Priorities moving forward
Implementation Progress Report 2006-2015
In late 2015, the WRIA 8 Technical Committee hosted a forum of fisheries scientists and technical experts working in the watershed. Participants heard about the latest research on Chinook salmon recovery challenges and brainstormed priority actions and areas of investigation for consideration in the WRIA 8 Ten-Year Plan Update. They ranked the most important uncertainties and technical barriers limiting recovery as follows:
First-tier priorities
- Ballard Locks and Ship Canal operations – effects of high temperature and decreased dissolved oxygen on migration with potential for resistance to disease/parasites
- Juvenile rearing and refuge (especially on the Cedar River) and floodplain connectivity
- Lake survival – especially artificial light and predation effects on juveniles
- Temperature – especially in the Ship Canal and Sammamish River
Second-tier priorities
- Water quality – stormwater, including toxic loading of phthalates and dialysis drugs (potentially a first-tier priority in Lake Union)
- Stream flows – both winter and summer
- Invasive aquatic plants
Other potential limiting factors
- Piers and docks
- Mixing of wild and hatchery stocks or other hatchery issues
The WRIA 8 Technical Committee will use this information in 2016 to develop monitoring and research priorities for the WRIA 8 Ten-Year Plan Update.
Locks need repair. Major repairs are needed to the 100-year-old Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks (pdf) to ensure the safe passage of adult and juvenile salmon into and out of the watershed. Failure of key infrastructure at the Locks would have significant economic and environmental consequences for the entire region. Funding for this federal facility has been limited.