Bill passed in Senate Committee today invests $65 million in Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
Sen. Murray also secures investments in National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Sea Grant College Program
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced she has secured $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) in the Fiscal Year 2018 Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, after members of the Committee rejected President Trump’s effort to eliminate the program’s funding. Congress established the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund in 2000 to protect, restore, and conserve Pacific salmon populations and their habitats. Since its inception, states and tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, and Alaska have undertaken well over 10,000 projects, resulting in significant changes in habitat condition and availability, as well as establishing concrete planning and monitoring programs that support prioritization and tracking for salmon and steelhead population conservation.
“Restoring salmon runs is critically important not only to jobs and our state’s economy, but also for tribal treaty rights and our state’s cultural heritage,” Senator Murray said. “I’m encouraged that my Senate colleagues joined me today to reject President Trump’s harmful proposal, which would only serve to roll back the progress we’ve made in recent years to create healthy salmon habitats and protect this vital resource.”
The bill also restores funding for the National Sea Grant College Program which supports critical research on Washington state’s oceans and coasts, and maintains investments in salmon management programs that maintain hatcheries, the genetic stock identification database, and the marked and coded wire tag program. After passing the Senate Appropriations Committee today, the bill now moves to the full Senate.
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