ESA Recovery Plan for the Puget Sound Steelhead Distinct Population Segment (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
December 30, 2019
This recovery plan provides guidance for the protection and recovery of Puget Sound steelhead.
Puget Sound steelhead is a listed threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recognizes Puget Sound steelhead as a distinct population segment (DPS) of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The Puget Sound steelhead DPS includes all naturally spawned steelhead originating below natural and manmade impassable barriers in rivers flowing into Puget Sound from the Elwha River (inclusive) eastward, including rivers in Hood Canal, South Sound, North Sound, and the Strait of Georgia. The DPS includes steelhead from six artificial propagation programs.