A growing effort to restore federal funding for a Columbia River salmon hatchery program is drawing support from Congress as concerns mount over the potential impacts on commercial fishing communities in Oregon and Washington.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., announced July 15 that she has asked the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to explain its decision to end funding for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) program, arguing the move threatens both salmon recovery efforts and the fishing communities that depend on the fishery.
The request follows a July 1 letter from Oregon's bipartisan Coastal Caucus urging BPA to reverse its decision to eliminate more than $2 million in annual funding for the program, which has helped support hatchery operations since 1993.
Managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the SAFE program raises hatchery salmon for release into off-channel areas of the Columbia River, creating commercial and recreational fishing opportunities while reducing harvest pressure on wild salmon protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
In her letter to BPA Administrator and CEO Travis Kavulla, Gluesenkamp Perez said she wants additional information about the agency's June 18 decision and how BPA plans to fulfill its responsibility to support native fish recovery while sustaining fishing communities.
"Since 1993, the SAFE program has created commercial and sport fishing opportunities in off-stem areas of the Columbia River, alleviating harvest pressures on wild salmon populations in the main stem while supporting regional economies," Gluesenkamp Perez wrote.
According to the congresswoman's office, current estimates indicate BPA's funding decision could affect hatchery operations in Washington and put approximately 7 million hatchery salmon currently in production at risk.
"I am hearing from fishermen across Southwest Washington who are deeply concerned about the economic consequences of this decision," Gluesenkamp Perez wrote, adding that the loss of funding threatens jobs and businesses already coping with budget reductions affecting Mitchell Act hatcheries.
In announcing the letter, Gluesenkamp Perez said hatcheries have long helped sustain healthy salmon populations while supporting the region's commercial and recreational fishing heritage.
"This is a decision with real consequences," she said. "Commercial and sport fishing is part of our heritage and our way of life. Supporting hatcheries is critical to sustaining the communities whose livelihoods depend on them."
The congressional effort builds on concerns raised earlier this month by Oregon lawmakers, who warned BPA's decision could eliminate the approximately 7 million hatchery fish currently being raised for release. The Coastal Caucus argued those fish are critical to coastal economies, commercial fishermen and the businesses that rely on fishing activity.
BPA, a federal nonprofit agency within the U.S. Department of Energy that markets electricity generated by federal dams in the Pacific Northwest, has said it is ending support for the SAFE program because it has not made sufficient progress toward improving ESA-listed salmon populations.
