Monday October 2, 2023
Public News Service —
The Biden administration wants to get serious about restoring salmon populations to the Northwest.
A presidential memorandum directs federal agencies to assess how they can improve fish numbers in the Columbia River Basin.
Mitch Cutter, salmon and steelhead associate for the Idaho Conservation League, applauded the memo, saying other presidents have dodged the issue because it is tricky to address.
“What we’re seeing that’s very different about this administration is that they are ready to embrace that complexity and ready to get to a level of ‘How do we solve this problem?'” Cutter explained. “We’ve been putting this off across multiple administrations for 30 years now. How do we move this issue forward?”
Cutter pointed out salmon and steelhead populations over the past few decades have been in severe decline in the Columbia River Basin, including on the Snake River stretching into Idaho.