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Cowlitz Fisheries Technical Committee

Cowlitz River

The Fisheries Technical Committee (FTC) was created by the settlement agreement for the Cowlitz River Hydroelectric Project and is part of the project’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license.

The committee is responsible for making recommendations on actions to maximize the effectiveness of fisheries mitigation, protection and enhancement measures in the Cowlitz River Project area.

These recommendations include developing study protocols and plans for hatchery remodeling, fish management, fisheries disease management and fish passage. The FTC also makes adaptive management recommendations as indicated by monitoring and evaluation.

The FTC includes one representative each from Tacoma Power, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Yakama Nation; and one individual representing Trout Unlimited and American Rivers.

This committee first met in November 2000 to begin implementing some of the measures identified in the Settlement Agreement.

If you have questions or comments regarding the FTC or processes related to this committee, please contact Melora Shelton at 253-888-5425 or mshelton@cityoftacoma.org.

The FTC meets on the first Tuesday (930am-3pm) of every month with the exception of July and the meetings are open to the public. Meetings are conducted on the Microsoft Teams virtual platform with in person meetings on a quarterly basis when possible.