Sea Lion Removal Over Until Fall Chinook Return; Under New Rules Biologists Removed 33 Pinnipeds At Bonneville Dam, 9 At Willamette Falls
June 3rd, 2021
At the end of the first spring in which biologists have been allowed by federal permit to lethally remove both California and Steller sea lions in the Columbia and lower Willamette rivers, fisheries biologists have stopped the removal activity as sea lions have left Bonneville Dam and both rivers for coastal rockeries.
Read the Full Article
Evaluating Avian Predation Research: Science Panel Seeks Further Analysis On Effectiveness Of Bird Control Measures Aimed At Boosting Steelhead Survival
April 30th, 2021
The Independent Scientific Advisory Board has released an analysis of two studies offering differing views on the effectiveness of avian predation control measures in the Columbia River basin. The scientists say further comparative research is needed to determine if hazing and killing terns and cormorants are boosting steelhead smolt-to-adult returns.
Read the Full Article
WDFW Taking Comment On Recommendation To Keep Unlisted Status For Steller Sea Lions; 18,000 Animals In 1979 To 71,000
April 15th, 2021
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking public input on its state status review for Steller sea lions.
Read the Full Article
Managing Lake Pend Oreille Fisheries: 240,000 Non-Native Lake Trout Removed Since 2006, Walleye Now Targeted
April 9th, 2021
On the heels of a successful and significant reduction of lake trout in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho is now using some of the same methods – gillnetting and an angler rewards program – it used to fight lake trout in a new effort to reduce the population of invasive walleye in the lake.
Read the Full Article
Why Are Alaska’s Returning Chinook Salmon Getting Smaller, Younger? Study Suggest Marine Predators Target Bigger Fish
April 9th, 2021
Older Chinook salmon may die in the ocean more often than previously thought, according to a life cycle simulation created by Alaska researchers.
Read the Full Article
2020 Draft Pinniped Predation Report: Steller Sea Lions At Bonneville Dam Taking Big Whack Out Of Steelhead, Sturgeon
April 2nd, 2021
During the fall 2019 and spring 2020 monitoring seasons at Bonneville Dam, sea lions continued to prey on salmon, steelhead and sturgeon, but the proportion of California sea lions is continuing to drop while that of steller sea lions continues to rise, according to a draft annual pinniped report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Read the Full Article
Study Shows Avian Predation On Salmon Smolts In Columbia River Plume Higher With Turbidity, Smaller Plume, Fewer Forage Fish
March 26th, 2021
Juvenile salmon run the gamut of predators – birds, other fish and pinnipeds – as they migrate from their rearing grounds far upstream in the Columbia River basin all the way to the ocean, but they also are confronted with predators as they enter the ocean.
Read the Full Article
Precautionary Tale On Eradicating Invasive Species: ‘Don’t Try To Get Them All, Or Could Come Back To Bite You’
March 18th, 2021
Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a study led by the University of California, Davis.
Read the Full Article
UBC Study Shows Blue Herons As Significant Source Of Juvenile Salmon Predation; Taking Out Fish Destined To Die Somewhere Else?
March 11th, 2021
Pacific great blue herons could be scooping up as many as three percent of all juvenile salmon in the Salish Sea region and as many as six percent in some years with low water flow, according to a new University of British Columbia study.