This award will provide funding to research cost effective methods of reintroducing pacific salmon

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation $1.569 million on November 1, 2025, under the Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) to research cost-effective methods of reintroducing Pacific salmon in the upper Columbia River watershed of Washington.

The award funds evaluation of the survivability and effectiveness of providing tribal subsistence fishing opportunities through innovative, less expensive technology approaches to increase Pacific salmon abundance. Work is performed in Nespelem, Washington, with a period of performance through June 30, 2028.

The Pacific Salmon Treaty Program provides cooperative support to States and treaty Indian tribes for salmon recovery and to fulfill U.S. international commitments under the treaty. Priority consideration is given to programs that directly address salmon recovery or meet information needs of the Pacific Salmon Commission for international management of salmon fishery stocks. The funding will enable the Colville Confederated Tribes to own, manage, and prioritize fishery management decisions for their fishery, supporting tribal subsistence, sport, and commercial fishing operations and the broader U.S. seafood industry and associated jobs within local communities.

The purpose of this financial award is to evaluate the survivability, effectiveness, and success of providing tribal subsistence FI shing opportunities. Healthy and sustainable populations of pacific salmon are key to the U.S. Commercial fisheries and to the integrity of the domestic seafood supply chain. If this action is not approved, the tribe will not have adequate information or salmon to support sport, commercial and tribal fisheries within the upper columbia river watershed of washington. This financial award will go towards supporting the U.S. Seafood industry, fisheries jobs, and local communities by researching the innovative approach to increase pacific salmon abundance utilizing less expensive technology. This support will empower the tribe to effectively own, manage, and prioritize fishery management decisions for their fishery.