To: Oregon Policymakers
RE: Urgent Need to Address Pacific Salmon Treaty Interceptions of Chinook Salmon
Dear Oregon Policymakers,
We write as a broad coalition of Oregon conservation organizations, Tribes, recreational and commercial fishers, guides, businesses, and citizens calling for reform of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST). As the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) renegotiates the 2028 PST, we urge policymakers to advocate for reduced interception of our state’s Chinook in fisheries north of the US-Canada border and to maximize the return of these fish to Oregon’s ecosystems, fisheries, communities, and endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
While our coalition often differs on salmon management issues, we unanimously agree that the status quo under the PST is not acceptable. Excessive interceptions in Alaska and British Columbia, chronic failure to meet spawning goals, severely limited fishing opportunities, struggling local economies, and the continued decline of threatened Chinook and endangered killer whales demand immediate intervention.
Over four decades, the PST agreement has been designed to manage interceptions of Oregon’s northerly migrating salmon runs in an effort to uphold Tribal treaty rights, promote equitable fisheries, and achieve conservation goals for both threatened salmon and endangered killer whales. Nevertheless, available data over the last two decades show that the PST has not adequately achieved its guiding principles to reduce interceptions, provide for equitable fisheries, halt overfishing, and maintain healthy spawning levels across watersheds of our state:
- Oregon Coast: For the Nehalem River, Siletz River, Siuslaw River, Salmon River, and the five Tillamook Bay rivers, > 60% of all Chinook harvest has occurred in Alaska and British Columbia; exploitation north of the US-Canada border has at times exceeded 50–60% of the returning adult population; spawner escapement has trended downward and spawning goals have been missed routinely.
- Willamette River: > 40% of all harvest for Endangered Species Act-listed Willamette River Spring Chinook has occurred north of the US-Canada border, with trends in interception worsening over time; spawner escapement and recovery goals remain unmet.
- Columbia River: > 50% of all harvest of Hanford Wild Chinook has occurred north of the US-Canada border, leaving severely diminished allocations for local Tribes, commercial fishers, and recreational fishers that depend on the upriver bright stock.
These high out-of-state interception rates reduce spawning returns, undermine salmon recovery efforts, diminish prey available to endangered killer whales, and severely limit fishing opportunities for Oregon’s communities. At the same time, residents of the state have invested millions of dollars in salmon recovery and fish production programs whose benefits are compromised when large portions of returning adult salmon populations are harvested outside Oregon waters.
Whether you desire greater and more equitable fishing opportunities for Oregon’s residents; revitalized fishing cultures; renewed rural and coastal economies; the survival and stabilization of the endangered Southern Residents; greater returns on salmon recovery and fish production investments; or the recovery of our state’s threatened Chinook salmon populations—the renegotiation of the PST is immensely consequential to the people and taxpayers of Oregon.
Given the significance of the 2028 PST renegotiation for our state’s salmon, orcas, communities, and economies, our diverse coalition respectfully requests that Oregon’s Congressional Delegation, the Governor’s office, State Legislature, Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Department of Fish and Wildlife formally engage on this issue and stand-up for Oregon’s residents and salmon. We urge you to provide letters to the PSC and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by November 30, 2026 supporting substantial PST reforms that reduce Chinook interceptions in Alaska and British Columbia and increase salmon returns to the ecosystems, spawning grounds, fisheries, and communities of Oregon.
Your constituents can no longer accept a system in which distant fisheries in Alaska and British Columbia harvest excessive proportions of Oregon’s Chinook while local communities bear the costs of recovery efforts, fishing restrictions, and declining salmon and Southern Resident killer whale populations. Strong leadership and advocacy are needed to ensure the PST better serves Oregon’s people, fisheries, salmon, and killer whales.
Thank you for your service and commitment to our state’s natural resources and communities.
Sincerely,