July 6, 2026 — A group of Oregon lawmakers are decrying the “sudden loss” of funding for a Columbia River hatchery program — warning Oregon’s fish population will be devastated without the funds.
On Thursday, Democratic Oregon lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate sent a letter to the Bonneville Power Administration, criticizing the agency’s decision to stop funding the Safe Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) program.
The program was established in 1993, providing stocks of hatchery-raised fish such as Spring chinook and coho salmon for commercial and recreational fisheries in the Lower Columbia River Basin.