Department of Fish and Game

Fisheries Resources and Species Management

Resources Overview | Coho: Home , Life History , Range , Important Terms , Recovery Strategy , Status Review Report

The Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon

Coho Fry, a small silver fish with dark gray stripes adult Coho

In August, 2002 the California Fish and Game Commission issued a finding that coho salmon warranted listing as a threatened species from the Oregon border south to Punta Gorda and as an endangered species from Punta Gorda south to San Francisco including the Bay (south of San Francisco to Monterey Bay was listed by the State as endangered in 1995). At the same time, pursuant to section 2114 of the Fish & Game Code, the Commission directed the Department of Fish and Game to develop a Recovery Strategy.

The Director of the Department of Fish and Game initiated a multi-stakeholder statewide Coho Recovery Team (CRT) to aid the Department in developing a plan to recover the species. Additionally, a team was created to focus on agricultural water and land issues in the Shasta and Scott river valleys. This team is known as the Shasta-Scott Coho Recovery Team (SSRT).

The Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon (Recovery Strategy) was adopted by the California Fish & Game Commission in February 2004. The primary objective of the Recovery Strategy is to return coho salmon to a level of sustained viability, while protecting the genetic integrity of both the Southern Oregon-Northern California Coast (SONCC) ESU and the California Central Coast (CCC) ESU so that they can be delisted and regulations or other protections under the CESA will not be necessary.

A second objective of this Recovery Strategy is to achieve harvestable populations of coho salmon for Tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries, so important to the cultural and economic well-being of California. DFG continues to partner with all stakeholders to implement this plan to achieve these objectives.

  • Five goals have been identified to achieve delisting:
    • Maintain and improve the number of key populations and increase the number of populations and cohorts of coho salmon.
    • Maintain and increase the number of spawning adults.
    • Maintain the range, and maintain and increase distribution of coho salmon.
    • Maintain existing habitat essential for coho salmon.
    • Enhance and restore habitat within the range of coho salmon.
  • An additional goal has been identified with regard to harvestable populations, which is to:
    • Reach and maintain coho salmon population levels to allow for the resumption of Tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries for coho salmon in California.

More About Coho Salmon Recovery

  • Recovery Implementation
  • Coho Salmon Recovery Teams
  • Events and Meetings
    • The statewide Coho Salmon Recovery Team met in Sacramento over November 29-30, 2011. Members shared information on progress in coho salmon recovery, including the newly formed joint DFG/NOAA Priority Action Coho Team (PACT), which has the objective of implementing priority recovery actions in the Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit to prevent the local extinction of coho salmon populations.
      Presentations from the meeting are available for public viewing at the DFG Document Library web site: http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=Fisheries--CohoSalmon
    • The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture convened an Informational Hearing in the California Legislature on August 16, 2011, with the title Coho salmon on the Brink - Understanding the Depth of the Crisis and Recovery Strategies.
      Many speakers provided testimony on coho salmon issues throughout California. Speakers include: John McCamman, Director, Department of Fish and Game; Rod McInnis, Regional Administrator National Marine Fisheries Service and Catherine Kuhlman, Executive Director North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The State (DFG and NCRWQCB) and federal (NMFS) agencies provided information on current population status and trends as well as recovery plans and action items. Additionally, several panels of presenters addressed regional updates, population dynamics, fishery impacts, instream flow problems/solutions, estuary and off-channel habitat requirements, forest practices/watershed restoration/large woody debris enhancement, captive rearing, and more.
      More information about the hearing
  • Partners and Programs