After listing 27 Pacific salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, NMFS initiated a coastwide process to develop recovery plans for these species. An important part of this process was the creation of geographically based Technical Recovery Teams (TRTs). The TRTs are multi-disciplinary science teams chaired by NWFSC or SWFSC staff. They were tasked with providing science support to recovery planners by developing biologically based viability criteria, analyzing alternative recovery strategies, and providing scientific review of draft plans.

With the imminent publication of recovery plans for most Pacific Northwest recovery domains, the Pacific Northwest TRTs either have completed or are close to completing their initial tasks of developing viability criteria and providing science support for recovery plan development. Most of the original TRTs have therefore been phased out as they completed their final tasks in late 2007 and early 2008.

In 2008, a new TRT was initiated to develop population structure information and biological viability criteria for Puget Sound steelhead. In addition, the Puget Sound Recovery Implementation Technical Team was formed to provide recovery plan implementation support specifically for the Puget Sound domain. Both teams work in coordination with the Pacific Northwest Recovery Implementation Science Team (RIST).