Interior and Commerce Departments Announce $240 Million from
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda for Fish Hatcheries to
Support Pacific Northwest Tribes
Cross-agency partnership supports Tribal self-determination,
advances accessibility, flexibility and equity for Tribes
WASHINGTON — The Departments of the Interior and Commerce today
announced a $240 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in
America agenda to support fish hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and
steelhead, underscoring the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to
empowering Tribal Nations and fulfilling the federal government’s trust
and treaty responsibilities. Fish hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest
support essential subsistence, ceremonial and economic benefits for
Tribal communities, as well as fulfilling
Treaty-reserved fishing rights. The Interior
Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will partner with the
Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) to deliver this funding to regional Tribes.
Today’s investments build on
the Biden-Harris administration’s unprecedented agreement to restore salmon in the Columbia River Basin and
follows the Interior Department’s recently released report
documenting the historic, ongoing and cumulative impacts of federal
Columbia River dams on Columbia River Basin Tribes. These investments
also further the Biden-Harris administration’s historic progress to
empower Tribal sovereignty and self-determination and align with
Executive Order 14112, which President Biden signed
at the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit, requiring federal agencies
to take action to ensure that federal funding for Tribes is accessible,
flexible, and equitable. By executing these awards through Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act contracts and compacts,
the Department will lift a significant administrative burden from the
awardee Tribes. NOAA
plans to continue building on this partnership with BIA for future work
opportunities to address Tribal needs throughout the United States.
“Since time immemorial,
Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have relied on Pacific salmon, steelhead
and other native fish species for sustenance and their cultural and
spiritual ways of life,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “This funding will help us deliver historic
investments from the President’s Investing in America agenda that will
empower Indigenous communities and safeguard resources they have
stewarded since time immemorial.”
“Thanks to the Biden-Harris
Administration’s Investing in America agenda and commitment to
guaranteeing equitable access to federal funding for Tribes, this
cross-agency partnership will ensure Tribal communities have the
resources they need to sustain Pacific Salmon and Steelhead fisheries
that are essential to their economic development,” said U.S.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “There’s also more to be done, and I look forward to
working with all Tribes and Congressional champions to find future
opportunities to support salmon hatcheries.”
Tribal fish hatchery
production in the Pacific Northwest benefits subsistence fishers as well as both local and
global markets, supporting commercial, subsistence and recreational
fishing, tourism and the broader ecosystem from
California to Alaska. Millions of fish
are produced in Tribal hatcheries each year, driving Tribal employment and subsistence,
nutrition for Tribal families, and the preservation of cultural
traditions and recreation. As habitat is
restored and reconnected to better support natural fish production,
hatcheries will remain a critical tool to supplement fish for Tribal and
non-Tribal fisheries, as well as other salmon-dependent animals and
ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.
As part of today’s
announcement, an initial $54 million is available to 27 Tribes in the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska to address current hatchery facility
maintenance and modernization necessities, and to support Tribal capacity needs. The remaining
funding will be made available competitively to help Tribes address the
long-term viability and effectiveness of critical infrastructure for the
propagation of Pacific salmon and steelhead.
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