Since 1985, the Willapa Bay Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group has been working to restore naturally spawning salmon populations to sustainable levels in the streams of the Willapa Bay watershed in Pacific County, WA.
We've successfully completed more than 60 projects since 2000, focusing on specific types of projects that enhance salmon habitat and restore salmon runs in streams that historically supported salmon populations. Projects include one or more of the following:
- Assessment of existing salmon habitat and salmon populations – Evaluation may include specific streams or entire watersheds.
- Removal of salmon blockages – Physical barriers, such as culverts, that severely inhibit or prevent the movement of adult salmon to their spawning grounds or of smolt into estuaries are removed and replaced with salmon-friendly structures.
- Stream restorations – Instream habitat is modified or enhanced and abatement of sediment sources that pollute the water and smother salmon eggs and smolt is accomplished.
- Salmon enhancement – Salmon eggs, fry, and smolt are introduced into restored streams to reestablish sustainable populations that are "imprinted" on the stream and will return to spawn.
- Nutrient enhancement – Salmon carcasses are placed into the restored stream to increase the nutrients available to juvenile salmon and other fauna that benefit from the salmon carcasses.
To learn more about our work, view this sampling of some of our projects:
Courtesy of opencage.info
Chum Salmon Evaluation
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Skidmore Slough
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Oxbow Creek
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Trap Creek
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