Your information is almost correct. This story is not new. The berries were collected along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, not the Snake. And yes, that guy made jam and sent it to the governor of Washington (It might have been Dixie Lee Ray, but I don't remember) to highlight the radioactivity leaking from the Hanford Nuke Reservation. Clean-up has been underway ever since. Fortunately, he also enclosed a note telling the Gov not to eat the jam.

My condolences on the loss of your friend. Indeed, I wouldn't eat any long lived fish, or anything else, from the Hanford Reach for the reasons you've just stated.