Gluesenkamp Perez Visits Skamania Fish Hatchery After State Decision to Close It

April 8, 2026

WASHOUGAL — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez yesterday toured the Skamania Fish Hatchery in Washougal, which the state mothballed ahead of full closure this year due to budget cuts and increased regulatory costs from lawsuits.

Alongside Southwest Washington fishermen, who rely on the steady operation of the Skamania Hatchery, and county officials, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez encouraged the Washington State Legislature to prioritize the necessary resources to reopen this critical facility.

“Lawsuits have significantly increased the cost and perceived risk of running hatcheries.  Combined with a constrained state budget, hatcheries are facing closure–but the kind of recreational and subsistence fishing that comes from Steelhead cannot become an extinct species,” said Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. “Families in Washington have relied on Steelhead for generations. At the fancier grocery stores it costs $79.95 per pound right now, but the cost per hatchery fish is roughly $4 for taxpayers. That’s high quality protein at a time when groceries are becoming a real burden. An interest group’s ability to sue until they get a favorable outcome shouldn’t determine who has access to recreational or subsistence fishing.”

Last month, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez wrote to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind, urging support for reopening the hatchery and ensuring its continued operation alongside the North Toutle Hatchery. See the full letter to Director Susewind here.

Under the 1938 Mitchell Act, Congress provides funding to support salmon and steelhead production in the Columbia River Basin. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has consistently advocated for the highest possible funding levels for Mitchell Act hatcheries, like the one in Washougal, through the federal Appropriations process – securing an additional $4 million for hatchery operations and maintenance in Fiscal Year 2026. While still limited, these funds have been supplemented by state dollars in the past to continue Mitchell Act hatchery programs across Washington.

Fisherman praised the effort of Gluesenkamp Perez.

“CCA Washington appreciates MGP’s work to secure additional Mitchell Act funding for the federal government’s responsibility to mitigate the impact of Columbia River dams on salmon and steelhead through hatchery production.  We also join the Congresswoman’s call for WDFW to utilize a portion of these funds to prevent the closures of the Skamania Hatchery on the Washougal River, consistent with the immense benefits it products to the residents of southwest Washington and WDFW’s past promises and statements of support,” said Nello Picinich, Executive Director, CCA 

“Fishing for Steelhead on the Washougal River is a big part of the lives of many people in Skamania County, and the loss of this fishery would be devastating to our community.  Closing this hatchery will not only impact people for whom fishing is a way of life, it will be harmful for our local businesses who depend on this fishery,” said Brian Nichols, Skamania County Commissioner.

“Steelhead fishing on the Washougal River has been a part of my life that I have been blessed to be able to share with my kids and my grandkids, this is something that I hope my family will be able to enjoy for years to come,” said Larry Basham, a fisherman from  Washougal.

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