EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

Critical Habitat
NMFS designated critical habitat for Snake River spring/summer-run Chinook salmon on
October 25, 1999 (64 FR 57399). This critical habitat encompasses the waters, waterway
bottoms, and adjacent riparian zones of specified lakes and river reaches in the Columbia River
that are or were accessible to listed Snake River salmon (except reaches above impassable
natural falls, and Dworshak and Hells Canyon Dams). Adjacent riparian zones are defined as
those areas within a horizontal distance of 300 feet from the normal line of high water of a
stream channel or from the shoreline of a standing body of water. Designated critical habitat
includes the Columbia River from a straight line connecting the west end of the Clatsop jetty
(Oregon side) and the west end of the Peacock jetty (Washington side) and including all river
reaches from the estuary upstream to the confluence of the Snake River, and all Snake River
reaches upstream to Hells Canyon Dam; the Palouse River from its confluence with the Snake
River upstream to Palouse Falls, the Clearwater River from its confluence with the Snake River
upstream to its confluence with Lolo Creek; the North Fork Clearwater River from its confluence
with the Clearwater river upstream to Dworshak Dam. Critical habitat also includes several river
reaches presently or historically accessible to Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon.
These areas are important for the species’ overall conservation by protecting quality growth,
reproduction, and feeding. Limiting factors identified for this species include hydrosystem
mortality, reduced stream flow, altered channel morphology and floodplain, excessive fine
sediment, and degraded water quality (NMFS 2006d).
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 Snake River spring/summer-run Chinook salmon ESU.
Upper Willamette River Chinook Salmon
Distribution and Description of the Listed Species
The Upper Willamette River Chinook salmon ESU includes all naturally spawned populations of
spring-run Chinook salmon in the Clackamas River and in the Willamette River, and its
tributaries, above Willamette Falls, Oregon. Seven artificial propagation programs are part of
the ESU.
Upper Willamette River Chinook salmon occupy the Willamette River and its tributaries. All
spring-run Chinook salmon in the ESU, except those entering the Clackamas River, must pass
Willamette Falls. In the past, this ESU included sizable numbers of spawning salmon in the
Santiam River, the middle fork of the Willamette River, and the McKenzie River, as well as
smaller numbers in the Molalla River, Calapooia River and Albiqua Creek. Historically, access
above Willamette Falls was restricted to the spring when flows were high. In autumn, low flows
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