Oregon tribal members are asking regulators to prohibit motorized boats in part of the Siletz River to protect fish and recreation.
In early 2025, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians submitted a rulemaking petition to prohibit all motorboats upstream of Jack Morgan Park in a stretch of about 28 miles of navigable water.
The river’s lower 27-mile stretch, draining into the Pacific Ocean south of Lincoln City, would remain open to motorboats.
The Siletz River runs through the tribes’ ancestral lands, as well as reservation properties owned by the tribes. Tribal members say motorboats can harm steelhead and salmon, particularly during early spawning stages.
Motorboats also give anglers an unfair advantage, tribal members say, since they can more easily motor upstream and drift through the same fishing holes compared to anglers who don’t use motorboats.
“When you combine that with advanced technologies for fish finders and viewfinders that show you every fish in the river, that becomes exploitative,” said Angela Sondenaa, the tribes’ natural resources director. “And it’s really hurting our fishery. It’s hurting other people’s opportunity to harvest fish.”
Then there are tensions between people who use motorboats and people who don’t.
“Some river users are not very respectful, and at times have been aggressive,” Sondenaa said. “People in our area know that and they’re like, ‘It’s just not worth it anymore to fish our home river.’ And that’s unacceptable to us.”
The Oregon State Marine Board took up the tribes’ petition and convened a rulemaking advisory committee in May. The committee has met regularly since, but it has yet to come to a consensus on what potential boating changes could look like.
FILE: A kayaker maps part of the Siletz River in Lincoln County, Ore., in 2017.
Photo courtesy of Krista Jones | U.S. Geological Survey
The committee plans to hold a meeting in January, when it’s expected to come up with potential rule options for the marine board to consider.
In the meantime, the marine board has installed signs around the Siletz River that remind people about the river’s significance to tribes and the environment.
This isn’t the first time the board has considered a request to restrict motorboats on the river. The board considered petitions in 2001 and 2008, and denied both. The board took up a petition in 2013, but ultimately didn’t change boating rules.
Sondenaa said the tribes are grateful that the board is again considering changing current boating rules for the river. She hopes this time, changes are made.
“We believe that our river deserves better protection,” Sondenaa said. “It is a beautiful river. Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy that.”
