Contract negotiations for hatchery operations in Oregon have been extended.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will extend its cooperative agreements with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for up to 120 days, as the agencies continue negotiating contracts for the Corps’ fish hatchery services in the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue river basins.  The current agreements expire on June 30.  Corps Portland District Fish Section chief Tammy Mackey says they hope to sign contracts by July 31, and the extensions keep the hatcheries operating to avoid impacts to the fish being raised in those facilities.  Since the 1950s, the Corps has paid ODFW to manage hatchery operations and provide fish production services to accomplish required mitigation for impacts to habitat by the Corps’ dams.  A 2015 review of existing agreements and federal contracting laws and regulations determined a contract, rather than a cooperative agreement, is the appropriate legal document for the Corps to purchase hatchery services.  The Bonneville hatchery is one of the facilities involved in the negotiation.