Oregon Considering Cold Water Refuge Angling Closures To Protect Migrating Summer Steelhead
March 12th, 2020
With a dwindling number of summer steelhead returning to the Columbia River each year and warming waters resulting from climate change, Oregon fishery managers are considering setting certain dates and locations designated as thermal angling sanctuaries in three tributaries upstream of Bonneville Dam.
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Study Looks At How Retreating Glaciers In Western North America Will Impact Salmon Populations; Some May Benefit
March 12th, 2020
A new Simon Fraser University-led study looking at the effects that glacier retreat will have on western North American Pacific salmon predicts that while some salmon populations may struggle, others may benefit.
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Washington Dept. Natural Resources Releases Plan To Deal With Impacts Of Climate Change
February 27th, 2020
A Washington state agency has laid out a plan for withstanding and adapting to the impacts of global climate change. The state’s Department of Natural Resources last week released its “Plan for Climate Resilience” that the agency says will minimize the impacts of climate change and “maximize new opportunities” in making the state more resilient to changes.
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WDFW Issues Justification For Steelhead Farming Permit In Puget Sound, Comments Expressed Concerns
February 6th, 2020
When the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife approved in late January a new permit allowing Cooke Aquaculture to begin growing rainbow trout/steelhead in its Puget Sound net pens, there were a number of groups and tribes that had already lined up in opposition to the permit. And one group may seek legal action to stop it.
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EPA Gets 30-Day Extension For Responding To Appeals Court Ruling Ordering Temperature Limits For Columbia/Snake Rivers
January 30th, 2020
The federal Environmental Protection Agency received a 30 day extension from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to develop Columbia and Snake river temperature limits, known as Total Maximum Daily Load, but the EPA is still not saying what it will do at the end of the 30 days.
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Research: Arctic Sea Ice Cannot Quickly Bounce Back If Climate Change Causes Melting
January 23rd, 2020
Arctic sea ice cannot "quickly bounce back" if climate change causes it to melt, new research suggests.
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West Coast Mass Die-Off Of Seabirds 2015-16 Largest In Recorded History; Scientists Say ‘The Blob’ Increased Competition For Food Among Fish, Birds
January 16th, 2020
It was unprecedented when nearly one million common murres died at sea and washed ashore from California to Alaska in 2015 and 2016. Scientists from the University of Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey and others blame an unexpected squeeze on the ecosystem's food supply, brought on by a severe and long-lasting marine heat wave known as "the blob."
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Oregon Department Of Fish And Wildlife Develops Draft ‘Climate And Ocean Change Policy’ For Consideration
January 16th, 2020
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is being briefed Friday, Jan. 17, on an agency-developed Climate and Ocean Change Policy. The public will also have a chance to comment on the policy during the all-day meeting in Salem.
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New Study Shows 2019 Warmest Year On Record For Oceans; Increased Warming Leading To More Marine Heat Waves
January 16th, 2020
A new analysis shows that in 2019 the world's oceans were warmer than in any other time in recorded human history, especially between the surface and a depth of 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet). The analysis also shows that the past five years have shown the highest global ocean temperatures and that recent ocean warming is 450 percent greater over the past 30 years than in the 30 year period beginning in 1955.