The Trump administration wants to eliminate several programs that benefit Pacific salmon, the iconic but widely threatened species of the Pacific Northwest.

Much of the effort to keep Pacific salmon from disappearing is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An internal document from the Office of Management and Budget, reviewed by KUOW, calls for eliminating NOAA’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, as well as national grant programs for species recovery, interjurisdictional fisheries, and habitat conservation and restoration.

Overall, NOAA would see a 27% cut in its $6 billion budget under the White House proposal, which has not been finalized and is subject to Congressional approval.

In 2023, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund distributed $107 million to states and tribes, with Washington state receiving $26 million, more than any other recipient. Coastwide, the fund restored 3,624 acres of salmon habitat in 2023 and removed obstacles enabling salmon to reach an additional 202 miles of spawning streams, according to NOAA.

“It’s very troublesome because we just want to get the work done and get our salmon back,” Lummi Nation Councilmember Lisa Wilson said.

Listen to OPB's "Salmon Wars" podcast series

Treaties signed in the 1850s, before Washington became a state, obligate the state and federal governments to keep salmon around in exchange for taking tribal lands.

“We ceded a lot of land and we were promised that we would always have, as [Territorial Gov.] Isaac Stevens said, we would always have fish for our frying pans,” Wilson said. “It has been, ever since we signed that treaty, a big fight just for the promises to be upheld.”

If the salmon recovery fund is eliminated, “that will have huge impacts to salmon recovery, treaty rights, southern resident killer whales, and fishing communities all up and down the coast and Puget Sound,” Nisqually Tribe natural resources director David Troutt said by email. “We rely on those funds-to-fund capacity to develop and implement projects all across the state.”

“The importance of NOAA funding across a broad swath of programs along with their knowledge and technical expertise for the West Coast salmon and orca recovery cannot be overstated,” Erik Neatherlin, director of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s Salmon Recovery Office, said by email.

Neatherlin said salmon recovery efforts support a billion-dollar fishing industry up and down the West Coast.

“Without the [Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery] funds, the ability to recover salmon in support of fisheries begins to unravel,” he said.

NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It’s throwing the agency into chaos

The Office of Management and Budget notifies agencies of its proposed cuts in a process known as a “passback.” Agencies can appeal the passback cuts before the budget is presented to Congress.

“Passback eliminates functions of the Department that are misaligned with the President’s agenda and the expressed will of the American people,” the budget document states.

“Passback levels support a leaner NOAA that focuses on core operational needs, eliminates unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, terminates nonessential grant programs, and ends activities that do not warrant a Federal role,” it continues.

The White House proposal would remove programs that protect orcas and other marine mammals, sea turtles, and endangered species from the oceans agency and put them under the umbrella of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Other proposed cuts that could harm Washington salmon include:

• Elimination of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. The system protects 29 estuaries nationwide, including Skagit County’s Padilla Bay, home to the second-largest eelgrass meadow on the west coast of North America.
• Elimination of Sea Grant, a federal-university partnership that funds research and extension and trains students in coastal and Great Lakes states. In 2023, Washington Sea Grant claimed to have produce $38 million in economic benefits by spending just $2.8 million in federal funds.
• Halving of funding for the National Ocean Service, which conducts oceanographic research, responds to oil spills, funds coastal zone management, and manages protected areas including the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

Under the White House proposal, another branch of NOAA, the National Weather Service, would face no budget cuts but climate research would be virtually eliminated.

John Ryan is a reporter with KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/12/federal-cuts-pacific-salmon-tribal-rights/