118 



The question of how to measure 'the status of Columbia Basin 



salmon stocks is addressed by calculating several simple statistics 



for annual observations of Chinook spavming escapement, primarily 



redd counts, from all available localities in that portion of the 



Columbia Basin within the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 



The records are an excerpt of the National Environmental. Database 



(NED) . The results for a total of 400 Chinook scuLmon spawning 



escapement surveys (292 of wild, 67 of hatchery, and 41 of other 



origin) are reported. Less than 26% (103) of the most recent 



surveys were at seeding levels greater than 50%, with more thein 30% 



(122) of those surveys being seeded at 10% or less. A total of 



117 surveys (29%) were identified as badly damaged and decreasing. 



Among these surveys, 70% (82) were at or below the 20% seeding 



level. Among wild salmon surveys, more th a n half (53%; 155) were 



most recently at levels of ann ual c±)nndance of no more thajj 20% of 



seeding. The forty- four wild chinook surveys identified as 



critically damaged were consistent with federal threatened species 



designations. Of the 67 hatchery observations, less than 24% (16) 



were most recently at, or below, 10% of their maxima during the 



time span of the surveys. Most of the chinook salmon survey areas 



in the Columbia Basin clearly are both in chronic decline and have 



critically low levels of spawning escapement. 



