In 1999, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings of the Chinook salmon, summer chum, and bull trout in Puget Sound brought a growing crisis to the forefront in the Pacific Northwest. Taking action to protect salmon, Federal, state, tribal and local government, along with various industries, initiated a collaborative effort to develop a long-term plan for salmon recovery in Puget Sound.

Watershed groups across the Sound drafted recovery plans for their areas. NOAA Fisheries Service worked with Shared Strategy participants and the Puget Sound Technical Recovery Team to combine those plans into a single plan for the region.

In June 2005, the Shared Strategy presented its regional plan for ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook to NOAA. The Northwest Region then prepared a supplement that clarified and expanded on ESA recovery requirements. Following public comment on the proposed plan, NOAA finalized these two documents on January 19, 2007. Together the Shared Strategy plan and NOAA Fisheries Service supplement comprise a final recovery plan for Puget Sound completing for the first time ever in the history of the Endangered Species Act a recovery plan developed and endorsed by the community.

• Federal Register notice (PDF 56KB)

• Executive Summary to Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan Provides an overview of the draft Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan intended to inspire and inform a general audience on how Puget Sound communities and the region propose to create a future for both people and salmon. Download the .pdf file » (PDF 820KB)

• Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (Adopted January 19, 2007): a user-friendly blueprint for how people across the Puget Sound plan to recover salmon and preserve our regional culture and quality of life. The plan responds to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and federal agency requirements, describes regional, cross-watershed strategies and actions, and summarizes the local watershed chapters. Continue »

• NOAA Fisheries Service Supplement to Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (PDF 176KB)

• NOAA Fisheries Service Responses to Public Comments on Proposed Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (PDF 238KB)

• Regional Nearshore Approach: a regional chapter on protecting and restoring estuaries, Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Download the .zip file

• Volume II, Local Watershed Chapters: Each watershed chapter describes salmon recovery strategies and actions tailored to one of 14 watershed planning areas around the Puget Sound. Each local watershed plan is available to download in its entirety.