Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board
Library

Salmon Viability

Viability status at the time of ESA listing and goals for recovery are identified for each of the salmon and steelhead populations in the recovery plan. Viability status is periodically reassessed to understand if populations and species are recovering.

A population-level viability status update was completed in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2023 that folds in natural-origin (wild) adult spawner abundances, proportion hatchery origin spawner rates, fish passage and habitat connectivity metrics to develop a viability status that considers the four Viable Salmonid Population (VSP) parameters: abundance, productivity, diversity and spatial structure. 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office complete a biennial State of Salmon in Watersheds Report and NOAA Fisheries completes a 5-year status review for ESA listed salmon and steelhead species based on 5-year status and trends assessment of natural-origin population abundance, a key indicator of viability.

Learn more about the State of Salmon in Watersheds Report

Learn more about NOAA Fisheries latest status review

Accessing Salmon and Steelhead Data

A tutorial on how to access data from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Viability
  • This report includes viability status estimates for each salmon and steelhead population based on indicators of abundance, productivity, diversity and spatial structure. Population descriptions from the Recovery Plan are updated to reflect new information and viability status.

©2025 Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board