Fish Passage Barriers
RESILIENT HABITATSProgress Overview
The Partnership uses a system of indicators and targets to monitor our progress implementing regional priorities and movement towards Puget Sound recovery goals. We also monitor the budgets of key state and federal programs to understand where money comes from, where it goes, and where gaps might exist.
Financial Investments
Partners at all levels contribute to funding Puget Sound recovery, including governments, not-for-profits, businesses and many others. A measurable portion of this investment is made through Washington state agencies' Ongoing Programs. Their funding comes from three sources listed below.
How much have state agency (ongoing) programs invested in "Fish Passage Barriers" in Puget Sound?
Estimated funding by state agency Puget Sound recovery-related ongoing programs authorized in the operating, capital and transportation budgets, per biennium. Data source: state agencies.
State: Estimated investments using revenue from taxes, fees, and other revenues collected by the state government.
Federal: Estimated investments using funding passed through from the federal government.
Private/Local: Estimated investments using funding received by the state government from private individuals, local governments, commercial enterprises, or foundations.
Indicators
Indicators are one or more metrics that we track consistently over time with repeatable methods. Indicators help us understand key dynamics of interest to tell the story of short-, medium-, and long-term changes in human activities and ecosystem conditions in Puget Sound.
| Indicator | Trend | Target Status |
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Drift cells in functional condition
This indicator is under development and is proposed as a measure to integrate attributes of drift cell function including 1) armor and overwater structures in the sediment supply and deposition zones as well as the transport reach, (2) marine riparian vegetation cover, and (3) forage fish presence/absence. |
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Estuary area in functional condition
This indicator measures the amount (acres and percent) of estuarine surface area in functional condition in Puget Sound’s 16 large river deltas. Estuary function is measured by the extent of connected tidal wetlands. Functional estuaries provide many ecosystem services and are critical to the recovery of the region’s salmon populations. |
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Extent of forest cover in nearshore marine riparian areas
This indicator measures the percent and acreage of forested cover (vegetation approximately 8 feet or taller) within defined riparian zones landward of the marine shoreline.
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Feeder bluffs in functional condition
This indicator measures the amount (length and percent) of Puget Sound feeder bluffs shorelines that are in functional or impaired condition (Figure 1). Feeder bluffs are eroding coastal bluffs that deliver the majority of sediment to maintain Puget Sound’s beaches and spits (Keuler 1988). Beaches and bluffs provide critical habitat for the region’s fish and wildlife, including spawning beaches for forage fish and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon. Shoreline armor is the main factor that impedes the functionality of feeder bluffs (Johannessen and MacLennan 2007; MacDonald et al. 1994) and therefore the presence of armor along feeder bluff shores is used as a proxy to assess feeder bluff function in our region. |
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Floodplain function in large and small river systems
This indicator measures the amount (acres and percent) of floodplain area in functional condition in Puget Sound’s 17 major rivers. Floodplain function is assessed at a regional scale using river connectivity and land use and cover. Areas that have natural land cover and unrestricted river flow are expected to be the most functional and provide the most ecosystem services. Floodplain function is impaired in areas with non-natural land cover or restricted river flow due to constraints or barriers (for example, roads, railroads, and levees). |
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Number of accessible pocket estuaries and embayments
This indicator measures the number of pocket estuaries and embayments that are accessible to juvenile salmon. |
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Number of natural-origin Chinook salmon on spawning grounds
This indicator evaluates the abundance and trends of the 22 Chinook salmon populations by measuring the number of natural-origin adult fish on the spawning grounds of five Puget Sound regions. Abundance estimates here do not include hatchery-origin fish (with few exceptions) or Chinook taken in harvest or by predators like orcas. The indicator is intended to reflect the goal of achieving wild population recovery of Puget Sound Chinook, which are federally listed as threatened. |
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Number of natural-origin coho salmon on spawning grounds
This indicator evaluates the abundance and trend of five coho salmon management units as measured by the number of natural-origin adult fish on the spawning grounds of Puget Sound. Abundance estimates here do not include hatchery-origin fish or coho salmon taken in harvest or by predators like orcas. The indicator is intended to reflect the abundance of wild coho salmon in Puget Sound, which are not federally listed under the Endangered Species Act. |
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Number of natural-origin Puget Sound steelhead on spawning grounds
This indicator evaluates the abundance and trend of the 32 steelhead populations by measuring the number of natural-origin adult fish on the spawning grounds of three Puget Sound regions. Abundance estimates here do not include hatchery-origin fish or steelhead taken in harvest or by predators like orcas. The indicator is intended to reflect the goal of achieving wild population recovery of Puget Sound steelhead, which are federally listed as threatened. |
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Number of natural-origin summer chum salmon on spawning grounds
This indicator evaluates the abundance and trend of the 2 Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon populations by measuring the number of natural-origin adult fish on the spawning grounds. Abundance estimates here do not include hatchery-origin fish or fish taken in harvest or by predators like orcas. The indicator is intended to reflect the goal of achieving wild population recovery of Hood Canal summer chum, which are federally listed as threatened. |
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Each indicator is evaluated for trend (e.g., 'getting better', 'getting worse', etc.). Some indicators also have targets and are evaluated for target status (whether we have met those targets).
Commitments
Commitments describe activities that partners and the Partnership pledge to pursue over the next four years to implement the Action Agenda and/or the Salmon Recovery Plan. Some state agencies' Ongoing Programs have committed to reach specific targets. The Partnership tracks implementation progress of Commitments annually.
| Organization | Description | Status |
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| Puget Sound Conservation Districts Caucus |
Commitment: Puget Sound Conservation Districts (PSCDs) will continue identifying, designing, and implementing fish passage barrier removal projects on residential, forest, and agricultural lands, including coordinating these efforts through regional strategies, and will continue connecting landowners/managers to local, regional, and federal funders such as Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to implement barrier removal projects through 2030 and beyond.
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| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Commitment: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will restore natural geomorphic processes and provide approximately 18 miles of critical fish passage at all flows within the Skokomish River basin by 2026.
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| Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |
Commitment: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will strive to create a guidance document for how counties, cities, and watersheds can prioritize their fish passage barrier removals.
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| Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |
Commitment: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will strive to provide web access to Riparian Data Engine through June 2026 and to Priority Habitats and Species information, existing High Resolution Change Detection data, and updated fish passage data on an ongoing basis.
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| Washington State Department of Transportation |
Commitment: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will improve the quality and accessibility of salmon habitat by continued implementation of Fish Passage and Chronic Environmental Deficiency projects, which construct climate resilient upgrades to highway infrastructure that improve salmon habitat and their ability to adapt to changing instream and ocean conditions through 2027.
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Reporting for Commitments starts in June 2026 and data will be updated once processed.