ies throughout the state, by wide variety of volunteer and semi-official organizations and individuals. Although stock transfers, extensive trapping and broodstock collection efforts, and loosely regulated breeding, rearing, transportation, and stocking may pose a treat, there is little to no monitoring or regulation of such effects.
The coho salmon migratory and anadromous life history leads it through a diverse array of regulatory jurisdictions. The majority of the coho salmon life stages (egg, larval, juvenile and spawning adult) occur in freshwater and are thus affected by laws and policies designed or supposed to regulate inland watersheds and riparian zones.
Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) is a very debilitating disease that effects coho salmon in many stages of its life. Studies conducted in 1993 by Dr. Bill Cox showed all of coho salmon sampled in Scott Creek (Santa Cruz County) tested positive for BKD. One of the serious side effects of this disease is first demonstrated in low survival of eggs. Infected coho salmon females had only a 40% survival rate for eggs incubated at the hatchery. While females treated with erythromycin had egg survival rates of 80% (Dr. William Cox, California Department of Fish and Game). While living in fresh or saltwater life stages, the growth of BKD lesions on the kidneys can weaken and kill juvenile and adult fish. But it is theorized that serious losses occur when coho salmon transition as smolts from freshwater smolts to salt water and again as sea run adults transitioning back from salt water to freshwater. During this life stage the kidneys play a major role in this amazing adaptation that in fresh water allows coho to absorb salts and conversely in salt water, expel salts from the body. This transition is difficult for healthy fish, and it is theorized that a large percentage of coho salmon infected with BKD, are lost at both of these migration phases.
Ceratomyxa shasta, a parasite is present in the Colombia River system and is increasing (Ratliff 1983), and may be spreading to other areas. Some stocks of coho salmon may be resistant, but present methods of detecting the parasite are lacking and previous data on resistance may be confounded due a detection error. No information has been found to indicate the presence of C. shasta in California. This parasite as well as any other disease should be carefully monitored for, diligence by the State of California is this arena may be the best assurance against a set back in future restorations efforts.
The State Fish and Game Commission has listed coho salmon south of San Francisco as Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act. A Draft Recovery Plan has been developed and the Department of Fish and Game has taken some immediate action to protect and recover this important stock of coho salmon. The treatment of disease and emergency propagation of the few returning adults , has proven to be a very effective in greatly increasing spawning runs and reestablishing coho in neighboring streams that had completely lost their runs of coho salmon. Populations of coho salmon in streams with similar problems, await this same quick and decisive action.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the National Environmental Protection Act require a finding of significant impact (and mitigation applied) if a project will; 1) interfere substantially with the movement of any resident or migratory fish 2) Substantially degrade water quality or 3) cause substantial flooding, erosion or sedimentation. However these protections can only be triggered if the public identifies the problem and it is deemed to meet the threshold of Substantial. The most onerous part of the process is when politics and economics cause the best alternatives to be rejected, in favor of watered down mitigations or alternatives that damage coho habitat. The failure of this system of regulations is evident when the cataloging of habitat destruction and population declines has continued unabated under this system of regulations. Further, the money spent on EIR a