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Northwest Indian 

 Fisheries Commission 



Washington 

 Department of Fisheries 



Washington 

 Department of Wildlife 



First Step to Recovery 



SUMMARY: 1992 SALMON AND STEELHEAD 

 STOCK INVENTORY (SfiSSI) 



WHAT IS SfiSSI? 



The Salmon and Steelhead Stock Inventory Is the 

 first step in a process to restore all of Washington's 

 salmon and steelhead stocks to healthy and productive 

 levels. It is also a standardized, uniform approach to 

 identifying and monitoring the status of Washington's 

 naturally reproducing salmon and steelhead stocks. 

 This inventory Is a compilation of all wild stocks, and a 

 scientific determination of each stock's status: healthy, 

 depressed, critical, unknown or extinct. This report 

 forms the basis for measuring future actions to restore 

 stocks to a healthy, flshable status, and Is a starting 

 point that will be modified as new information Is 

 obtained. The intent is for SASSI to be a living docu- 

 ment, regularly updated and revised as new informa- 

 tion is available. 



Fisheries managers and biologists from the Wash- 

 ington departments of fisheries and wildlife and from 

 20 tribes pooled their resources, data and efforts and 

 put all this knowledge into one document. The result Is 

 the best available scientific treatise on the state of 

 Washington's salmon and steelhead resources. 



WHY WAS THIS DONE? 



Human population growth and development have 

 undeniably caused a loss of salmonld stocks, spawning 

 habitat, genetic diversity and fishing opportunity. 

 Urban and industrial land conversion, forest and 



agricultural practices, water diversions, municipal 

 water demands and effluent and hydropower continue 

 to reduce Washington's salmon and steelhead produc- 

 tion. Many wild salmonld stocks have also been 

 depleted by other forms of habitat degradation, hatch- 

 ery practices and overfishing. 



Recently, three salmon stocks in the Snake river 

 have been listed under the federal Endangered Species 

 Act. This has prompted Washington fisheries managers 

 to critically review current conditions of Washington 

 stocks, to identify and correct problems before they get 

 to that point. We have learned an important lesson over 

 the years • early intervention saves everyone money 

 and Increases the chances of recovery. If we delay, we 

 all pay. 



The overall goal of Washington's fisheries 

 managers is to maintain and restore healthy wild 

 salmon and steelhead stocks and their habitats, to 

 support the region's fisheries, economies and other 

 societal values. 



WHAT IS fl STOCK? 



S ASSl defines a stock as a group of fish that return 

 to spawn in a given area at the same time. They are, for 

 the most part, reproductively isolated from other fish 

 populations. A run of fish may comprise more than one 

 stock. 





