Govind Tekale
For the first time in 16 years of monitoring, endangered Central California Coast coho salmon have returned to Mendocino Coast rivers in record numbers. Over 15,000 adult coho salmon came back to their native waters during the 2023-24 spawning season, offering a rare success story in the ongoing battle to save this threatened species.
The Ten Mile and Noyo rivers exceeded the recovery targets set by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for removing these salmon from the endangered species list. The Big and Garcia rivers also saw their highest returns on record.
“I remember in the 1990s monitoring streams where water temperatures were too hot for CCC coho and lacking in structure, and I thought they would never come back in my lifetime,” said Jonathan Ambrose, NOAA San Joaquin River Branch Chief. “I’ve been at NOAA Fisheries for 25 years, and we’ve changed the trajectory for CCC coho salmon.”
Despite this progress, scientists caution that Central California Coast coho still face a long road to recovery. The recovery targets must be consistently met across multiple watersheds before they can be considered for removal from the endangered species list.
Decades of Decline and Recovery Efforts
Historically, hundreds of thousands of coho salmon returned to California rivers each year. These fish provided food for people, wildlife, and even contributed nutrients that helped redwood forests thrive. However, overfishing, climate change, and habitat damage from logging and road construction pushed the species to near extinction.
By the time coho salmon were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1996, they had disappeared from many rivers and streams. Since then, NOAA has invested $82.2 million in restoration work and monitoring efforts in the Mendocino Rivers.
“Long-term status and trend population monitoring is a crucial component of recovery to help determine when a species can be delisted and to inform management actions,” explained Sarah Gallagher, Senior Environmental Scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
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Tracking the Salmon Recovery
The population estimates come from spawning surveys that count salmon nests at random sample sites throughout 500 miles of spawning habitat on the Mendocino Coast. Teams visit each site every two weeks during spawning season. They also count adult and juvenile fish at monitoring stations to help ensure accurate estimates.
Since 2000, NOAA has provided $61.5 million to CDFW for monitoring fish populations and funding restoration projects. This work is carried out in partnership with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, Redwood Timber Company, and Mendocino Redwood Company.
Peter van de Burgt, North Coast Restoration Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy, has witnessed the immediate benefits of their work: “One cool finding we’ve seen through our monitoring is that fish will use our newly restored sites instantly and travel an incredibly long distance to use good off-channel floodplain habitat.”
What Drove the Salmon Recovery?
Multiple factors have contributed to the increase in salmon numbers. Commercial and recreational fishing for these salmon has been closed for nearly 20 years. Ocean conditions and California’s changing rainfall patterns also play important roles.
Scientists believe the restoration of freshwater habitats and improved land management have been critical to the recovery. Since 1996, NOAA and its partners have:
- Completed more than 400 habitat restoration projects in Mendocino Coast watersheds
- Significantly increased funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Streamlined permits and planning to speed up restoration work
- Helped change California forest practices to protect salmon habitat
- Built relationships with landowners to reduce harmful land management
“There’s this culture and community invested in implementing restoration on the Mendocino Coast and recovering CCC coho salmon,” said van de Burgt. “We’re just one part of that community, but it’s enabled all of us to do our part, and it all adds up to a big change.”
Looking Ahead: Scaling Up Restoration
In 2023, NOAA awarded The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited $14.5 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for large-scale restoration projects on five watersheds. Workers have already begun removing barriers in the Big River watershed, with juvenile salmon observed using the newly opened habitat.
“The funding allows us to cover multiple watersheds and complete full project cycles,” explained van de Burgt. “It will also directly lead to dozens of on-the-ground restoration projects over the coming years.”
Government agencies have also simplified their permitting processes to speed up project implementation. Permits that once took a year can now be processed in weeks.
Anna Halligan, North Coast Coho Project Director for Trout Unlimited, emphasized the importance of creating diverse habitats: “Just like it’s good to have a diverse economic portfolio, we want coho to have access to a variety of habitats so they can respond to whatever climate event is occurring year-to-year.”
While recent numbers are encouraging, scientists acknowledge that maintaining this progress will require continued investment and collaboration. The upcoming years will be crucial in determining whether these endangered salmon can maintain their recovery trajectory.
