45 



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 



The Chehalis River Basin Fishery Resources Study and Restoration Act (Public 

 Law 101-452) requires the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to 

 "undertake a comprehensive study of the fishery resources and habitats of the 

 Chehalis River Basin of Washington State, develop goals, recommend long- and 

 short-term actions to maximize the restoration and conservation of those 

 fishery resources, and report his findings to Congress." 



The present report reviews existing information, sets goals, and presents a 

 number of restoration recommendations. A second report, based on an ongoing 

 survey of fishery habitat and scheduled for completion in 1993, will describe 

 actual habitat conditions and further guide restoration. This report focuses 

 on anadromous salmonids since they are clearly the most important fishery 

 resources of the Chehalis Basin. 



To guide activities under the Act, a steering committee composed of 

 representatives of all relevant state agen~i.es, Indian Tribes, and the public 

 was formed in 1990. The committee recognized that a large amount of 

 information about Chehalis Basin fishery resuur-ss already existed but that it 

 needed to be gathered together In one report- The present report is the 

 result of that task. 



SOMHARY OF FINDINGS 



Reviews of existing information on resource history, run status, and current 

 habitat problems reveal that: 



(1) Inner Grays Harbor water quality appears to have contributed to poor 

 coho (and probably Chinook and steelhead) smolt survival at least until 

 1989. Significant efforts to improve water quality have been taken. 

 Results of clean-up will become known in a few more years. Further 

 study of pollution may be necessary but can be delayed pending the 

 outcome of ongoing survival evaluation. 



(2) Wild coho and chum salmon populations have fallen well below levels that 

 historically supported high catches 



(3) Chinook salmon and steelhead do not consistently use all potential 

 habitat. 



(4) Upper Chehalis River water quality particularly threatens adult spring 

 and fall Chinook, and reduces coho and steelhead rearing habitat. 



(5) Dams and other barriers, logging, road building, agriculture, and 

 urbanization have degraded salmon and steelhead habitat. 



While natural salmon and steelhead production is apparently less than optimal 

 in the Chehalis Basin, there is every indication that, with careful planning 

 and implementation, production can be improved. The Basin contains several 

 thousand miles of stream habitat, much of which is in relatively good 



