Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board tells Cowlitz County commissioners some salmon and steelhead populations are improving but long‑term work remains

Representatives of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that salmon and steelhead recovery in the Lower Columbia shows mixed progress: some populations have improved or approach abundance targets, but recovery will require sustained, long‑term habitat restoration, coordinated harvest and hatchery management, and expanded fish‑passage work.

"Back in the 1850s, there was anywhere between 11 and 17000000 salmon and steelhead coming back to the Columbia Basin... Today... we're... down to about 2,000,000 fish coming back to the basin each year," said Steve Manlow, director of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, placing current returns in historical perspective. He said roughly two‑thirds of present returns are hatchery fish, and the Lower Columbia has a very high number of ESA‑listed populations requiring recovery actions.

Manlow described the board’s dual role as a regional recovery organization created under the Salmon Recovery Act (RCW 77.85) and as a lead entity that…