These GIS data contain stream reaches that were identified as habitat areas for the Columbia River Chum Salmon (CMCOL) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU).
WOPR (Western Oregon Plan Revision) PRMP (Proposed Resource Management Plan) Chum Salmon Columbia River CHART (Critical Habitat Analytical Review Teams) PCE (Primary Constituent Elements) This data is a PRMP release version of the data fsh_aa_a_chum_chart_arc. These data were used in the critical habitat analysis conducted by National Marine Fisheries Service's Critical Habitat Analytical Review Teams. The analysis was conducted as part of the rule making process for critical habitat. Critical habitat for CMCOL salmon is defined in National Marine Fisheries Service's final rule to designate critical habitat for 12 ESUs of Pacific salmon and steelhead (2005). The fish distribution in this data set was compiled from data gathered from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Additionally, we received comments from the public, federal agencies, and state and tribal salmon co-managers during the rule making process. A detailed description of this process can be found in the following document: Final Assessment of NOAA Fisheries' Critical Habitat Analytical Review Teams For 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead, NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division, 2005. These data were compiled from statewide data sets, public comments, and the expert opinions of our Critical Habitat Analytical Review Teams (CHART). On the Washington side of the ESU we started with 1:24,000 scale fish distribution data from WDFW. On the Oregon side of the ESU we started with 1:100,000 scale enhanced fish distribution data from ODFW. The ODFW mapped fish distribution on 1:24,000 scale USGS topographic maps and transferred the data to a 1:100,000 scale hydrography layer. However, some of the streams found on a 1:24,000 scale map are not found in the 1:100,000 scale hydrography. These non-matching streams are recorded as points representing the upper extent of fish distribution. We created new stream lines for these 1:24,000 scale points. These data describe occupied and unoccupied habitat areas, as well as freshwater and estuarine spawning, rearing, and migration areas (i.e. Primary Constituent Elements or PCEs) identified in the final rule to designate critical habitat. The distribution of PCEs in these databases represent the areas where salmon and steelhead have been observed or where they are presumed to occur based on the professional judgment of biologists familiar with the watershed. Unoccupied areas were identified where the CHART determined that the habitat areas may be essential for conservation of the ESU. However, known of the unoccupied areas were included in the final rule to designate critical habitat for the CMCOL salmon ESU. A full report on the methodology used in the creation of the Critical Habitat databases can be found in the following documents: (1) Habitat Distribution for 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, Northwest Region Protected Resources Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, 2005; (2) Final Assessment of NOAA Fisheries' Critical Habitat Analytical Review Teams For 12 Evolutionarily Significant Units of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead, Northwest Region Protected Resources Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, 2005.
