NW States, Tribes Ask Congress For Salmon And Steelhead Funding

Northwest states and tribes are asking Congress to include at least $371 million in funding for salmon and steelhead hatchery production, facility maintenance, fish recovery, pinniped removal, management and more in the Columbia watershed in the next federal budget, a request supported by a range of sportfishing and environmental groups.

The letter from the so-called “six sovereigns” terms the big river a “lifeline” to the region and asks lawmakers to make “robust investments to support salmon restoration efforts in the Columbia Basin, the recreational and commercial fishing industry, and the fulfillment of the United States’ treaty and trust obligations to tribes.”

It’s signed by the governors of Oregon and Washington and the chairs of Umatilla, Warm Springs, Nez Perce and Yakama Tribes and was sent last Thursday to the chairs and vice chairs of the US Senate and House of Representatives’ appropriations committees as the process of writing the federal budget for fiscal year 2026 begins.

While coming at a time of dramatic upheaval in Washington, DC, specifically, their letter calls for at least $34 million for operations and upkeep at Mitchell Act hatcheries, which produce roughly 40 million Chinook, coho and steelhead and 30 percent of clipped fish annually released in the basin; $96 million for the Pacific Salmon program funding ESA-required recovery and conservation efforts, including at least $5.5 million to augment state efforts to control sea lions “that are having a significant negative impact” on listed stocks; a combined $58.6 million in support of the Pacific Salmon Treaty; and $75.2 million for mitigation and fish passage work at federal dams

Interestingly, the joint letter from the states and tribes requests $37.1 million for hatchery operations in the Willamette Valley, which is entirely in Oregon. That funding would go to make up for flat federal funding that could begin to lead to reduced spring Chinook and summer steelhead releases.

And it also asks for $70 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which since 2000 has been used for nearly 16,000 projects helping restore 12,000-plus stream miles and 1.2 million acres of fish habitat – but is also threatened with elimination in the 2026 federal budget via what’s known as passback.

Signers of the letter include Governors Tina Kotek of Oregon and Bob Ferguson of Washington and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Chair Gary L. Burke, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation Chair Jonathan W. Smith, Nez Perce Tribe Chair Shannon Wheeler and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation Chair Gerald Lewis.

While the term “six sovereigns” was born out of the bid to breach the four lower Snake River dams during the Biden Administration, the state and tribal leaders make no mention of that effort.

However, their request was followed by a letter of support from a range of fishing, environmental and faith groups.

“The ecology of the Northwest simply would not be the same without salmon. These species are also the center of robust commercial and sportfishing industries that sustain good-paying jobs throughout the region,” the 38 organizations wrote, pointing to some $7.5 billion in annual economic activity supporting 50,000 jobs.

“And salmon and steelhead are a cornerstone of culture in the Northwest, especially for the Tribal Nations who hold treaty-reserved fishing rights,” they add.

Signers of the support letter include orgs dependent in part on hatchery production powering fisheries – Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Northwest Marine Trade Association, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, NW Guides and Anglers Association, Coastal Conservation Association of Washington – as well as ones that might surprise you: Earthjustice Action and Endangered Species Coalition.

Other signatories include Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, CCA Oregon, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Idaho Conservation League, League of Conservation Voters, Mckenzie River Guides Association, Orca Conservancy, Pacific Rivers, Sierra Club, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited and Washington Wild.

“At a time when many salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin are at or near all-time lows, it is critical that the federal government provides much needed funding for programs that support the recovery of these important fish,” the orgs write.