PNW tribal fish hatcheries get big boost from Biden administration

WASHINGTON — The Department of Interior and Commerce invested $240 million in fish hatcheries that directly support tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

As part of the Invest in America agenda put forth by the Biden administration, the money will directly support Pacific salmon and steelhead fisheries essential to tribal communities.

“Since time immemorial, Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have relied on Pacific salmon, steelhead and other native fish species for sustenance and their cultural and spiritual ways of life,” Secretary Deb Haaland said. “This funding will help us deliver historic investments from the President’s Investing in America agenda that will empower Indigenous communities and safeguard resources they have stewarded since time immemorial.”

The investment is part of an agreement the administration and tribal communities in the Upper Columbia River Basin made to restore the salmon population to abundant levels.

The investment comes after the administration admitted that the dams built in the Columbia and Snake Rivers affected the salmon run that native tribes in the Pacific Northwest dependent on.

Initially, $54 million of the $240 million was made available to tribes to support facility modernization and maintenance.

“There’s also more to be done, and I look forward to working with all Tribes and Congressional champions to find future opportunities to support salmon hatcheries,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

The rest of the investment will be used to address long-term plans that will support the critical infrastructure for the Pacific salmon and steelhead.

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