Support full implementation and funding of the 2019–28 Pacific Salmon Treaty.

Action 1

Washington’s congressional delegation should prioritize securing funding to implement this treaty. The treaty will result in reduced harvest, more hatchery fish, and habitat restoration, which will increase Chinook salmon populations.

Support the full implementation of the 2019–2028 Pacific Salmon Treaty, with the funding components that benefit Southern Residents. Elements of the renegotiations included reductions in impacts on Chinook to make more prey available to Southern Residents. Related funding elements should include investments in habitat and hatcheries to increase Chinook abundance. The Governor should express the need for approval of the appropriations requests to the Washington federal delegation. Task force members also should reach out to the delegation for its support of the funding components.

Thanks to broad support from many communities, organizations, and individuals, and a strong push from the congressional delegations of Washington and Alaska, Congress appropriated more than $25 million of new funding in Fiscal Year 2020 for implementation of the updated Pacific Salmon Treaty, biological opinion, and associated domestic programs. The single largest funding component targets habitat restoration for Puget Sound Chinook.

For the 2023 fiscal year, funding is being requested for Pacific Salmon Treaty projects.

More details may be found in the progress reports in the resources library.