Columbia Basin Bulletin, April 17, 2009

MOST VIEWED CBB STORIES

Tribes, Idaho Urge Lower River Chinook Harvest Impacts Be Spread Out Over Full Season

Feds, Land Trust Complete Largest Estuary Habitat Purchase; Goal Is To Connect Wetlands With River

Spring Chinook Return Expected To Be Large; Wild Component Predicted Above 10-Year Average

Hatchery/Wild/Supplementation: Agencies Scoping Plan For ‘Hatchery Effects Evaluation Team’

Big Chunk Of Corps’ 2012 Fish Mitigation Budget Aimed At Willamette Valley Fish Passage

Moisture Streaming Into Northwest Gives Columbia Basin ‘Snow/Water Equivalent’ Big Boost

Basin’s April-Sept Runoff Forecast Now At 90 Percent; Rosiest Scenario Only Gets It To Normal

Study Details How Reduced Mountain Snowfall Can Lead To ‘Classic Ecological Cascade’

Tribes Release Comprehensive Lamprey Restoration Plan Aimed At Reversing Plummeting Numbers

Council Science Report: Salmon Recovery Efforts Need Better Tracking Of ‘Adults In’, ‘Smolts Out’

Council Recommends $10 Million To Umatilla Tribes For Salmon Habitat Projects In ‘Ceded’ Areas

Columbia River Fishery Managers Predict Strong Spring, Summer, Fall Chinook Returns For 2012

2011 Harvest Data Shows High Numbers In Angler Trips, Landed Chinook, Steelhead

New Report Details Impacts Of Wolf Restoration On Yellowstone Park Ecosystem Health

Study Says Selective Traits In Hatchery Fish Can Happen In A Single Generation

Oregon Attorney General Issues Modified Ballot Title Proposing Non-Tribal Gillnet Ban

New Fish Passage In the Upper Deschutes For Sockeye, Steelhead, Chinook Showing Positive Results

FERC Calls BPA’s High Water/Wind Power Cutoff Rule Discriminatory, Orders Correction In 90 Days

Oregon Elections Division Certifies Two Proposed Non-Indian Gill-Net Ban Initiative Titles

Salmon BiOp Plaintiffs’ Urge New Judge To Consider Settlement Judge, Science Panel

Redden Steps Down; Allows New Judge Simon To Review Salmon Litigation Before 2014 BiOp Filed

Research Shows Columbia River Sockeye Adapting To Climate Change, Migrating Earlier

Channel Rehabilitation Below Bonneville Dam Brings Big Boost To ESA-Listed Chum Salmon Spawners

State, Tribal Coalitions, Feds Oppose Inserting Science Panel, Settlement Judge Into BiOp Remand

Research: Stream Warming Impacts On PNW Salmonids Require Prioritizing Conservation Efforts

Sea Lion Task Force Summary Completed; NOAA Decision On Lethal Take Expected In February

Researchers Study How White Salmon River Responds To Dam Breaching; Right Now ‘Lots Of Mud’

Winter Forecast Conference: Below Normal Temperatures, Above Average Precipitation?

Canadian Officials Say ‘No Confirmed Cases’ Of Salmon Virus; NOAA Doing Research, Response Report

Blast Drains Condit Dam’s Reservoir On White Salmon River; Dam Structure Removal Set For Spring 2012

Economic Panel Compares Effectiveness Of Methods To Keep More Water In-Stream For Fish

Salmon BiOp Challengers Request Court Appoint Settlement Judge, Science Panel For Remand

Senators Call For U.S. To Conduct Independent Testing To Assess Risk Of Salmon Virus

Report Shows Global Warming Causing Huge, Fast Tree Species Migration In West

Adult Chinook Transported Above Condit Dam Before Blast ‘Highly Successful’ With Spawning

Sens. Cantwell, Murkowski, Begich Introduce Amendment Calling For Investigation Into Salmon Virus

NOAA’s Sea Lion Task Force Again Discusses Lethal Removal Below Bonneville Dam

Tribes Complete Pilot Test For Operating Corps-Built Salmon Processing Facility Near White Salmon

Rise Of The Humpies: Ocean Conditions Now Good For Pinks While Chinook, Coho Abundance Declines?

Researchers Say Lethal Marine Influenza Virus Found In Wild Salmon Off British Columbia Coast

Report: ESA-Protected Steller Sea Lions Show Increased Presence, Salmon Take In Lower Columbia

Rejuvenated Upper Columbia River Coho Allows First Fisheries In 30 Years

Columbia River Shad: Ocean Survival Off Oregon,Washington Inversely Related To Native Coho

Science Advisory Panel Urges, Comprehensive ‘Landscape Approach’ To Fish, Wildlife Restoration

New Fish Passage For Umatilla River Lamprey Helps Spur Higher Than Expected Adult Return

USFWS Releases Lamprey Assessment, Template For Restoring ‘Priority Species’ In Columbia Basin

ISAB Reviews Fish Passage Memos On Long-Standing Issue Of Delayed Mortality In Migrating Salmon

Salmon BiOp: Feds File Notice Leaving Open Appeal Of Redden’s Aug. 2 Decision; Ninth Sets Schedule

Researchers Evaluating Benefits To Wind River Wild Steelhead From Hemlock Dam Removal

Preliminary Juvenile Salmonid Survival Estimates Show Challenge Of 2011’s Notably High Flows

Okanogan PUD Decides Not To Pursue Building New Dam/Reservoir On Similkameen River

Fall Chinook Count In Lower Snake Remains Strong; Reintroduced Coho Showing Good Numbers

Fish On: Lower Columbia River Fall Chinook Sport Catch Now Second Best Since 1980

Battle Over Ballot Title For Oregon Non-Indian Gill-Net Ban Goes To State Supreme Court

White Salmon River Fall Chinook Captured, Moved Upstream In Preparation For Condit Dam Removal

A Record-Breaking Oddity: Why Are Pink Salmon (Humpies) Heading Up The Columbia River?

NOAA Says La Nina Is Back; Colder, Wetter Than Normal Conditions For the Northwest

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Return Downgraded; More Fish Now Turning Into Snake River

Snake River Sockeye Return To Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley Second Largest Since 1950s

NOAA To Reconvene Sea Lion Removal Task Force:‘We Must Address’ All Causes Of Salmon Decline

Straying Pink Salmon Hit Record Numbers At Bonneville Dam; Down From Puget Sound, Fraser River?

Leading Marine Scientists Call For An End To Most Deep-Sea Commercial Fishing

Snake River Sockeye Recovery On Track This Year; 120 Trapped Fish Of Natural Origin

Invasive Northern Pike Disaster For Pend Oreille Native Fish; Will Move Further Into Columbia Basin?

Study: Wolf Population Increase May Aid Other Threatened Species, Stream Ecosystems

Some Question New Water Release Regime Intended To Return Salmon, Steelhead To Upper Deschutes

Willamette Plan Released; Calls For Reintroducing Salmon, Steelhead Above Santiam, McKenzie Dams

Columbia River Estuary’s Salmon-Eating Tern Colony Produces No Chicks This Year

Corps Releases Draft EIS Of Plan To Move Terns From Columbia River To Southeastern Oregon

Tribes To Test Run Fish Processor Facility As Way To Market ‘Indian-Caught’ Columbia River Salmon

117,500 Triploid Trout Escape Columbia River Net-Pen Operation; Might Pose Threat To ESA Steelhead

Redden Orders New Salmon BiOp By 2014; Says Post-2013 Mitigation, Benefits Unidentified

Group Gains OK From Oregon Sec. Of State To Launch Non-Tribal Gill-Net Ban Initiative

Year’s First Snake River Sockeye Makes It Back To Sawtooths; Over 1,000 Counted At Lower Granite

More ‘Fouled’ Boats Being Identified As Quest Continues To Keep Quaggas At Bay

‘They Are Nice Big Fish’; 2009 Outplants Return To Upper Deschutes As Adult Chinook, Sockeye

Naturally Produced Smolts Showing Higher Presence In Snake River Sockeye Restoration Efforts

Re-Introducing Chinook To Okanogan Basin; Another Proposal For An ESA ‘Experimental’ Designation

Ocean Vs. Freshwater Impacts On Salmon: Council Wants Report To Show Value Of Ongoing Research

American Fisheries Society Western Division Again Calls For Breaching Snake River Dams

Study: Removing Large Fish (Apex Consumers) Triggers ‘Trophic Cascade’ In Ecosystems

Genetically Modified Salmon: Study Looks At Danger Of ‘Trojan Gene Effect’ If GM Fish Escape

Sockeye Run Picks Up, Could Be Fourth Largest Since 1980; Over 2,000 Snake River Fish Forecasted

Deadly Virus Forces Euthanization Of Over 300,000 Juvenile Steelhead At Dworshak Hatchery

Feds, Kalispel Tribe Propose 10-Year, $39 Million Agreement For Pend Oreille River Mitigation

For First Time, Alternatives To Gill Nets Being Tested In Summer Chinook Commercial Harvest

Bald Eagles’ Predation Decimates Columbia's Salmon-Eating Tern Colony; Cormorants Also Hit Hard

Council’s Science Review Panel Questions Hatchery Supplementation Effectiveness In Lower Snake

Deep Snowpacks Continue Slow Melt; Basin Water Supply Expected To Be Third Largest On Record

Marine Scientists’ Report Says World’s Ocean At Risk Of Entering Mass Species Extinction Phase

Final Regulatory Approvals Sets $32 Million Decommissioning Of Condit Dam For This Fall

Oregon Approves New Water Quality Rules Based On Highest ‘Fish Consumption Rate’ In Nation

Condit Dam Removal Likely To Bring More Bull Trout, Lamprey To White Salmon River Basin

Summer Chinook Run Expected To Be Best Since 1980, Fishing Starts June 16; Summer Steelhead Moving

Study: Unprecedented Snowpack Losses In West Last 50 Years May Signal Fundamental Shift

States Suspend Sea Lion Removals While Awaiting Decision From Federal Court

Umatilla Project Rebuilds Miles Of Creek Channel To Restore Salmon, Steelhead, Bull Trout, Lamprey

Levels Of Gas Bubble Trauma On Migrating Salmon, Steelhead Not Alarming At This Point

Mid-Columbia Net Pen Trout Rearing Operation Taking Losses From Gas Bubble Disease

Record High Water Supply, Flow Overrides BiOp Spill For Listed Kootenai White Sturgeon

Big Flows Bring Limits On Non-Hydro Energy; Spill Stirs Gas Levels Potentially Harmful To Fish

Reservoirs Being Managed To Prepare For Biggest Chunk Of Runoff Volume That Has Yet To Come

Upper Columbia: Peak Runoff Yet To Come On Rivers Already Exceeding Flood Stage

Humane Society Files Legal Challenge To NOAA’s Authorization Of Sea Lion Removal

American Shad: Commercial Fishery Test Approved Using Experimental Gear, Purse Seines, Drift Nets

NOAA Re-Authorizes Lethal Sea Lion Removal, Says Has Responded To Appeals Court Concerns

Study Indicates Substantial Salmon Mortality May Occur Later In Migration, Rather Than Near-Shore

American Shad: Non-Native To Columbia Basin, Runs Exceed One Million Fish, Peaking At 6.5 Million

BiOp Oral Arguments: Redden Asks About Accountability If Future Survival Evaluations Fall Short

Judge Redden Informs Salmon BiOp Litigants Issues He Wants Discussed At Monday’s Oral Arguments

Study Of Portland Watershed Council Shows Disproportionate Representation By Wealthier, Liberal

Researchers Discuss Declining Columbia Basin Lamprey Numbers, Options For Reversing Trend

Interior Climate Change Water Resources Report: Columbia Basin Warmer, More Rain, Less Snow

Tree Ring Records Show El Nino Intensity In Pacific Past 1100 Years; Could Improve Climate Modeling

Snowpack Has Upper Basin Dam Managers Looking For Ways To Avoid Flooding During Peak Runoff

Spring Chinook Return ‘Appears To Be Significantly Later Than Normal’; Water Record-Breaking Cold

Inland Waterbird Colonies Show Unexpectedly High Predation Rate On Specific, Listed Salmonid Stocks

Groups File Notice To Sue Over Sandy River Hatchery, Contends Harms Wild Salmon, Steelhead

First Time In Recorded History Wolverine Tracks Confirmed In Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains

Selective Gear Testing For Commercial Salmon Fishery Encouraging; Might Go Full-Fleet In 2013

Black Bear Somehow Finds Itself On Dalles Dam Spillgate; Had To Be Killed

Highest Basin Water Supply In 12 Years; April 1-11 Precipitation 203 Percent Above Average

Budget Bill Removes Montana, Idaho Wolves From Federal Endangered Species Act List

Big Flows Slow Chinook Fishing, States Approve Another Week; Run Late Or Smaller Than Expected?

Lack Of Dredging Behind Lower Granite Forces Balancing Act For Fish, Navigation, Flood Control

Study Details How Biodiversity, Accelerated Species Loss Impacts Water Quality

Spring Chinook Fishing Success Hitting Allocation Targets Based On Run Forecast

Interior Reports Details Potential For Expanding Hydro Energy At Existing Northwest Dams

Fraser River: First Large Scale Study Showing How Wild Salmon Adapt To Specific Migration Conditions

Major Effort Underway To Monitor, Research And Recover Declining, ESA-Listed Smelt

Research Indicates Wild Fish Conservation Best Served By Minimizing Wild/Hatchery Interactions

Thousands Of Kokanee Flushed Through Dworshak Dam Into Clearwater; Keep All The Fish You Can Catch

Research Directly Links Salmon Abundance With Diversity, Productivity Of Riparian Plant Life

New Snake River Sockeye Hatchery Would Boost Recovery Efforts With Much Larger Smolt Releases

Montana Inspectors Find Quagga Mussel On Sailboat Near Flathead Lake, Came From Infested Lake Mead

Judge Rules On Grande Ronde/Imnaha Tribal Fishing Issue But Not On Treaty Fishing Rights

Clearwater Coho Restoration Reaches Milestone With Release Of Juveniles Coming From Returning Fish

ODFW Expects Promising Summer Steelhead Season With Forecasted 391,000 Fish

ESA-Listed Steller Sea Lions Munching Away On Non-Listed White Sturgeon; Management Options Few

Predator-Prey Relationships, Other Lake Billy Chinook Issues Focus Of Bull Trout Study

States Seek Delisting Of Steller Sea Lions; NOAA To Decide By Aug. 30 Whether Warranted

Summer Steelhead Run Expected To Be About Average; Data For 2010 Return Shows Wild At 37 Percent

Study Suggests Habitat Restoration Efforts Need Increase To Produce Measurable Fish Abundance

Early Run Forecasts Predict Record Return Of Naturally Produced Snake River Fall Chinook

Columbia River Fall Chinook Return Predicted To Be Fifth Largest Since 1948; 760,000 Fish

For Repair Work Corps Removes Large Numbers Of White Sturgeon Wintering In Bonneville Fish Ladders

Alaska, NW Lawmakers Seek Ban On Genetically Engineered Salmon (Or At Least Labeling)

Spring Chinook Fishing Dates Aimed At Relieving Boat Congestion; Forecasted Run Close To Average

Council Rejects State Agencies’ Funding Request For More Sea Lion Traps At Bonneville Dam

Mekong River Resource Development Looks For Fish Protection Lessons From Columbia, Fraser Rivers

Expanding Fleet Of Undersea Gliders Revolutionize Study Of Ocean Off Pacific Northwest

First Spring Chinook Arrive; Run Expected To Have Large Component Of Big Five-Year-Olds

Restoring Upper Willamette River Basin Salmon Runs Challenged By Soaring ‘Pre-spawn Mortality’

Study Measuring Swimming Performance Differences Of Wild Vs. Hatchery Fish

Study: Healthy PNW Steelhead Populations May Require Healthy Wild Rainbow Trout Numbers

Snake River Fall Chinook 2010 Redd Count Includes Records For Tributaries, Creeks

BiOp: Oregon, Nez Perce, Coalition Again Contend Fish Survival Benefits ‘Remain Speculative'

Mitchell Act Economic Impact: 17 Hatcheries, 70 Million Juveniles, Almost Half The Basin Harvest

Mitchell Act Fund Expansion Aimed At Segregating Wild Salmon From Hatchery-Produced

Mysis Shrimp Invasion Changed Entire Flathead Food Web, Study Says

Salmon River Snorkeling Sampling Shows Dramatic Impact Of Cooler Water Temperatures

Salmon Survival: It’s All About The Early Days In The Ocean And 2010 Tough To Call

Analysis: Size Of Pacific Ocean’s ‘Great Garbage Patch’ Grossly Exaggerated, Undermines Credibility

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Lower Columbia River, Tributaries As Critical Habitat For Listed Smelt

Agencies Release Progress Report On Salmon, Steelhead Protection Under FCRPS BiOP

BiOp Litigation: Briefs Filed Contending Agencies’ Salmon Plan Legally, Scientifically Valid

January-July Early Water Supply Forecast: Will It Be First Above Average Runoff Since 2006?

‘Ocean Indicators’ Efforts Leading To More Certainty In Predicting Annual Salmon Returns

Record Bycatch Of Salmon In Gulf Of Alaska Sparks Concern: Impacts On PNW Fish Unknown

Tagging Study Aims To Measure Extent Of Pinniped Salmon Predation From River Mouth To Bonneville Dam