Senate committee advances $1.4 million study to evaluate Rock Creek hatchery releases amid predation, temperature concerns

Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire Chair Senator Golden on Thursday moved Senate Bill 512 as amended out of committee after the panel adopted a dash-2 amendment that reduced an appropriation and directed a study of hatchery release practices at the Rock Creek Hatchery.

The bill as amended appropriates $1,400,000 from the General Fund to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and directs ODFW to study the effects of water temperature and predation by nonnative fish on hatchery releases of coho, winter steelhead and Chinook salmon from the Rock Creek Hatchery; identify alternative release strategies to reduce predation; and assess how rearing practices affect the ability of spring Chinook salmon to return to Rock Creek. ODFW must submit a report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to wildlife no later than Sept. 15, 2026. The bill sunsets June 30, 2027.

Why it matters: Rock Creek Hatchery, east of Roseburg, was heavily damaged in the 2020 Archie Creek Fire and has been a focal point in debate over the balance between hatchery production and wild fish conservation in the Umpqua Basin. Proponents say targeted operations and study work can inform long-term, locally tailored solutions; opponents say rebuilding and reinvesting at Rock Creek may be a poor use of limited funds given facility resilience concerns identified in a…