Fish Recovery: The Long-term View 

ESA Recovery Efforts

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 is to conserve the ecosystems upon which the listed species depend. The ESA requires NOAA Fisheries to develop recovery plans for marine species (in the Columbia Basin, this includes listed salmon and steelhead species).  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) develops and implements recovery plans for resident fish.  (In the Columbia Basin, these are bull trout and Kootenai River white sturgeon.)  In addition, USFWS is involved in recovery planning for lamprey.

Recovery plans identify actions needed to restore threatened and endangered species to the point that they are again self-sustaining members of their ecosystems and no longer need the protections of the ESA.  Although recovery plans are guidance, not regulatory documents, the ESA clearly envisions recovery plans as the central organizing tool for guiding each species’ recovery process.

Recovery planning is an opportunity to search for common ground, organize protection and restoration of the fish and their habitat, and secure the economic and cultural benefits of healthy watersheds and rivers. The Services are committed to collaborative planning that draws on the collective knowledge, expertise, and actions of communities and partnerships.

Recovery plans include the following elements:

·        Measurable goals for delisting the species from the ESA

·        Factors limiting viability

·        Actions to address limiting factors

·        Recovery costs estimates