U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced July 26 that Tribes in the Pacific Northwest will receive $240 million to support hatchery infrastructure projects to boost Pacific salmon and steelhead production in the Pacific Northwest. The funding comes from the Tribal Hatchery Program, which was part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Resilience Funding that Cantwell authored and championed in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
“I authored this program because salmon are central to our culture and our identify in the Pacific Northwest, and this new program will give Tribes the resources they need to boost salmon production to support our fisheries as well as our cherished orcas,” Cantwell said.
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce, which are spearheading the implementation of the Tribal Hatchery Program, will grant an initial $54 million for hatchery maintenance and modernization across 27 tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
The funds will help Tribes restore aging hatcheries and assist with a backlog of deferred maintenance projects, ultimately helping to restore the population of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin. It will also support capacity building, planning, and other support needed for hatchery infrastructure improvements.
Fish hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest support essential subsistence, ceremonial and economic benefits for tribal communities, as well as supporting treaty fisheries, said a press release from Cantwell’s office. The Commerce Department’s NOAA will partner with the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs to deliver this funding to regional Tribes.
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