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Councilors call for deeper review after state-directed hatchery funding cuts affecting Skamania and nearby rivers
Summary
Councilors asked staff to plan a work session or panel discussion on hatchery funding and wild salmon recovery after receiving a Fish and Wildlife response showing cuts targeted to Skamania and Tootle hatcheries in Southwest Washington.
Councilors directed staff to schedule a future work session to review recent funding cuts to regional hatcheries and to prepare for legislative outreach during the upcoming session.
Councilor Little raised concern that state-directed funding cuts threatened hatchery production that many local families rely on for subsistence and recreation. "A lot of families depend on the sport fisheries here to have healthy salmon that they bring back to their families," Little said, and asked the council to prioritize the issue in advocacy with the county's legislative delegation.
Jordan Bogie, policy analyst, clarified that the Fish and Wildlife response the county received described funding cuts targeted at Southwest Washington hatcheries, specifically naming the Skamania and Tootle hatcheries. "It was funding cuts, specific, not just to Skamania, but to the Skamania and Tuttle, hatcheries," Bogie said.
Councilors discussed convening a panel with technical experts, including a previous presenter, Steve Manlow of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, to explain the trade-offs between hatchery operations and wild-salmon recovery. Chair Marshall and multiple councilors suggested scheduling the work session after budget season and closer to the legislative session; Councilor Little suggested January as a target month for a fuller discussion and legislative prep.
No formal resolution or advocacy position was adopted at the meeting. Councilors asked staff to plan the format (panel or briefing), identify expert participants, and schedule the session in the fall or in January ahead of the legislature. Several councilors said they would raise the issue with the county's legislative delegation to seek more balanced treatment across the state.
The council also noted that the cuts appear to have been driven by a state-level directive to reduce spending in the region and that the state agency made choices among limited options; councilors emphasized the need to understand the scientific and budgetary rationale before taking a formal position.
