September 9, 2020

Eugene Register-Guard: A failure to save the salmon

In the newest biological opinion, which the court provided an additional five years to be developed, we see another suite of measures that lack the strength to turn around the demise of the salmon and orcas. The agencies have proposed another suite of measures that jeopardize the salmon that are the heart of the promises in the Native American treaties. As the plight of the salmon grows more and more dire, more drastic measures will be required to recover salmon because the delay and obfuscation process has used up much of our lead time. Now, we have to take strong action to recover salmon, including decommissioning the four lower Snake River Dams and increasing spill at the remaining dams on the mainstem Columbia River.
September 10, 2020

Albany Democrat Herald: A failure to save the salmon

Bill Kremers is a charter lifetime member of the Association. Since joining the Steelheaders, he has served in a variety of positions at both the chapter and Association level, including four years as the Association president. On July 30, 2020, the Albany Democrat Herald published an opinion piece from Bill Kremers regarding Representative DeFazios' Moving Forward Act. It is copied below for reference.
September 16, 2020

Washington Favors Commercial Gill Nets over Anglers in New Columbia River Salmon Fisheries Policy

In a devastating blow to the Columbia River sportfishing community last Friday, 9/11, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 to amend their Columbia River salmon fisheries management policy and reinstate gill nets on the lower mainstem Columbia River.
September 29, 2020

Columbia River Salmon Plan Confined by Outdated Congressional Authorization

The day we’ve been expecting has arrived. The Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation signed their Records of Decision about how they plan to manage the Columbia River Hydrosystem for the next 50 years. The federal agencies cemented their decision to implement a slightly revised version of what was supposed to be a temporary management tool, the flexible spill agreement, despite the fact that all parties involved agreed that it was inadequate for the long term when it was established in 2019.
October 6, 2020

Steelheaders Show Overwhelming Support for New Broodstock Program at Clackamas Hatchery

The Clackamas River used to be one of the best places to fish for spring Chinook in the greater Portland area. In recent years, overall fitness of the fish produced at Clackamas Hatchery has reduced. The Steelheaders community is leading the way to support ODFW's recent request to reinvigorate their broodstock program with new wild Chinook.
October 9, 2020

Northwest Governors Announce Intent to Collaborate on Salmon Recovery Will Another Process Prosper or Peril?

Today, the four northwest governors announced their intent to establish a regional collaborative group of stakeholders and tribal sovereigns to investigate opportunities for comprehensive salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin. This comes one day after the Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation finalizing their multi-year process of developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Columbia River System Operations.
October 13, 2020

Our Fishing Heritage is at Risk: Will Our Grandchildren Catch Salmon in the Columbia River Basin?

“The Columbia River is the heart and soul of Oregon, it just is. It pumps through Oregon like the blood in your veins,” said Stevie Parsons, a long-time member, active volunteer, and National Wildlife Federation board member. Many of us throughout the northwest share the sentiment. I spoke to a few of our members to hear about their experiences fishing in the Columbia River Basin.Ultimately, all of their stories centered around one shared concern: whether the fish would persist long enough for future generations to be able to share their experiences.
November 25, 2020

America’s Conservation Enhancement Act Prioritizes Fisheries Conservation and Community Involvement

Just before the election, Congress came together to enact a landmark piece of environmental legislation. With overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle, the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE) passed, ensuring hundreds of millions of dollars will be used for specific and actionable conservation goals in collaboration with key stakeholders in the years to come.