Oregon Public Broadcasting

Columbia River tribes and state governments will work together to manage salmon fisheries and hatcheries, at least for the next  ten years.

This week, a federal judge approved the 'U.S. versus Oregon' fisheries agreement, signed by four native tribes and the governments of Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

The deal changes the way protected fish grow in the region, and could lead to stronger harvests in the future.

Bill Tweit is the Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

He says the new deal allows tribal fishermen to catch more fish in good years.

Bill Tweit: “And that's a much superior system then. It gives fishermen a sense that their sacrifices will produce some future reward, so they are more invested in the system. And from the standpoint of the biology of the critter, this should help the speeding up the rate of recovery.

This deal ends years of negotiation and temporary solutions for the Northwest's fisheries and hatcheries.

The agreement won't effectively change fisheries management until next year.