Publication Summary

This is the Quality Assurance Program Plan for the study, Program for Monitoring Salmon Recovery in Index Watersheds: Water Quality and Quantity.

The September 2001 addendum to this Project Plan is the last two pages in the pdf.

Wild salmon, steelhead, and trout1 populations in Washington are being significantly depleted and many stocks are being pushed to extinction. Since the early 1800′s human activities and actions have resulted in the depletion of many wild stocks. As of 1999, a total of 15 salmon species have been listed under the Endangered Species Ac as threatened or endangered. The listings cover 75% of the state and more are anticipated.

The need to reverse the declining trend in salmon stocks has been acknowledged by the Governor and recently culminated in Extinction is Not an Option: A Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon released by the Joint Natural Resources Cabinet in September 1999 (JNRC, 1999). The Salmon Strategy addresses the four major factors affecting salmon - habitat, hatcheries, harvest, and hydropower - as well as science-based approaches to assess the effectiveness and validity of Strategy elements. One such approach is a statewide system of index watersheds to monitor long-term watershed responses to the Strategy. This document describes Ecology's plans for the initial implementation of the index watershed monitoring program.