Relief for River Guides is on Its Way after a Difficult Year

Photo Credit: Chris Corbin

Earlier this week, the Oregon House of Representatives and Senate passed a wide-reaching bill that included $10 million in relief for Oregon’s outdoor recreation outfitters and guides. This one-time expenditure will provide direct financial support to Oregon-registered private, for-profit, and nonprofit outfitters and guides.

This was a much-needed victory for the lower Deschutes’ guides and the whole North Central Oregon region. They were hit especially hard this past year, as 2021 saw the lowest number of returning adult steelhead on record. And the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) missteps made the situation worse. Despite months of poor forecasts, ODFW gave just a few days’ notice that the lower Deschutes, among other rivers, would be closed to most recreational fishing for the remainder of the season. Guides were unable to plan around the closure on such short notice and, as a result, lost out on significant business. All this while the Columbia River remained open to commercial gillnet fishing.

The DRA was heartened to see the legislature take an interest in river guides after our advocacy. Throughout the summer’s heatwaves, we worked to strike a balance between protecting the LDR’s native fish and keeping recreational fishing open. DRA also raised these issues with representatives from the Governor’s office and State Senator Bill Hansell. Since mid-summer, we have continued to raise the issue to decision-makers through letters to state agencies and testimony at public hearings. 

River-based tourism is one of North Central Oregon’s main economic drivers and critical to that tourism are the guides. For the sake of salmon and steelhead, river guides, and the region as a whole, ODFW’s errors this past year cannot be repeated. ODFW must develop a comprehensive plan to address this urgent and continuing problem.

We are calling on ODFW to create a comprehensive plan, which will include:

1. Strong advocacy to improve and preserve water quality – The best way to help these suffering fish begin their recovery is to make sure the water quality meets all of their biological needs, including cool water temperatures and sufficient dissolved oxygen levels.
2. Clear triggers for angling restrictions – Creating a transparent system for when restrictions must be implemented prevents all impacted fishers from being blindsided by last-minute actions and allows them to plan better for contingencies.
3. An escalating system of restrictions – Closing rivers to fishing and angling should be a last resort. Early implementation of less-restrictive protections should come before any full closures.
4. Actions that proportionately and evenly apply restrictions – The burdens of declining salmon and steelhead numbers affect all fishers and must be distributed evenly. Restrictions should be implemented based on the relative impact that the type of fishing has on fish population numbers. Likewise, if low numbers necessitate closing one Columbia River tributary to angling, all other tributaries must also be closed.

We will need your help to make this plan a reality. In the new year, we will be asking for your support of our plan. Keep an eye on our blog, website, and social media for updates and ways to take action to support the river we all love.