State of Our Watersheds report shows decline in salmon population
According to a report released by the treaty Indian tribes including the Quinault Indian Nation, ongoing damage and destruction of salmon habitat is resulting in the steady decline of salmon populations across western Washington.
The tribes created the State of Our Watersheds report to gauge progress toward salmon recovery and guide future habitat restoration and protection efforts. It tracks key indicators of salmon habitat of 20 watersheds in western Washington.
In their findings the Quinault Indian Nation estimates that culverts on the Chehalis River system slow or block salmon from reaching more than 1,500 miles of habitat.
The report also documents a huge network of unpaved forest roads, especially those crossing streams, which contribute to sediment that can smother and kill incubating salmon eggs.
The State of our Watersheds report can be viewed online through the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Web site at http://www.nwifc.org/sow. The report is a living document that will be updated as new data become available.
Full 2012 State of our Watersheds Report (181 MB)
