The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit over federally funded hatchery programs in the Columbia River.
Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler sued the department – as well as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Clatsop County, and NOAA Fisheries – in April, claiming that the governments were not adequately protecting wild fish populations from fish raised in Columbia River hatcheries as required by the Endangered Species Act. According to the conservation groups, hatcheries operations did not “comply with vital limitations and safeguards” needed to prevent wild salmon and steelhead populations in the river from going extinct.
The settlement requires the WDFW to make changes to three hatcheries in alignment with a forthcoming NOAA Fisheries evaluation. A net-pen coho program in Deep River, Washington, and a non-native steelhead program in Washougal, Washington, will be terminated. A program in Kalama, Washington, meanwhile, will be adjusted to reduce the release of Chinook salmon. WDFW will also look to coordinate with its counterpart department in Oregon on encouraging alternative commercial fishery methods.
“The settlement agreement is a favorable outcome for at-risk wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River. While we are encouraged by this positive development, we remain discouraged by our fishery management agencies’ recurring failure to comply with the ESA when managing Columbia River hatcheries,” The Conservation Angler Executive Director David Moskowitz said.
As part of the settlement, Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler agreed not to sue the department for ESA violations that occur before the end of the year or for the presence of adult hatchery fish in Columbia River tributaries up through the end of 2027.
In return, the WDFW will make more information about its Mitchell Act hatchery programs available. The department has also agreed to pay the legal fees of the two organizations that brought the suit.
“WDFW is pleased to resolve this litigation,” WDFW Director Kelly Susewind said. “This agreement allows us to focus on conserving and recovering our salmon, steelhead, adaptively managing our hatcheries, and providing sustainable fisheries.”