Murray: “This funding will help our Tribes recover the losses they’ve experienced through no fault of their own. I’m going to do absolutely everything I can in the other Washington get our Tribes and our fisheries the resources they need to support their communities and have productive, healthy harvests”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced over $16 million in fishery disaster assistance funding for several Tribes in Washington to compensate for disasters over the past decade. This funding is provided through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. This is just the latest in Senator Murray’s long push to make Washington state’s salmon and the fishing industry major federal priorities.
“Wild salmon populations in Washington state are declining on the whole and threatening our ecosystems and local economies—and its disproportionately harming Washington state Tribes,” said Senator Murray. “This funding will help our Tribes recover the losses they’ve experienced through no fault of their own. I’m going to do absolutely everything I can in the other Washington get our Tribes and our fisheries the resources they need to support their communities and have productive, healthy harvests. Healthy fisheries have to be an ongoing policy priority at every level of government, and I’m committed to doing my part in the Senate.”
The Washington state fisheries, Tribes, and year of the disaster for which they are receiving this funding are:
- Washington Fraser River and Skagit River Salmon Fisheries, Swinomish, Tulalip, Upper Skagit Tribes (2019) – $4,154,358
- Washington Fraser River Sockeye, Chinook, Chum, Coho, and Pink Salmon Fishery, Lummi Nation (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019) – $11,460,882
- Washington Puget Sound Fall Chum Salmon Fishery, Squaxin Island Tribe (2019) – $411,508
- Washington Fraser River Sockeye and Puget Sound Chum, and Coho Salmon Fishery, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (2014 and 2019) — $550,599
Senator Murray has consistently fought for consistent fisheries disaster funding. She helped secure $300 million for fisheries disaster funding as part of the CARES Act and an additional $255 million in the fiscal year 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. That funding has been instrumental in fulfilling outstanding requests for disaster assistance like those announced today.
Further, Senator Murray has successfully secured major investments that will benefit endangered and harvestable salmon species alike. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Senator Murray helped secure $220 million to create a new fish passage at the Howard Hanson dam that will be critical toward salmon recovery efforts in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also delivered $1 billion for culvert removal, replacement, and restoration; $172 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF); and $207 million for the Coastal Zone Management Program, among other habitat investments.
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