2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program

The Council's current Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program was was adopted in June 2026, after a rigorous planning and public engagement process.

Priorities for the 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program include:

• Keep water moving for migrating fish at critical times while still meeting regional energy needs
• Continue to restore critical habitat throughout the Columbia Basin
• Protect and improve infrastructure like fish screens, fish passage, hatcheries, and land purchases
• Manage predation in areas most likely to improve salmon and steelhead survival
• Measure progress towards achieving the Council's goals and objectives

Over the past four decades, the Fish and Wildlife Program has protected and benefited salmon, steelhead, white sturgeon, Pacific lamprey, bull trout, and other fish and wildlife species impacted by the Columbia Basin hydrosystem. The Fish and Wildlife Program is updated every 5 years, based on recommendations from tribal, state, and federal fish and wildlife agencies in the Columbia Basin, as well as local governments, nonprofits, energy customers, regional utilities, and the public. It is one piece of the complex tapestry of efforts to protect and restore fish and wildlife in the basin.

• Full Program as PDF
• Amendment process
  (How we got here, what's next)
• Findings (expected July 2026)
• Subbasin plans
• Past Programs