The Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office collaborates with local, state and Tribal partners to conserve, restore, and improve native fish and aquatic resources throughout Oregon and along the Columbia River. We study wild and hatchery aquatic organisms and their populations, support habitat restoration, and evaluate restoration projects, fish hatchery practices and human impacts. The results of our studies allow land and natural resource managers to make science informed management decisions. 

About Us

It is the mission of the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (CRFWCO) to assist in determining the status of imperiled natural stocks, to evaluate management measures for recovery and assist in the recovery of these stocks, and to prevent future listings

What We Do

Our staff collaborates with local, state and Tribal partners to conserve, restore, and improve native fish and aquatic resources throughout Oregon and along the Columbia River and all of its tributaries downstream from McNary Dam to the Pacific Ocean. We study wild and hatchery aquatic organisms and their populations, support habitat restoration, and evaluate restoration projects, fish hatchery practices and human impacts. The results of our studies allow land and natural resource managers to make science informed management decisions. 

Our Organization

The CRFWCO provides science-based recommendations for the management of aquatic resources on Federal and Tribal lands in the Pacific Northwest. The programs in our office provide technical assessment, interagency coordination, and representation for technical- and policy-level workgroups, committees, councils, and commissions. Our programs are:

Passage and Habitat Assessment

Natural Population Assessment

Hatchery Assessment

Marking and Tagging

GIS and Data

Science Communication and Outreach

A man is fishing in a boat with three young girls. The kids are excitedly pulling a fish out of the water.
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation programs work together to deliver resilient habitats, healthy fish, connected people, and strong partnerships. From habitat restoration to aquatic invasive species prevention, captive breeding to population assessment and monitoring, our programs are driven by the...
Program
Falls Church,VA

Our Species

Our work focuses on native fish and aquatic species, including those of Tribal importance and species listed under the Endangered Species Act. 

Bull Trout  

Salvelinus confluentus

Pacific Lamprey 

Entosphenus tridentatus

Freshwater Mussels

Western Pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) Yukon Floater (Anodonta beringiana)   Western Ridged Mussel (Gonidea angulata)

Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Oncorhynchus clarkii

Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.)

Chinook (O. tshawytscha) Coho (O. kisutch) Chum (O. keta) Pink (O. gorbuscha) Kokanee (O. nerka)

Steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Aquatic Invasive Species

Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

 American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)

Projects and Research

The Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (CRFWCO) coordinates, facilitates, and implements management actions to conserve and restore fish and aquatic species in the Columbia River Basin and adjacent parts of Oregon, including threatened and endangered resident species, anadromous salmonids, and their associated habitats. Our main conservation and restoration activities include: endangered species review and assessment, fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage improvement, tagging and marking of anadromous salmonids, Federal hatchery evaluation, harvest management, aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species monitoring, and various technical assistance programs. We work through collaboration and partnership with other Federal agencies, stakeholder groups, State and Tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and the public.

Our geographic focus includes the Columbia River and tributaries downstream from McNary Dam to the Pacific Ocean, and the rest of Oregon (except for the Klamath Basin). Providing technical assistance, interagency coordination, and representation on technical and policy level workgroups, committees, councils, and commissions for hydrosystem, hatchery, harvest, and habitat management are the key tasks for the CRFWCO. The CRFWCO work is guided by, and consistent with, the Pacific Region Fisheries Strategic Plan, USFWS National Fisheries Strategic Plan, and Department of Interior Secretarial priorities.

Latest News

A stylized image of three fish, to the left a salmonid, in the middle, a larger sturgeon with a pointy nose and fins, and to the right a long, eel shaped Pacific lamprey
Science and Technology
New Ways Forward for Fish Passage in the Pacific Northwest
As part of an ongoing effort to improve fish passage, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program is pleased to announce the release of Passage Guidelines for Select Native Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. This innovative guidance raises awareness of...
Rikeem Sholes, fish biologist, sitting in an OHV
Our People
The Career of a Multi-faceted Salmon Spy
Meet Rikeem Sholes, a versatile, tech-savvy fish biologist who can implement quick solutions in the field and fly a drone to spy on salmon.
A view through glass of four long fish in blue water with their mouths suctioned onto the glass and showing their round, jawless mouths with rows of teeth.
Wildlife Wonders
Demystifying the Pacific Lamprey
Pacific lamprey are misunderstood by many as ugly, scary, dangerous and of little value. But in reality, they carry an important role in the ecosystem and hold deep cultural significance for Native American Tribes. We're here to shed some light about what's really going on behind all of those teeth!
A Rosemary Anderson High School Student fishes on Oregon's Clackamas River.
Recreation
Kids on the Clackamas
In August and September 2023, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees helped guide 30 students and adult chaperones from two Portland metropolitan area schools on a five-mile river float on the lower Clackamas River. For nearly all of the participants, it was their first time on the water. With...
two men releasing a bull trout from a blue cooler into a stream
Climate Change
Coming home to the Clackamas River
What do you look for in a new home? If you were a bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), you’d want rivers and streams that meet the four Cs – cold, clean, complex and connected habitat.
A Pacific lamprey suctioned onto a clear surface with a view of its teeth and the inside of its mouth.
Climate Change
Protecting Pacific Lamprey
Pacific Lamprey might not be the most typical fish, with their smooth, scale-less skin, eel-like body and sucking disc mouth. You wouldn't know it at first glance, but this fish has an important role in connecting people and nature.
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Get Involved

From invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species removal to protecting endangered species, find out what kind of projects and initiatives we're conducting to protect our aquatic resources.

Location and Contact Information