The mission of the Willamette Salmonid Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Program is to provide the biological knowledge necessary for managers to make informed decisions relating to the fish resources of the Willamette River Basin.  The program focus is largely on salmon and steelhead populations above Willamette Falls, but we also conduct work on bull trout in the upper basin and spring Chinook salmon in the Clackamas and Sandy rivers.

Research conducted by the program supports efforts to conserve and recover threatened salmonids in the Willamette Basin and is guided by the 2008 Willamette Project Biological Opinion (BiOp), the Upper Willamette River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead, and ODFW’s mission to “protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations.” 

Project collaborators and sponsors include the Bureau of Land Management, the Eugene Water & Electric Board, Metro, Meyer Memorial Trust, the National Marine Fisheries Service, North Clackamas County Parks and Recreation District, the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, Oregon State University, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.