Hatcheries operated by the Nez Perce Tribe, with Mitchell Act funding, supported the reintroduction of Coho salmon to the Lostine River in Oregon in 2020.
Nez Perce Tribe
The US Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will allocate $60 million in funding to work on tribal needs and mitigate climate change impact on Pacific salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River.
As part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda and coming from the Inflation Reduction Act, these funds will also focus on the maintenance and repairs at Mitchell Act-funded hatchery facilities across the Columbia River Basin.
Regarding this announcement, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo explained: "The funding will prioritize tribal initiatives, building upon extensive tribal engagement efforts, to strengthen projects aimed at enhancing climate resilience for tribal fisheries and salmon recovery efforts."
This initiative has been made possible by the collaboration between the four lower Columbia River Treaty Tribes, the States of Oregon and Washington, and the relevant agencies and departments of the United States.
In June 2023, Biden's Administration announced a $3.3 billion investment for America's communities and economies' resilience to climate change. Moreover, an additional $240 million will support Pacific coastal salmon restoration and recovery through investment in non-Mitchell Act hatcheries.
Finally, a total of $42 million will be directed to Pacific salmon population restoration and research through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. NOAA intends to reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitats for fish.
The assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Janet Coit, highlighted the importance of keeping in mind the tribal needs: "This funding from the Inflation Reduction Act reaffirms our commitment to tribal and treaty rights through revitalizing the salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations within the Columbia River Basin."
"These funds will support salmon fisheries that have long been the lifeblood of tribes along the Columbia River," she concluded.
In 1938, the US Congress approved the Mitchell Act for the conservation of salmon and steelhead fishery resources in the Columbia River Basin in light of hydroelectric, irrigation, and flood control development projects across the basin.
It authorized the establishment, operation, and maintenance of hatchery facilities in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as other fishery conservation activities. Since 1946, Congress has annually appropriated Mitchell Act funds, NOAA confirms.
