Phase 2 Reintroduction Of Anadromous Fish Above Grand Coulee Dam: Tribes Seek Support For Funding ($176 Million Over 21 Years), Implementation
November 18th, 2021
Upper Columbia River tribes laid out plans this week that will cost the region about $176 million to reintroduce salmon and steelhead upstream of federal dams. The dams have been blocking access to the fish since Grand Coulee Dam was built in 1942.
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Studies Showing High Passage Of Juvenile Salmon Through Upper Columbia PUD Dams
November 18th, 2021
More than 94 percent of migrating juvenile yearling chinook salmon pass upper-Columbia River publicly-owned dams safely, according to two studies by two of the dams’ owners.
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New Infrastructure Bill Is Loaded With Funds Impacting NW Salmon Recovery, Water, Irrigation, Grid Upgrades
November 18th, 2021
The Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden this week includes millions of dollars related to Northwest salmon recovery, including culvert removal, fish barrier removal, upgrading water, irrigation and grid infrastructure, and projects potentially impacting Columbia River Treaty negotiations with Canada.
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Washington Board Issues Order Denying Corps’ Challenge To Water Quality Rules (Temperature, Pollutants) At Columbia/Snake Dams
November 11th, 2021
Following up on its intentions announced in June, the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board last week rejected the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers challenge to state water quality rules for temperature and other pollutants for Columbia/Snake River dams and reservoirs. The rules are aimed at protecting salmon and steelhead.
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Wild Coho Run Hits Record Numbers On Clackamas River; Passage Over Willamette Falls Far Above Average
November 11th, 2021
Coho salmon are returning to Oregon’s Clackamas River in numbers not seen since 1958 when Portland General Electric’s North Fork Dam was built on the river. With 9,370 early- and late-run fish this year, coho return numbers are far outpacing last year’s run, which tallied just 3,782 of the fish.
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NOAA: Highest Spill Levels Ever For Juvenile Salmonids Makes Smolt Detection Difficult In 2021, Imprecise Reach Survival Estimates
November 4th, 2021
Environmental conditions and management actions in 2021 resulted in a year with low flow, warmer than average water temperatures and an extremely high percentage of spill for fish during the spring migration season, according to a recent NOAA Fisheries preliminary memorandum on juvenile salmon and steelhead survival through Columbia and Snake river dams.
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What’s In The ‘Reconciliation Bill’ (At Least For Now) For Northwest Salmon? Includes $420 Million For Hatcheries, $1 Billion Habitat Restoration
November 4th, 2021
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) last week offered information about “the historic investment to support salmon restoration and resiliency included in the draft reconciliation bill text” released by the House of Representatives.
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Future Bright For American Shad, Most Abundant Anadromous Fish In Columbia River Basin; Risks To Native Salmonids Unknown
October 28th, 2021
American shad, a non-native fish species introduced to the Columbia River basin in the late 1800s, has replaced salmon and steelhead as the most abundant anadromous fish in the basin – by a long shot – and, although there are a number of uncertainties, their abundance could be impacting salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia and Snake rivers, a recent report says.
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Condit Dam Removed 10 Years Ago: Some Salmon/Steelhead Moving Above Dam Site, Most Spawning Remains In Lower River Miles
October 28th, 2021
This week marked the 10th anniversary of the removal of the 125-foot high Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in southern Washington. As anticipated, after 10 years as a free-flowing river, salmon and steelhead are returning to the White Salmon, but perhaps not yet in the numbers that meet the stream’s potential.