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Chapter 8: RESTORATION PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS 



PROPOSED FISHERY RESTORATION GOAL 



Based on the findings in this report, there is high potential for restoring 

 salmon and steelhead runs in the Chehalis Basin. The following is a general 

 Chehalis Basin fisheries restoration goal. 



To optiaixe natural salaon and steelhead production while maintaining 

 the existing genetic adaptation of wild spawners and allowing the 

 highest compatible level of hatchery production. 



Natural production will be restored when the total estimated wild catches 

 consistently lie within the range of historical estimates, and when wild 

 escapement goals are consistently met. This leads to the following goals for 

 each species. 



(1) Doubling Chehalis River System coho salmon Bmolt-to-adult survival, 

 compared to the 1989 level, so that Chehalis River System emolt survival 

 equals Humptulips River sraolt survival. 



(2) Increasing chum salmon run sizes to historical levels. 



(3) Sustaining the recent increase in Chehalis River System fall Chinook 

 salmon by improving water quality throughout the Chehalis River System 

 and ensuring escapements that fully and consistently utilize the wild 

 spawning habitat. 



(4) Expanding spring Chinook salmon wild production to its full potential 

 range. 



(5) Ensuring that wild winter steelhead fully and consistently use spawning 

 habitat in each available Chehalis River Basin sub-basin. 



(6) Evaluating existing wild summer steelhead populations in Chehalis Basin 

 tributaries. 



RESTORATION CRITERIA 



Criteria for Habitat Improvements 



Habitat restoration projects in the Chehalis watershed may not be cost- 

 effective unless recent effluent treatment upgrades at the two inner Grays 

 Harbor pulp mills result in significant improvement of survival. If survival 

 has improved sufficiently, habitat restoration throughout the basin will be 

 worthwhile and projects using promising techniques should be initiated to 

 begin restoration. If survival has not improved, further efforts should be 

 directed to solving the poor inner Harbor survival problems before extensive 

 watershed habitat restoration proceeds. Since it will take at least two more 



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