ODFW outlines $596.6 million governor’s budget, seeks phased license fee increases to shore up hatcheries and core programs

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) told the Natural Resources Subcommittee on March 31 that the governor’s 2025–27 recommended budget for the agency is $596,604,702 and depends on fee changes and federal grants to sustain core programs.

“The mission of the department is to protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and their habitat for use and enjoyment by present and future generations,” said Debbie Colbert, director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in opening remarks describing the agency’s statutory responsibilities and field operations.

Colbert and Ken Laufingham, ODFW chief operating officer, framed the budget around several pressures: climate-driven changes to stream and ocean conditions, obligations tied to the Klamath agreements, implementation of the Private Forest Accord, and rising operating costs such as fish food and helicopter contracting. “We would actually hit 0 sometime in 27, 29 biennium” without a fee increase, Laufingham said while describing projected license fund balances.

Why it matters: ODFW is largely self-funded. The department estimates roughly 87% of its budget comes from other funds and federal funds (licenses, federal grants), with license and related federal funding accounting for roughly 40% of total spending. Agency leaders told the subcommittee that decades of reliance on hunting and fishing revenue no longer matches costs driven by inflation and by new, landscape-scale pressures that require sustained funding.

Key budget elements and proposed revenue changes

- Total recommended funding: $596,604,702 for fiscal 2025–27 (a 0.3% increase from the prior legislatively adopted biennium). The governor’s package assumes about 1,300 positions across the agency.

- Fee legislation: ODFW tied parts of the budget to three companion bills that the agency said must pass for…