Phase I and II Report: Evaluating Anthropogenic Barriers as Constraints to Recovery of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Trout Across the U.S. West Coast

The aim of the project is to identify human-caused (anthropogenic) barriers—mostly dams—that, according to the evidence, restrict the recovery of populations of Pacific salmon and steelhead (salmonids) listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This report focuses on their range along the U.S. West Coast (Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California). We summarize methods and results for Phase I (data collection) and introduce an approach for Phase II (data verification) of a four phase project to prioritize fish passage for listed salmonids, with a goal of increasing population resilience.