The Puget Sound domain is a complex mix of densely populated and developed urban areas, including Seattle/Everett/Tacoma, rich agricultural areas, and forested headwaters. NOAA Fisheries Service convened the Puget Sound Technical Recovery Team (TRT) in April 2000.

The Northwest Region conducted recovery planning here in conjunction with a coalition of salmon management interests called the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound. It included NOAA Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Governor's Office, Puget Sound treaty tribes, state natural resources agencies, local governments, and key non-government organizations.

The Shared Strategy was a groundbreaking collaborative effort to protect and restore salmon runs across Puget Sound. Shared Strategy engaged local citizens, tribes, technical experts, and policy makers to build a practical, cost-effective recovery plan endorsed by the people living and working in the watersheds of Puget Sound. NOAA Fisheries believes there is a higher likelihood of recovery plan implementation through the Shared Strategy's successor organization, the Puget Sound Partnership, than if the Northwest Region developed the plan independently, because other entities with authority to affect salmon habitat, harvest or hatcheries were directly involved in creating the plan and identifying implementation actions.

The TRT released Planning Ranges and Preliminary Guidelines for the Delisting and Recovery of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (PDF 375KB). This document describes planning ranges for viability and providing initial recommendations for ESU viability and recovery of Puget Sound Chinook. The viability ranges included in that document reflect abundance and productivity analyses from the TRT and state and tribal co-managers.

Recovery plans have been completed for each of the three ESA-listed salmon species in Puget Sound, and will be prepared for listed steelhead.