Washington Republicans Tout New Salmon Hatchery Plan

By Cooper Banks

I was never a big fisherman myself, but I know there are a lot of people in both Washington and Oregon who wonder (and are concerned) about whether salmon will still be around for us to catch, cook, and eat in the future.

I actually blogged about the struggle to keep salmon alive in Oregon and Washington.  A lot of people responded, saying the addition of more salmon hatcheries was the answer.

It seems someone in Olympia heard you.

A group of Republican state lawmakers think a plan to bring more salmon hatcheries to Washington state might just be the solution we’ve all been looking for.  They want to follow Alaska’s model.

The group of lawmakers announced their new legislative proposals on Tuesday.

Here’s text of the original bill, filed on Jan. 20th.

Here’s Tuesday’s full news conference, announcing the proposals;

The legislation would create a salmon hatchery pilot program and then (they hope to) grow it from there.  There would be future partnerships with for-profit, non-profit, and tribal hatchery operators.

Supporters say it could bring more Salmon back to anglers in Puget Sound and help with the recovery of struggling Orca populations.

The measures remain in committee for now.  The next hearing is scheduled in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks on Jan. 30th.