BPA To Cut Columbia River Hatchery Funding!

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) recently informed the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) that it “decided” to end funding the Columbia River Select Area Fishery Enhancement (SAFE) Hatchery Program and the production of over 7 million salmon that support Columbia River and ocean fisheries. Approximately 35% of this production is caught in recreational fisheries.

The Columbia River SAFE hatchery program provides critical mitigation for the impacts of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS), which has substantially reduced the abundance of salmonid populations available for fisheries. The SAFE program is a cornerstone of lower Columbia River selective harvest reforms that have effectively removed commercial gillnets from the mainstem in the spring and summer when eight of the 12 ESA-listed salmonid populations are migrating through the river.

BPA’s action runs counter to the recommendations of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, the regional entity charged with advising BPA on program funding. BPA’s recent statements defending its decision raise serious alarms about its commitment to other Columbia River hatchery programs. Without hatcheries, there will be no fisheries.

We can’t let BPA walk away from its hatchery mitigation responsibilities! Our hatcheries already face unprecedented threats: flat federal and state funding, a growing deferred maintenance backlog, and anti-hatchery litigation.

Please take just a moment to contact BPA’s new Administrator urging him to reverse this decision.