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Supporters press for shorter extension, more oversight as committee hears bill to renew Columbia Basin fishing endorsement
Summary
At a public hearing April 17, supporters and fishing‑industry representatives told the Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire Committee that extending the Columbia Basin endorsement is warranted but urged greater accountability and a shorter renewal horizon to ensure the program meets its conservation and recreational goals.
The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire held a public hearing April 17 on House Bill 23‑43A, which would extend the Columbia River Fisheries Enhancement Fund surcharge — often called the Columbia Basin endorsement — and continue the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s authority to collect an endorsement fee to fish for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon in the Columbia Basin.
Sean Clements, senior staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Tucker Jones, Columbia River program manager, described the complexity of managing the Columbia River fishery and the uses of the endorsement. Clements said the endorsement generates “just shy of $2,000,000 a biennium” and funds three main areas: hatchery production (including releases in the lower river), creel surveys and monitoring (18 full‑time and seasonal positions) and enforcement (two full‑time state troopers, about 3,400 hours annually).
Clements explained that the endorsement helped fund hatchery production that supported moving non‑tribal gillnet effort off the main stem and into off‑channel safe areas, and that the fee is exempt for disabled veterans, pioneer licences and youth. He and Jones reviewed the complicated federal and interstate frameworks — the Endangered Species Act, US v. Oregon sharing arrangements, and state commission allocations — that underlie Columbia River management.
Testimony came mainly from angling and conservation groups. Liz Hamilton, policy director for the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, said sport anglers supported renewal but wanted assurances that commitments tied to the Columbia River reforms and hatchery investments would be honored. Dave Shamp of the Coastal Conservation Association echoed concerns and said his group could withhold future support if reforms do not yield promised benefits. David Moskowitz (Wild Fish & River Advocate) and others urged the legislature to use the interim to review program outcomes and to ensure enforcement, monitoring and off‑channel safe areas are meeting conservation goals.
Clements said the department would be willing to convene a more formal stakeholder process and that the director had begun discussions with Washington counterparts to address lack of concurrence in allocation and regulatory differences between the two states.
No committee vote was recorded on April 17; the public hearing was closed with the committee taking the testimony into the record.
Speakers: Sean Clements (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), Tucker Jones (ODFW), Liz Hamilton (Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association), Dave Shamp (Coastal Conservation Association), David Moskowitz (Wild Fish & River Advocate), Robert Reese (Northwest Guides and Anglers Association), several other stakeholders.
