Funding

Recovery is a Long-term Effort

For almost two hundred years, over-fishing, habitat changes, more predators, and relying too much on hatcheries have greatly reduced salmon and steelhead populations in this region. This led them to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Bringing salmon and steelhead back to healthy levels takes long and steady efforts. Fish populations grow over many generations, which is why the recovery plan for the lower Columbia identifies fifty-year timeline.

To recover fish to healthy levels requires science-based strategies and actions at local, state, and federal levels. This includes fully funding habitat restoration and conservation efforts, while protecting habitat through land-use programs. It’s important to consider habitat, hatchery, harvest, hydropower, and ecological interaction impacts together when identifying key issues that need to be fixed.

Success Story: Restoring the South Fork Toutle River Watershed

Eastward and upstream view of Reaches B and C of the South Fork Toutle River, which is the focus of a Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group’s design project, with the iconic Mount Saint Helens in the background. Photo by Brice Crayne, manager of Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group’s Restoration Program.

The Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group got a $5 million grant in 2024 to help restore the South Fork Toutle River watershed. This area was changed by Mount St. Helens’ eruption in 1980, which makes recovery both challenging and full of opportunities. New ways to rebuild habitats for fish and other wildlife are needed. The grant will help restore 2.6 miles of streams and 110 acres of floodplain in the South Fork Toutle River, benefitting listed Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead trout. The first phase will improve 135 acres and 3.4 miles of habitat in the river. Restoration includes adding wood to the river valley, including 2.8 miles of main and side channels. The fish enhancement group has been working with the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Weyerhaeuser on large-scale restoration for nearly twenty years. The partners plan to spend the next two decades restoring this watershed. Visit the project story map for an overview of the project.

Funding Gaps

This region needs more money for several programs. Current funding isn’t enough to track how land-use programs affect salmon and steelhead habitat. Most land-use programs don’t gather enough data on habitat status and trends. The recovery plan was updated in 2010 for coho salmon, but not since. Today, efforts are being made to finalize an adaptive management strategy for hatchery and harvest programs, update the habitat strategy, and finish a new habitat strategy web map and library.