Indirectly and directly, improving salmon habitat is one of the primary goals of a large amount of regulatory activity in the Northwest. Directly, impacts to salmon habitat can trigger consultations under the Endangered Species Act that lead to mitigation requirements. Indirectly, improvements to salmon habitat can be used to meet water quality requirements. There is currently no active market for salmon credits in Oregon, but there are several entities with large, but nebulously defined mitigation needs. The salmon currency provides a metric and protocol for enhancing or restoring in and near-stream habitat to generate credits.
Counting on the Environment’s Salmon Credit Calculation Method
The Salmon Credit Calculation Method calculates scores for six ecological functions relevant to optimal habitat for the range of salmonid species. The output of the metric is a weighted linear foot that is based on the % of optimal functions performed by the stream and near-stream habitat.
The salmon metric began development as part of the Oregon Department of Transportation bridges project and was further refined by Parametrix, INC. The Counting on the Environment project of the Willamette Partnership convened a salmonid focus group to review the metric, assign weights to the six functions, and develop trading rules specific to the salmonid currency.
Salmon Habitat Calculation Documents:
Salmon Crediting Procedure