The Biden Administration says $60 million will be available for NOAA Fisheries to invest in upgrades identified as tribal priorities for Columbia River Basin hatchery facilities that produce Pacific salmon through the Mitchell Act.
The Administration says the funds are part of the $3.3 billion provided to NOAA under the Inflation Reduction Act “to focus on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to climate change, and build on President Biden’s Presidential Memorandum to prioritize the restoration of healthy and abundant salmon, steelhead and other native fish populations to the Columbia River Basin.”
“This historic investment by the Biden-Harris Administration furthers NOAA’s efforts to help Americans — including tribes and vulnerable populations — prepare, adapt and build resilience to weather and climate events,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This new funding that was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, a key pillar of Bidenomics, is critically important because it will update hatchery facilities to continue to provide the fishing opportunities guaranteed by treaties.”
Investments will be responsive to tribal priorities, says the Administration, which were identified in an Inflation Reduction Act-focused tribal consultation conducted by NOAA.
Since 2019, NOAA Fisheries has been working with hatchery operators in the Columbia River Basin to develop a comprehensive list of deferred maintenance and needed upgrades.
The funding will focus on shovel-ready and high-priority hatcheries that are funded with Mitchell Act grants — which include the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. NOAA Fisheries will distribute these hatchery funds to operators in the Columbia River Basin for deferred maintenance and repairs of hatchery facilities.
The Mitchell Act was passed by Congress in 1938 for the conservation of salmon and steelhead fishery resources in the Columbia River Basin in light of hydroelectric, irrigation and flood control development projects. It supported the establishment, operation and maintenance of hatchery facilities in the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as other fishery conservation activities. Since 1946, Congress has continued to appropriate Mitchell Act funds on an annual basis, and NOAA Fisheries has administered the Mitchell Act since 1970.
Also see:
–CBB, March 11, 2021, HOW TO MITIGATE FOR DECIMATION OF SALMON/STEELHEAD RUNS DUE TO DAMS? COLUMBIA/SNAKE HATCHERIES PUMP OUT 140 MILLION JUVENILES A YEAR https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/how-to-mitigate-for-decimation-of-salmon-steelhead-runs-due-to-dams-columbia-snake-hatcheries-pump-out-140-million-juveniles-a-year/