June 8, 2024 — A week after closing mussel harvesting across the Oregon Coast due to high levels of toxins, officials expanded that closure to include razor and bay clams.
Oregon’s departments of Agriculture and the state Fish and Wildlife jointly announced the closure Thursday.
The agencies said people should avoid the types of shellfish because of unprecedented levels of toxins caused by some species of algae.
May 30, 2024 — An outbreak of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) has sickened at least 20 people in the U.S. state of Oregon, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
The people who have reported as sick were recreationally harvesting mussels on 25 May or 26 May at either Short Beach near Oceanside, at Hug Point, or at Seaside in Clatsop County. Some have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
May 21, 2024 — A congressman who represents California’s north coast has sent a letter to federal regulators asking that they “urgently place” a senior official in the state to respond to tribal needs as wind power is developed offshore.
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman sent the letter as the U.S. offshore wind industry begins to take shape and as tribal communities in California and Oregon express frustration with what they say is a lack of consultation on proposals that affect culturally significant waters and land.
“Regional tribal nations are asking for the opportunity to help influence the way in which offshore wind is executed off the shores of the West Coast,” said Heidi Moore-Guynup, director of tribal and government affairs for Blue Lake Rancheria, in an interview Friday. “They’ve been the stewards of the waterways, bays and oceans since time immemorial and want to ensure that the health of such waterways and the species that live among them is preserved.”
May 10, 2024 — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has announced that $7,050,722 is available to Oregon to address poor performance of the state’s ocean commercial salmon fisheries for 2018, 2019, and 2020.
This includes impacts to commercial fishermen, processors, and the fishing ecosystem and environment.
The “Oregon Spend Plan,” vetted through NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), is now available for public review and comment. The plan is posted on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website. Input should be sent to orsalmon.disaster@odfw.oregon.gov by May 13
May 6, 2024 — The Oregon Spend Plan will designate over $7 million in disaster funding for commercial fishermen, processors, and others in the fishing community after the salmon fishery’s value declined by millions between 2017 and 2020. The relief is now ready for public review. The disaster funds are in response to the 2021 disaster declaration for the fishery for 2018, 2019, and 2020.
In Oct. 2021, Oregon’s then-Governor Brown submitted a meticulous request to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for a catastrophic regional fishery disaster declaration under section 315 of the Magnuson-Stevens Management Act. The request was based on a comprehensive analysis of the poor performance of Oregon’s Ocean commercial salmon fisheries south of Cape Falcon, which resulted from reduced allowable catches of Klamath and Sacramento fall Chinook, anomalous ocean conditions, and spatial shifts in ocean distribution of these migratory species.
Finally, on Oct. 10, 2023, the Secretary of Commerce decided on eligibility for the 2018-2020 Oregon ocean chinook salmon fishery. The funds were appropriated through the 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The funds are intended to be used for activities that restore the fishery or prevent a similar failure in the future and assist fishing communities affected by such failure.
Read the full story at National Fisherman
May 2, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Interior took its next steps in the aggressive plans to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy in the U.S. They released proposals for two new wind areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine which they said combined could provide 18 GW of energy. It however includes more controversial areas especially along the Oregon coast.
The Biden Administration highlights that it has already approved eight offshore sites with a combined capacity of more than 10 GW, which they said will power nearly four million homes. They are also continuing the lengthy review process for additional proposals after having conducted four auctions including the New York Bight, offshore of the Carolina, and the first sales off the coast of California, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Today’s proposals include eight lease areas offshore Marine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Combined it represents nearly one million acres in the Gulf of Maine and the potential for 15 GW. The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to conduct simultaneous auctions for each of the eight lease areas. Before finalizing the plan, they said they are seeking feedback on various aspects including the size of the lease areas, orientation, and location. They are also looking for input if any areas should be prioritized for inclusion or exclusion.
April 4, 2024 — First, the good news. When a 53-foot fish tanker truck crashed and rolled upside down on an embankment next to a creek in northeast Oregon, its driver suffered only minor injuries. And as the truck came to a rest, its tank settled downhill, next to the water.
That last detail was crucial for the truck’s cargo: some 102,000 spring Chinook smolts, or young salmon, that had been raised in a hatchery. The truck overturned on a twisting road that mirrors Lookingglass Creek — and some 77,000 fish made it from the tanker into the creek’s fresh, inviting water, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
But there is also bad news: 25,529 smolts died, recovered from the tanker and the bank of the creek. And the fish that survived are now living in the wrong waterway.
The fish had been raised at Lookingglass Hatchery to give a population boost to wild salmon in the Imnaha River, around 90 miles to the east.
March 27, 2024 — The following was released by Midwater Trawlers Cooperative:
A consortium of fishermen, processors, and others in the seafood industry are urging Oregon Governor Tina Kotek to halt the auction of ocean leases for offshore wind energy. While leasing is the work of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), agency representatives have publicly stated BOEM would defer to state wishes before moving forward.
Today, the Protect US Fishermen coalition joined Oregon tribes and submitted a letter imploring the governor to “relay to BOEM that no offshore wind lease auction should occur off the South Coast until after the Oregon Roadmap is completed.”
When finished, the roadmap will outline considerations and recommendations relating to offshore wind energy in Oregon. The considerations for the Roadmap have been crafted over several months by a diverse group of stakeholders and will include exit ramps, or a means by which Oregon can change course if offshore wind development strays from the outlined recommendations. The diverse group has been facilitated by Oregon Consensus.
According to BOEM, offshore lease auctioning could happen as soon as October 2024. In their letter, the consortium of fishing interests made the case for a delay.
“It is our understanding that if an auction is not completed in 2024, the next opportunity would be in 2026. This timing works well with the completion of a roadmap and is responsive to the concerns from existing ocean users and coastal communities alike. Offshore floating wind energy does not currently exist anywhere in the world in waters deeper than 300 meters or at the scale being contemplated for the West Coast. In addition to the roadmap, Oregon would benefit significantly by learning from projects that are already moving forward, such as those on the East Coast and in California,” the letter states.
BOEM has ignored recent requests for an extended period of public comment, despite the request coming from tribal leaders, Oregon’s Coastal Caucus, Oregon senators Wyden and Merkley and Congresswoman Hoyle, fishing interests, and more. Fishermen are hoping that a more forceful response from Gov. Kotek will change the tide.
In the most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed HB4080 which, among other things, directs the Oregon Department of Energy to develop an Offshore Wind Roadmap that “defines standards to be considered in the processes related to offshore wind energy development and approval.” That legislation is on Kotek’s desk, awaiting signature.
February 26, 2024 — The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest.
The plan, announced in December, stopped short of calling for the removal of four controversial dams on the Snake River, as some environmental groups and tribal leaders have urged. But officials said it would boost clean energy production and help offset hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by the dams should Congress ever agree to breach them.
The plan brokered by the Biden administration pauses long-running litigation over federal dam operations and represents the most significant step yet toward eventually taking the four Snake River dams down. The plan will strengthen tribal clean energy projects and provide other benefits for tribes and other communities that depend on the Columbia Basin for agriculture, energy, recreation and transportation, the White House said.
Read the full article at the Associated Press
February 24, 2024 — A “landmark” agreement was signed by the federal government, the Pacific Northwest, and tribes to help save declining salmon populations in the Columbia Basin.
Friday’s ceremonial signing formalizes the Biden administration’s historic agreement made in December with Oregon, Washington, advocacy groups, and the “Six Sovereigns,” including the Yakima, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Pierce tribes.
The effort aims to preserve ecosystems supporting wild salmon, steelhead, and other native fish habitats in the region.
The agreement includes efforts to expand tribally sponsored clean energy production and aims to provide stability to communities that rely on the Columbia Basin.
The agreement includes efforts to expand tribally sponsored clean energy production and aims to provide stability to communities that rely on the Columbia Basin.