California Steelhead
Distribution and Description of the Listed Species
The Northern California DPS of steelhead includes all naturally spawned steelhead populations
below natural and manmade impassible barriers in California coastal river basins from Redwood
Creek south to, but not including the Russian river, and two artificial propagation programs
(Yager Creek Hatchery, and North Fork Gualala River Hatchery). In the recent update on the
status of this DPS, the southern boundary of the DPS was redefined to include the small coastal
streams south of the Gualala River (between the Gualala River and the Russian River) that
support steelhead. This DPS consists of winter and summer-run fish, as well as “half-pounders”
– a steelhead that returns from the sea after spending less than a year in the ocean.
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