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An analysis by NOAA Fisheries is showing so far that West Coast fisheries have been taking a small proportion of available chinook salmon favored by endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife this week announced that recreational fishing, shellfish harvesting and spring turkey and bear hunting seasons will be delayed in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19.The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also this week announced that recreational salmon and steelhead fishing in Oregon waters of the Columbia River will remain closed indefinitely.

The Snake River’s white sturgeon population received a boost recently with the stocking of more than 1,800, year-old white sturgeon.

While the state of Oregon is currently not recommending out-of-state residents visit the state for recreation due to the Governor’s Stay Home, Save Lives order, all watercraft entering Oregon are still required to be inspected at an aquatic invasive species station when the stations are open. This includes commercial watercraft, which, will account for most of the inspections while the stay-at-home order remains in effect.

Recent years have brought unusually large and damaging wildfires to the Pacific Northwest – from the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014 that was the largest in Washington’s history, to the 2017 fire season in Oregon, to the 2018 Maple Fire, when normally sodden rainforests on the Olympic Peninsula were ablaze. Many people have wondered what this means for our region’s future.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed a final decision to construct and maintain a system of up to 11,000 miles of strategically placed fuel breaks to control wildfires within a 223 million- acre area in portions of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

One of the most recognizable names in Columbia River basin salmon recovery circles, retired U.S. District Court Judge James A. Redden, died last week (March 31) at age 92.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has written a letter to the Northwest congressional delegation objecting to proposals by the Trump administration to force the Bonneville Power Administration to sell electricity at market rates rather than its cost of generation and also sell the federal high-voltage transmission system, which BPA operates.

Thirteen members of the Northwest congressional delegation, all Democrats from Washington and Oregon, asked the federal government this week to extend the comment period on the draft environmental impact statement on Columbia/Snake River dams until 30 days after the Covid-19 public health emergency is over.