the film forum library tutorial contact

Columbia River Salmon Program Axed, Threatening Fisheries by Isobel Charle Big News Network, August 17, 2026

The program is aimed to aid endangered fish by reducing
harvest pressure on wild fish migrating up the Columbia River.

Recreational and commercial fishers are decrying a move by the Bonneville Power Administration to cancel a decades-old program that supplied millions of hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead into the Columbia River.

The Select Area Fisheries Enhancement program was created to mitigate the harmful effects of dams on the river and fisheries. It will be defunded at the end of September.

James Adkins, executive director of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, said the program provides much of the recreational and commercial harvest opportunities for salmon and steelhead on the lower Columbia.

"In August, which is typically when the, quote, buoy 10 season kicks off, that season may just go away. You may still be able to harvest fall Chinook, but coho would just disappear altogether," Adkins contended.

In a statement, the Bonneville Power Administration said it is canceling the program because it only augments the fish harvest and has not helped threatened wild salmon and other species recover.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which runs the program along with Bonneville but was not involved in its cancellation, disagrees.

Davia Palmeri, federal policy director for the department, said Bonneville is obligated to offset the profound loss of wild fish populations as well as recreational and commercial fishing opportunities caused by the dam system.

Palmeri also noted canceling the program at the end of September is especially rough, as 7 million hatchery fish will not be ready for release by then.

"We do not have the resources to pay for those fish beyond October 1st. So those fish are currently at risk. And then if those fish don't make it back into the system, we will lose fishing opportunity in future years," Palmeri explained.

Palmeri added the program does aid endangered fish by reducing pressure on wild fish migrating up the Columbia. Palmeri noted Bonneville just got a new administrator after the decision to cancel the program was made, so she hopes it will create an opportunity for the decision to be reversed. Source: