Update, May 19, 2022: Petitioners including Douglas County, Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby, Inc. and Scott Worsley (a fishing guide) filed for a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent from taking effect the Commission's April 22 decision to not release hatchery summer steelhead smolts in 2022 and to eliminate the Rock Creek hatchery summer steelhead program until the case is decided on the merits or is otherwise disposed of by the court.
Late yesterday morning, the Marion County Circuit Court granted the petitioners' request. Hatchery summer steelhead smolts will be released consistent with the court order which is expected to be issued by the end of the week.
In light of this development, the Commission intends to delay to a future (yet to be determined) date, the special meeting to discuss information received from various tribes and other comments related to the Rock Creek summer steelhead hatchery program that was requested at its last meeting on May 13.
May 13, 2022
SALEM — Commissioners heard presentations from ODFW staff today about the agency’s proposed 2023-2025 budget and policy option package prioritization. At the June 17 meeting, the Commission will vote on the final budget to be sent to the Governor’s office.
The planned budget does not include a proposed fee increase for recreational hunting or fishing licenses, meaning the agency will have gone almost a full decade without asking for an additional fee increase. Typically, ODFW asks for a fee increase every six years, but the agency has been able to build up healthy operational reserves and can delay the increasing fees for another biennium. The increase in license sales during the pandemic also helped offset the need for a fee increase. The last fee increase request was approved in the 2015 Legislative Session and implemented incrementally in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
The Commission also approved expenditures from the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, heard a presentation from the Beaver Management Workgroup, as well as a presentation on southern resident killer whales.
In other business, the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to schedule a special meeting to discuss tribal and other comments regarding their recent North Umpqua hatchery summer steelhead decision.
A video of today’s Commission meeting can be found here: https://youtu.be/2kuzMWHI2MU.
###
|