NMFS has established a recovery planning process, with the goal of achieving the recovery of listed salmon and steelhead.  There are 10 Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs) or Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of salmon and steelhead listed as threatened or endangered in California and Southern Oregon.  To recover these species, the Southwest Regional Office is collaborating with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center.  Each recovery planning domain encompasses a specific geographic area and has a Technical Recovery Team (TRT) comprised of scientists from NMFS, other federal and state agencies, and academia, and is chaired by a NMFS scientist.  A recovery coordinator for each recovery planning domain is located in each of the SWR offices and is responsible for facilitating the development of recovery plans for specific species within their respective domain.   

There are four recovery domains in California:

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC)

North-Central California Coast (NCCC)

California Central Valley

South-Central/Southern California Coast