Status review of California Coho Salmon North of San Francisco

On July 28, 2000, the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) received a petition to list coho salmon north of San Francisco as an endangered species under provisions of the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Commission referred the petition to the Department of Fish and Game (Department) on August 7, 2000, for evaluation. The Department found that the information in the petition was sufficient to indicate the action may be warranted and recommended the Commission accept the petition. The petition was accepted by the Commission on April 5, 2001. On April 27, 2001 the Commission published a Notice of Findings in the California Regulatory Notice Register declaring coho salmon a candidate species, thereby starting the candidacy period.

This report contains the results of the Department’s status review and recommendations to the Commission. The Department evaluated the status separately for the two coho salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) that occur in California: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho ESU (SONCC Coho ESU - those populations from Punta Gorda north to the Oregon border) and the Central California Coast Coho
ESU (CCC Coho ESU - those populations from San Francisco Bay north to Punta Gorda).

The Department concludes that the listing of the California portion of the SONCC Coho ESU as endangered is not warranted, but listing as threatened is warranted. The Department recommends that the Commission add coho salmon north of Punta Gorda to the list of threatened species. The Department concludes that coho salmon in the CCC Coho ESU is in serious danger of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The Department concludes that listing this species as an endangered species is warranted. The Department recommends that the Commission add coho salmon north of, and including, San Francisco Bay to Punta Gorda to the list of endangered species.