Our new Biological Assessment is out - Klamath Basin Crisis

Klamath Project Operations Biological Assessment
Coho Salmon: Effects of the Proposed Action on Coho Salmon
Effects of the Proposed Action on Designated Critical
Habitat
Introduction
Designated critical habitat for the SONCC coho salmon ESU includes all
waterways, substrate, and adjacent riparian zones below longstanding, naturally
impassable barriers (64 FR 24049; May 5, 1999). NMFS has identified twelve
dams in the range of this ESU that currently block access to habitat historically
occupied by coho salmon. However, NMFS has not proposed these inaccessible
areas as critical habitat because areas downstream were believed to be sufficient
for the conservation of the ESU until such time as a Recovery Team is convened
to address whether additional habitat is necessary to recover coho salmon.
Available Juvenile and Fry Habitat by Reach
Critical Habitat within the action area has an associated combination of physical
and biological features essential for supporting freshwater rearing and migration.
The critical habitat elements most likely to be affected by the Proposed Action are
water quantity and quality. As mentioned earlier, these two elements are highly
interrelated.
Hardy and Addley’s (2006) recommendations specify flow regimes that will
provide for the long-term protection, enhancement, and recovery of the aquatic
resources within the main stem Klamath River. This in light of the Department
of the Interior’s trust responsibility to protect tribal rights and resources as well as
other statutory responsibilities, such as the ESA. Hardy and Addley state in the
purpose of their report, “[t]he recommendations are made in consideration of all
the anadromous species and life stages on a seasonal basis and do not focus on
specific target species or life stages (i.e., coho [salmon])”, page ii of 2006).
Reclamation notes that these recommendations differ from the focus of this BA,
which is for ESA-listed coho salmon.
Hardy and Addley (2006) conducted mesohabitat (pool, run, low slope, moderate
slope, and steep slope) mapping for eight study sites throughout the main stem
Klamath River (Figure 3-19). The habitat mapping results were utilized to model
relationships between flow and available fish habitat within specific study sites.
Hardy and Addley (2006) provided the percent of maximum habitat by species:
Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and, steelhead at these site-level.
Hardy and Addley’s (2006) site-level habitat mapping results provide some
insight to the available habitat for juvenile and fry coho salmon within these study
sites under the minimum flows, as well as 25 percent, 50 percent, and 75 percent
exceedences for the 2008 to 1018 modeled flows (Appendix Table 3-D-7 through
Appendix Table 3-D-10 and summarized in Table 3-23).
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