Watershed Information:

1. General Watershed Description: Lake Ozette is located entirely within Olympic National Park in the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, in Clallam County, Washington. It is the third largest natural lake in Washington State. Data suggests that historically, Lake Ozette supported a sockeye population of over ten thousand fish per year. Over the last fifty years, however, that number has declined to less than one thousand. On March 25, 1999, NOAA listed the Lake Ozette sockeye salmon population as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. For more information, see also the WDFW summary regarding Lake Ozette Sockeye.
   The Ozette Basin includes both the Ozette River watershed as well as the Lake Ozette watershed.
2. Stakeholders: Current land ownership within the Ozette Basin is distributed among private timber companies (primarily Green Crow, Rayonier, and Merrill & Ring) (72%), the National Park Service (NPS) (16%), Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) (11%), the Makah Indian Tribe (1%), and a relatively small number of smaller private landowners. The Ozette Basin is within the usual and accustomed management areas of both the Makah Tribe and Quileute Tribe.
3. Tier explanation (from NOPLE Salmon Habitat Recovery Strategy): The Ozette Basin is a Tier 1 (top priority) watershed for purposes of salmon habitat recovery funding via the Salmon Recovery Funding Board as explained under Prioritized Watersheds in the NOPLE Strategy.
4. Bibliography:
   • WDFW summary regarding Lake Ozette Sockeye
   • NOAA NMFS’ biological opinion regarding hatchery, research, and monitoring and evaluation activities
   • Lake Ozette Sockeye Limiting Factor Analysis (forthcoming and current priority to complete)
   • Lake Ozette Sockeye Recovery Plan (forthcoming, follows after LFA, and due December 2006)
   • Presentation by Ed Bowen on Invasive Knotweed
   • For more information about stocks, habitat, and watershed processes, also check out Documentation (Appendix E).
5. Relevant Hatchery Operations:
   • NOAA documents re Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon Resource Management Plan - Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan Component.
   • Puget Sound and Coastal Washington Hatchery Reform Project, see Umbrella Creek Hatchery within North Coast area.
6. Current Harvest Impacts: There has been no harvest of Ozette Lake sockeye salmon for the past four brood cycle years (16 years). From WDFW summary regarding Lake Ozette Sockeye.