Friday, August 12, 2022
CapitalPress.com 7
Do we have enough water in
Oregon? It depends who you ask
By MICHAEL KOHN
EO Media Group
Chris Retherford
The crew of the Coast Pride brings in a net fi lled with
pink shrimp off the Oregon coast.
USDA purchases
$52M of Pacifi c
Northwest seafood
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
WASHINGTON, D.C.
— The USDA has agreed
to purchase $52 million of
Pacifi c Northwest seafood
to help buoy an industry
hard-hit by COVID-19 and
other market disruptions.
The agreement includes
$22 million of whit-
ing, $18 million of rock-
fi sh and $12 million of
pink shrimp, which will
be distributed to domestic
food assistance programs
nationwide.
Lori Steele, executive
director of the West Coast
Seafood Processors Asso-
ciation, said the federal
assistance is a “big win”
for producers, especially
after 2020 when pandem-
ic-induced restaurant clo-
sures wiped out 70% of
the domestic seafood mar-
ket overnight.
It is the USDA’s largest
single purchase of North-
west seafood to date. Last
year, the agency bought
$45.9 million of prod-
ucts for the fi rst time in
May, and $16.5 million in
October.
“Obviously, the USDA
liked our products,” Steele
said. “Our processors did a
really good job working in
the system. We were able
to build off of that success,
and have a much bigger
purchase of the same prod-
ucts this year.”
Purchases were made
under Section 32 of the
Agricultural Adjustment
Act of 1935, which allows
the USDA to buy sur-
plus commodities in sec-
tors reeling from market
shocks and distribute them
domestically to support
prices for producers.
Qualifying for Sec-
tion 32 is not easy, Steele
said. Processors were
subject to federal audits
to ensure products met
specifications
before
they
could
become
USDA-certified.
“It was a huge step
last year to get that inau-
gural purchase,” Steele
said. “Once you’re in the
door, it’s just a matter of
providing good service
and good product.”
COVID-19 isn’t the
only problem facing
the Northwest seafood
industry, Steele said.
Exports have also taken
a hit, she said, due to the
global supply chain cri-
sis as well as Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine is the biggest
export market for Pacific
whiting.
West Coast lawmakers
have led several pushes
to ensure seafood was
included in the USDA’s
commodity
purchasing
programs. Sen. Jeff Merk-
ley, D-Ore., said the lat-
est purchase “ensures
Oregon’s coastal fi sher-
men and seafood produc-
ers receive critical fi nan-
cial assistance needed to
continue operating and
providing services here in
Oregon and beyond.”
Steele said she hopes
that, by helping feed
hungry Americans, pro-
ducers will also be able
to reach new consum-
ers and increase demand
for
Pacifi c
seafood
domestically.
“It’s going to reach
a lot of consumers who
maybe we wouldn’t have
otherwise reached or
who aren’t familiar with
these products,” she said.
Ask a few Oregonians
if their state has enough
water to meet its needs and
you may get some vary-
ing answers. The diff ering
views on the question may
be tilted based on where
people live, or even their
gender.
Roughly half of all Ore-
gonians (48%) agree there
is enough water in Oregon
to meet current needs while
37% disagree and 15% are
unsure, according to a sur-
vey conducted by the Ore-
gon Values and Beliefs
Center, a Portland-based
nonprofi t.
This number has shifted
over the past 12 months —
a year ago 56% of Orego-
nians said their state had
enough water to meet cur-
rent needs.
The survey also reveals
a gender divide when it
comes to who thinks there
is enough water — 56% of
female Oregonians believe
we have enough water while
42% of their male counter-
parts agreed with them.
Younger people tended
to agree with the state-
ment more than older peo-
ple — 54% of those 18 to
29 agreed that Oregon has
enough water for its needs,
while just 39% of those in
the 45-to 54-age category
agreed.
There was also a split of
opinion down party lines —
40% of Democrats agree
there is enough water to
meet the needs of the state
while 62% of Republicans
agreed with the statement.
Attitudes were based on
where people live, too —
54% of Willamette Valley
residents agree that there
is suffi cient water while
the number was 47% in the
Portland area and 46% in
the rest of the state.
The online survey con-
sisted of 1,572 Oregon
residents ages 18 or over.
The independent and non-
partisan organization said
this is a suffi cient sample
size to assess Oregonians’
opinions, generally, and to
review fi ndings by multiple
subgroups.
The survey was taken
July 8-16. The survey’s
margin of error is plus or
minus 2.5%.
Survey participants were
also asked their opinions
about water conservation.
“I think it’s time to
EO Media Group File
An irrigation system used by Central Oregon farmers.
reframe the norm, given
where our water levels are
and are likely to be in com-
ing years,” said Sienna Fitz-
patrick, a Deschutes County
resident. “We can’t continue
with business as usual, or
our rivers won’t be able to
recover.”
Survey results show that
Oregonians are split between
those who are willing to pay
more to support drought-re-
lated infrastructure improve-
ments and those who are not
(49% to 40%).
About two-thirds of
Democrats say they’d be
willing to pay more (65%)
compared to about one-
third of Republicans (35%).
Independents fell some-
where in between at 42%.
Across Oregon, there
isn’t a strong feeling that
the agricultural community
is doing enough to conserve
water. Just 37% of Orego-
nians agree that decisive
action is being taken while
34% said they don’t know.
But some of those sur-
veyed, especially those from
Central Oregon, complained
that housing and infrastruc-
ture growth are causing
water shortages and farming
communities are paying the
price.
“They keep building
homes and approving mega
resorts and golf courses
when farmers can’t grow
food. It is ridiculous,” said
Deschutes County resident
Susan Matney.
Elizabeth Kirby, another
Deschutes County resi-
dent, agreed. “Small farm-
ers are really hurting in my
area of Oregon to maintain
needed water supplies while
a huge amount of water goes
to unnecessary places, for
example golf courses and
resorts,” Kirby said.
When it comes to future
needs, 36% of Oregonians
think there is enough water
while 46% disagree. A year
ago, Oregonians were more
evenly split on this question,
with 42% saying Oregon has
enough water for the future
while 45% said there’s not.
This question also revealed a
gender split — this year 45%
of men said there is enough
water to meet future needs
while just 28% of women
agreed with the statement.
The survey also revealed a
political divide over whether
or not the general public is
doing enough to conserve
water during droughts. The
results showed that 41% of
Republicans said the pub-
lic is doing enough to con-
serve water while just 21%
of Democrats agreed with
the statement. In total (men
and women), only 28%
agree that the general public
is doing enough while 56%
disagreed.
Deschutes County resi-
dent Steve Cross said he is
doing his part to conserve
water.
“I take 40-second cold
showers to conserve energy
and water,” said Cross.
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