Wednesday June 24, 2026
OPB —
It’s not clear what will happen to the 7 million fingerlings that Oregon and Washington officials expected to release next spring.
A program that raises millions of salmon in hatcheries on the Lower Columbia River each year is in financial peril, according to Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, after the federal agency that covers a large share of its costs said it’s cutting off funding effective Sept. 30.
The fate of 7 million salmon being raised for release into rivers next spring is now in limbo. It’s also raised the ire of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association and has Oregon officials saying recreational anglers could feel the effects of the cuts next year.
In a letter explaining its plan to cut $2.4 million in annual support for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement, or SAFE, program, the Bonneville Power Administration said the program is not doing enough to boost fish populations harmed by the federal dams it owns and operates.
“The sole function of the current SAFE program, both in effect and by design, is to augment harvest opportunities for recreational and commercial fishers,” Jason Sweet, executive manager of Bonneville’s fish and wildlife program, told the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in a letter sent Friday.