2023 Oregon Legislative Wrap-Up

The 2023 Oregon Legislative Session ended on June 25 and included some notable victories for wild, native fish and the ecosystems they rely on. Here are some highlights of the session:

• Removing beavers from the state’s “predatory animals” list (HB 3464), which allowed them to be indiscriminately killed. Far from consuming wild fish, beavers are widely recognized as ecosystem engineers that help create and maintain critical habitat for salmonids and many other fish and wildlife species. This bill will place beaver management under ODFW and prevent unnecessary beaver deaths.

• Changing regulations related to non-native black bass (e.g., smallmouth) and walleye tournaments to allow the harvest of these species that negatively affect native fish (HB 2966). Previously, bass tournaments were limited to catch-and-release events, but this new regulation means that tournaments can give prize money for the killing bass and walleye.

• Three bills that would have had negative consequences for fish passage (HB 2164, HB 2164, and HB 2930) never made it out of committee.

• Funding for the Fire Recovery Grants administered by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board was extended through the 2023-2025 biennium. This was critical to allow most of the habitat restoration funded by these grants to actually take place, as the majority of grants weren’t awarded until September of 2022 and the allowed in-water work period for most watersheds only runs from July-August. This extension includes grants received by Native Fish Society to restore the upper Molalla and its tributaries and will allow us to complete work that will help create new spawning habitat for ESA-listed spring Chinook.