Anadromous Fish
Fish that reproduce in fresh water, but spend part of their growth cycle in the ocean.

Biological Assessment
Identification of proposed and/or listed species that are likely to be affected by a project, followed by an assessment of the extent of those impacts.

Endangered Species
A species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range.

Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The federal regulation that governs the listing, protection, and recovery of threatened and endangered species.

Habitat Conservation Plan
A mitigation plan developed by an applicant for an incidental take permit under Section 10 of the ESA. This permit allows certain activities that may result in incidental harm to individual members of a listed species, in exchange for requirements to perform agreed-upon mitigation that provides an overall benefit for the listed species.

Incidental Take Permit
A permit that allows the incidental take of listed species under Section 10 of the ESA. The permit requires development of a Habitat Conservation Plan.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
One of the two agencies (along with US Fish and Wildlife Service) designated to implement the Endangered Species Act. This agency is responsible for listings of marine fish, including anadromous fish. NMFS is part of the Department of Commerce.

Recovery
The improvement in the status of the listed species to the point that listing is no longer appropriate.

Response Plan
The City of Portland's plan for complying with the ESA. The Response Plan will identify the overall program strategy, help set priorities, identify benchmarks for assessing the program's effectiveness, and provide an estimated schedule for completing the work.

Section 4(d) Rule
Section 4(d) provides take prohibitions for threatened species, just as Section 10 does for endangered species. Under the ESA, the section 4(d) rule prohibits harming or killing ("taking") threatened species or adversely modifying their habitat. This section also allows jurisdictions to request a "take exemption" for programs and activities that might have incidental impacts on the threatened species (for example, restoration efforts or scientific sampling that might result in the death of a given number of individuals). NMFS then decides whether to include the program as a take exemption under the 4(d) rule.

Section 10
The section of the ESA that authorizes incidental takings of endangered species.

Take
Any action that harms, threatens, endangers, or harasses a species or modifies or degrades a species habitat.

Threatened Species
A species at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future.