Corps, ODFW sign hatchery contracts

PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued two contracts recently to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for the operation of five hatcheries and the production of salmon and steelhead to offset impacts of the Corps’ dams in Oregon.

The Corps will pay ODFW about $4.8 million to operate the Marion Forks, South Santiam, McKenzie and Willamette hatcheries in the Willamette Valley, and just over $2.1 million for operations at the Cole M. Rivers hatchery in the Rogue River Basin. The contracts went into effect Sept. 1, and include services such as fish production and release, marking and tagging of fish, and fish health services.

“ODFW will continue to provide many of the same hatchery services that they provided for decades,” said Andrew Traylor, Portland District hatchery coordinator. “The contracts outline and define the specific services to operate the hatcheries and produce the amount of fish necessary to meet our federal mitigation requirements.”

The agencies also expect to sign a contract by Nov. 1, to operate the Bonneville Fish Hatchery on the Columbia River.

“These contracts will ensure fish production will remain steady for the next few years,” said Scott Patterson, ODFW Fish Propagation Program manager.

Since the 1950s, the Corps has paid ODFW to manage hatchery operations and provide fish production services to meet mitigation requirements for impacts to fish passage and habitat caused by the Corps’ dams. Historically, ODFW has concurrently raised both Corps-funded and ODFW-funded fish at the same hatcheries. Both organizations’ fish contribute to Oregon’s recreational fisheries, an arrangement that benefits both agencies.