US promises $240 million to improve fish hatcheries, protect tribal rights in Pacific Northwest

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. government says it will invest $240 million in salmon and steelhead fish hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. It’s part of an effort to boost declining fish populations and support treaty-protected fishing rights of Native American tribes in the region. The Departments of Commerce and the Interior made the announcement Thursday, with an initial $54 million for hatchery maintenance and modernization made available to tribes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. Jennifer Quan is the regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. She says the funding is going to hatcheries that produce the salmon that tribes need to live. Deferred maintenance costs for the hatcheries is estimated at more than $1 billion.