ODFW To Detail Draft Rock Creek Hatchery Proposal To Maintain In-basin Salmon Production

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

The public is invited to learn about a proposal to maintain hatchery production in the Umpqua Basin by making investments at Rock Creek Hatchery and in the South Umpqua.

The proposal is based on information gathered over the past year from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s review of the state hatchery system, including Rock Creek Hatchery, as well as feedback from stakeholder groups and the public, conversations with local groups, and consultation with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians (CCBUTI).

Under this draft proposal, the Department would:

• Invest some of the insurance funds from the Archie Creek Fire at Rock Creek Hatchery to maintain the existing spring Chinook program.
• ODFW would also partner with CCBUTI to invest remaining insurance funding and, potentially, FEMA funding at a facility in the South Umpqua to rear the winter steelhead and coho programs.
• The fall Chinook program would continue to be reared at the Gardiner-Reedsport STEP facility and Elk River Hatchery.

ODFW is hosting a March 11 town hall to share the concept for this state-Tribal partnership and will be joined by CCBUTI to answer questions and take feedback. The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in the Community Conference Hall building.

Since the 2020 wildfires that damaged Rock Creek Hatchery and other facilities, ODFW has maintained Umpqua Basin production by raising hatchery fish at both Cole Rivers and Elk River hatcheries and returning them to the Umpqua Basin for acclimation before release. The proposed partnership would return production in basin.

ODFW will also discuss key findings from the state’s hatchery assessment, the challenges of Rock Creek after the fire and how this partnership could present a unique opportunity for the entire southwest fishery system.