US Marine Mammal Comm, $500m Green River Fish Passage Project Targeted for Elimination

Eliminating the Marine Mammal Commission. Eliminating $500 million for a new downstream salmon and steelhead smolt passage facility on a King County river that will help open 100 miles of “high-quality” spawning and rearing habitat.

Those are two dizzying salmon-related developments coming out of DC in recent days. They’re far, far from final, and we’ll take them one by one.

The Trump Administration’s proposed budget, released earlier this month, zeroes out funding for the Marine Mammal Commission, which oversees federal activities affecting sea lions, harbor seals, whales, polar bears and other saltwater-based mammals, beginning October 1 of this year.

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the U.S. government to ensure the health and survival of all marine mammals within U.S. jurisdiction. Without the commission, it is unclear how federal officials would be able to comply with the law,” the Columbia Basin Bulletin reports today.

In the few news stories that have touched on the subject, environmental groups have decried the move.

Pinnipeds are a hot-button topic among Northwest fishermen, especially this time of year as California and Steller sea lions come up the Columbia River to feed on smelt, Chinook and steelhead runs. The animals have been found to consume as much as 44 percent of the springer run.

WDFW, ODFW and other entities have a permit to lethally remove the pinnipeds at Bonneville Dam, Willamette Falls and elsewhere listed salmon and steelhead swim in the Columbia. The idea is to create “safe zones” for fish. Though it’s never enough for some, they took out 53 last year at the dam and falls, 47 in 2023, 26 the year before that and 67 in 2021.

And this afternoon, Yakama Nation Fisheries reports 42 sea lions “removed” so far in 2025 – 39 in Bonneville’s tailrace, a total of three from the Bonneville Pool (performed today and yesterday), and one from the Willamette. They say there have been as many as seven in the pool above the dam, with one dying from unknown causes and another hazed back downstream, leaving two in the reservoir.

Limited removals are allowed as, per the feds, CSLs have “fully rebounded” and reached their environment’s carrying capacity, while the eastern stock (or West Coast) stock of SSLs has been delisted from ESA.

The states’ permit, which expires in August, is up for renewal. WDFW received $1.1 million for management activities on the big river from the state legislature this past session.

As for that fish passage project, it’s long been in the works at Howard Hanson Dam on King County’s upper Green River, but the yanking of half a billion in funding – the work also involves improving municipal water supplies and reducing flood risk – left Washington Senator Patty Murray (D) livid and vitrolic.

“I am furious that this administration plans to unilaterally defund construction on the Howard Hanson Dam, which was set to receive $500 million to execute a necessary construction contract this year – funding I fought tooth and nail for in the appropriations bill I cleared unanimously out of committee last year and that was also included in the House Appropriations bill drafted by Republicans,” Murray said in a press release out this afternoon. “This is a staggering betrayal of Washington state and the entire Pacific Northwest and a tremendous, unacceptable setback in the important work to safeguard our water supply, protect our communities from dangerous flooding, and save our salmon. Eliminating this funding will also prevent the federal government from meeting its legal obligations to finish construction of this passage.”

The move, made under budget sleights, is outlined in the Army Corps of Engineers’ work plan for 2025, which now shows no funding for the project, according to a second statement from Murray’s office this afternoon.

The state’s senior senator has long been focused on the Green River, fish, floods and water supplies. Previously, she secured $270 million to begin construction on the fish passage facility, meant to provide a way for young Chinook, coho and steelhead to make their way downstream from 100 river miles worth of habitat in the upper Green River that will be opened up in conjunction with the Tacoma Public Utilities’ adult collection facility on the river, which stands ready to get to work.

Before that, she landed $44 million for repairs to Howard Hanson.

This latest $500 million “is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled,” Murray’s first press release states.

A $657 million contract was awarded for the project last October to Flatiron-Aecon Joint Venture.

“The project will provide over 100 miles of high-quality river and tributary habitat. The project will increase the ability of Endangered Species Act-listed Chinook salmon to access substantially more spawning and rearing area – 221 square miles of undeveloped watershed,” a Corps press release stated at the time.

The Corps’ work plans do include $4.7 million for operations and maintenance at Howard Hanson, as well as just under $17 million for various fish mitigation work on the Columbia and $19 million for similar on the Willamette.

Theoretically, the fish passage project should boost returns of Green River salmon and steelhead, benefitting southern resident killer whales, tribal and sport fishermen, and the environment.

But now it’s on the rocks as much as the Marine Mammal Commission appears to be. It will be interesting to see what Congress does in the end. Stay tuned.