Wildlife commissions to discuss Columbia River salmon policies

Public invited to attend a series of meetings, two of which to be held in Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD — The public is invited to attend a series of committee meetings comprised of members of the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissions to discuss next steps in the review of salmon management on the Columbia River.

• Aug. 29 at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) regional office at 5525 S. 11th St. in Ridgefield, Wash.
• Oct. 1 at the main office of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr. S.E. in Salem, Ore.
• Nov. 18 at WDFW’s regional office at 5525 S. 11th St. in Ridgefield, Wash.

The Joint-State Columbia River Fishery Policy Review Committee, formed by the two state commissions, is working to find common ground on jointly managed fisheries. The committee, which includes three commissioners from Washington and three from Oregon, has held five meetings so far, and has now scheduled three more.

At the Aug. 29 meeting, the Oregon and Washington commissioners will review analysis of a subset of fishery harvest alternatives, continue refinement of remaining alternatives, and discuss ways to improve policy as well as regulatory concurrence between the two states in 2020 and beyond.

“The goal of these meetings is to continue work to improve Columbia River fishery management and have concurrent policies that work for both states,” said Ryan Lothrop, Columbia River policy coordinator with WDFW.

Meeting start times, agendas, and supplementary materials will be posted online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/joint-policy-review-committee. The meetings will also be streamed from the website of the state hosting each meeting, wdfw.wa.gov and/or www.dfw.state.or.us/.   

Information provided by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.