Scientists’ Letter To NW Governors: ‘Wild Snake River Salmon, Steelhead Cannot Be Restored With Lower Snake River Dams In Place’
January 15th, 2021
In an open letter to the governors of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, published this week, a group of scientists well known by those active in Northwest fisheries conservation contend that research overwhelmingly shows that Snake River wild salmon and steelhead populations cannot be recovered without the removal of four dams on the lower river.
New NOAA Study Shows Female Puget Sound Killer Whales Cease Feeding When Vessels Within 400 Yards
January 15th, 2021
Boat traffic within 400 yards of endangered Southern Resident killer whales interrupts their foraging, often leading female whales to cease feeding altogether. That is a key finding from a new analysis of data from suction-cup tags that track the whales’ movement underwater.
Hey, That’s Not A Kokanee, It’s An ESA-Listed Willamette Juvenile Spring Chinook; Know The Difference, Pinch The Barbs
January 15th, 2021
Anglers are having some success catching kokanee in Detroit Reservoir lately, thanks in part to the new bonus bag limit of 5 kokanee. But Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is also hearing from anglers that targeting kokanee is resulting in quite a few inadvertently hooked juvenile chinook salmon too.
DOE Taps Hairston As New Bonneville Power Administrator, Has Served As Acting CEO Since September
January 8th, 2021
The U.S. Department of Energy announced this week it has selected John Hairston as administrator and CEO of the Bonneville Power Administration. The appointment was effective Jan. 7.
ODFW Now Managing Wolves Statewide As USFWS Decision To Remove Federal ESA Protections Goes Into Effect This Week
January 8th, 2021
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week formally removed most gray wolves in the lower 48 from the Endangered Species List, which turns management over to state fish and wildlife agencies, including Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Washington DOE Revises Permits Allowing Cooke Aquaculture To Raise Sterile, All-Female Steelhead In Puget Sound
January 8th, 2021
The Washington Department of Ecology has revised four water quality permits to allow sterile, all-female steelhead to be raised in marine net pens, instead of Atlantic salmon.
WDOE To Hold Information Meeting On EPA’s TMDL For Temperature In Columbia/Snake Rivers; State To Write Implementation Plan
January 8th, 2021
The Washington Department of Ecology will be holding an informational meeting on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load for Temperature in the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers on January 28.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Top Ten Columbia Basin Salmon/Steelhead Recovery Stories For 2020
December 30th, 2020
Though the coronavirus pandemic threw our lives off kilter for much of 2020, it didn’t freeze movement of major developments in Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead recovery and other important fish and wildlife issues.
Idaho Moose Research Seeks Reasons For Population Decline; Next Step Deeper Look At Calf Survival
December 30th, 2020
Idaho Fish and Game and University of Idaho researchers began a multi-year moose research project in early 2020. Adult survival so far has been better than expected, but populations are still declining in the long term. They hope more research will provide clues on how to help Idaho’s largest big game animal rebound, or at least, discover what’s causing their decline in Idaho and beyond.