Photo by istock
By Irene Vlach & Bill Arthur
Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign
On June 12th the Trump Administration issued a Memorandum and statement that directs the federal agencies to withdraw from the Columbia Basin Salmon agreement (Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement - RCBA).
This historic agreement was forged with the Biden Administration in 2023 and put in place a program to restore the salmon, steelhead, and other native fish in the Snake and Columbia Rivers. This action unilaterally abrogates the agreement with the four lower Columbia River Treaty Tribes (Nez Perce, Yakama, Umatilla and Warm Springs) and the states of Washington and Oregon and 10 NGO plaintiff groups that includes Sierra Club. This action, once again, undermines our federal commitments to Tribal Nations. This short-sighted and reckless decision continues the ugly pattern of anti-government and anti-science actions coming from the Trump administration. The decision will increase the risk of extinction for these endangered fish and add to the challenge of recovering these once fabled salmon runs.
The Governors of Oregon and Washington and much of the Northwest Congressional delegation along with Columbia Basin tribes reacted strongly to this action (See links below). Governor Tina Kotek stated, "Extinction is not an option for these iconic fish, and we will do what we can to avoid that. This includes Oregon's continued commitment to implement the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative that we crafted with our sovereign partners."
In spite of this action by the Trump administration we see opportunities to advance key salmon actions. The forging of the Six Sovereigns, as Governor Kotek noted, provides a powerful in-region political alliance dedicated to advancing salmon recovery in the Columbia Basin. We will continue to work to protect our iconic salmon and steelhead, and support Tribal leadership.
The Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Council is also updating their Fish and Wildlife Plan for the Columbia Basin. This plan provides direction to the Bonneville Power Administration and other federal agencies for hydro-system operations and investments for habitat restoration, hatchery upgrades, and other actions that can benefit salmon and steelhead. We will be engaging in that process and expect a draft plan for public comment later this fall.
We can, and will, continue to secure salmon funding from congress working with our Northwest delegation. There is no question that this adds to our challenge. We also have a strong foundation to continue to build on. We will be looking at all options available to us to protect and restore our iconic wild salmon and steelhead. The fight is far from over and the important work to recover these iconic creatures will continue. For a good summary, you can read this article in Sierra Club magazine.
You can help with this the next opportunity. Please call your local member of congress and Senators Wyden and Merkley and urge them to support the salmon funding recommendations that were developed by the Six Sovereigns for 2026. Call the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121) and they can connect you with your local members of congress.
We want to uplift and thank the Tribal nations and Oregon representatives for their strong condemnation of this reckless decision by Trump and his administration. Read more from each:
Nez Perce Tribe
Yakama Nation
Warm Springs Tribes
Governor Kotek
Reps. Salinas, Bonamici, Dexter, Hoyle, Bynum
Sen Wyden
Sen Merkley