The Bonneville Power Administration said in June that it would cut funding for a program that raises millions of salmon in hatcheries.

But a bipartisan group of Oregon coastal lawmakers wants the agency to reverse that decision, saying it could rock the commercial and sportfishing industries that their communities rely on.

BPA provides more than $2 million annually to the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement, or SAFE, program, which the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife manages. It has helped cover more than a third of the SAFE program’s cost.

The federal agency argues that the SAFE program, which it has supported since 1993, wasn’t making sufficient strides toward improving fish populations, such as salmon listed on the Endangered Species Act.

But state lawmakers fear this move will “likely” result in a loss of the seven million fish currently being raised for release, which “will jeopardize these fisheries immensely,” the seven-member Oregon Coastal Caucus said in a letter to the agency on Wednesday, July 1.

“Everyone from hotels, restaurants, boat builders, and mechanics, just to name a few, benefits from the business that the sport fishing community brings into these communities while they spend time fishing for these SAFE area fish,” lawmakers said in the letter to Robin Furrer, BPA’s acting administrator and CEO.

Lawmakers and state officials say these fish have helped generate millions of dollars for the region’s economy while easing the strain on endangered fish by providing anglers with non-protected fish. The vast majority of spring chinook and coho salmon caught by commercial fisheries come from these hatcheries, lawmakers said.

State Rep. Cyrus Javadi, D-Tillamook, told OPB Tuesday that pulling this funding could deepen the strain on the fishing industry at a time when many are hampered by extensive regulations, high fuel costs and more. He said the industry’s struggles could have ripple effects, increasing costs on families and businesses alike.

“It’s frustrating,” said Javadi, who is running for reelection. He added: “What exactly is the goal here, and what are we planning to do to support these fisheries? Because there’s going to be a whole lot of folks that are really upset if wild salmon, and other fish on the Endangered Species Act, start getting more fishing pressure on them, because there’s a lack of hatchery fish.”

BPA spends more than $300 million to support fish populations across the Columbia River Basin, a spokesperson previously told OPB. BPA did not immediately return a request for comment.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/07/oregon-coast-lawmakers-push-back-on-fish-hatchery-cuts/