Bend, OR – For the seventh time in less than a decade, Oregon’s commercial fishermen, state officials, and congressional leaders are seeking federal aid to alleviate the impacts of climate change on the state’s vital ocean salmon fisheries. The request follows a particularly poor 2024 Chinook salmon season, marking the latest in a series of challenging years for Oregon’s coastal fishing communities.
In January, the Oregon Salmon Commission urged Governor Tina Kotek to request a federal fishery resource disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Commerce, citing the devastating effects of drought, wildfires, warming ocean waters, and habitat loss on Chinook salmon populations. The commission, an industry-funded group that represents the state’s commercial salmon fishermen, warned that these ongoing challenges are severely damaging Oregon’s salmon fisheries, both ecologically and economically.
“The impacts of drought, wildfires, changing ocean conditions, and loss of freshwater habitat for salmon spawning, rearing, and migration have all deeply impacted the health of our salmon populations,” Jeff Reeves, chairman of the Oregon Salmon Commission, wrote in a letter to Governor Kotek.
Governor Kotek officially requested a disaster declaration from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on April 1, 2024. The state’s congressional Democrats followed up with a letter urging the secretary to approve the request, highlighting the urgent need for financial support for the state’s struggling commercial fishermen.
A federal disaster declaration would make crews of commercial fishing vessels and related businesses eligible for federal loans and financial assistance, helping them stay afloat amid the crisis. Such assistance has been a lifeline for Oregon’s fishermen in recent years, with federal funds dispersed after similar disaster declarations were made in each year from 2016 to 2020. These funds helped soften the blow of poor ocean conditions and drought, which saw the economic value of Chinook salmon catches in Oregon plummet by nearly two-thirds, from about $6.3 million annually to less than $2 million per year.
Despite these past efforts, the state’s fishing industry is facing yet another dire year. In 2024, Oregon’s commercial fishermen caught just 18,000 Chinook salmon between March and October—roughly 40% of the 10-year average. By comparison, the average catch from 2011 to 2015 was closer to 75,000 Chinook per year. Most of the catch in 2024 came from the port of Newport, with southern Oregon fisheries, in particular, struggling with low returns due to drought and warming waters in the Sacramento and Klamath rivers.
“Salmon are heavily dependent on cool, clean water for their survival,” said John North, assistant fish division administrator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The challenges posed by warming waters and drought have compounded, creating the perfect storm for these species.”
Chinook salmon, Oregon’s official state fish, hold immense cultural and economic value to the state, especially for Northwest tribes and coastal communities. Despite having 800 licensed commercial vessels operating in 17 ports along the Oregon Coast, only 163 vessels registered a catch in 2024. For the past five years, these vessels have averaged earnings of just $20,000 per year, with the top 20 vessels earning no more than $62,000 annually over the past three years.
“Oregon’s coastal communities are hurting from the decline in salmon landings over the past five years,” Reeves wrote in his letter to the governor. “With timely assistance, we can mitigate what will otherwise have severe ramifications for many businesses in our rural economies.”
However, there is a glimmer of hope. While the Chinook salmon population has struggled, fish coming from the Columbia River have remained relatively stable. Additionally, coastal Coho salmon numbers have shown signs of improvement since their low point in the late 1990s, when they were listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Nevertheless, the outlook for the state’s ocean salmon fisheries remains uncertain. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials acknowledge that the situation is dire but emphasize that the recovery of certain salmon populations, especially those from the Columbia River, offers some encouragement.
Still, for many fishermen and their families, the continued financial strain is taking a heavy toll. Without swift action from the federal government, Oregon’s fishing industry faces an uncertain future, with economic hardship spreading across the state’s rural coastal communities.
As Oregon’s commercial fishing sector grapples with these ongoing environmental challenges, the call for federal intervention has never been more urgent.
