June 16, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the federal government from a salmon restoration deal with Tribes in the Pacific Northwest region, marking the latest development in the president’s efforts to undo his predecessor’s legacy on salmon restoration in the region.
“We are dismayed that an agreement that was among the best roadmaps charted for helping Columbia Basin salmon – representing years of work by Tribes, states, and the federal government – was undone with the stroke of a pen,” Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Chair Jeremy Takala said in a statement. “This action, done without consultation with the Tribes, dismantles what should have been celebrated as a historic achievement. If you love salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and lamprey, the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement was a groundbreaking commitment that provided critical funding for Tribal and other hatcheries, habitat restoration, predation management, infrastructure upgrades, and support for energy projects that would be less burdensome on the environment and Tribal cultural resources.”