Study: Salmon Virus Originating From Atlantic Salmon Farms Continually Infecting Wild Juvenile Chinook Salmon In BC Waters
May 27th, 2021
Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) – which is associated with kidney and liver damage in Chinook salmon – is continually being transmitted between open-net salmon farms and wild juvenile Chinook salmon in British Columbia waters, according to a new genomics analysis published this week in Science Advances.
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‘Grandiose Thought Experiment’: UO Study Indicates Strong Climate Change Skeptics Unlikely To Change Beliefs Even With New Evidence
May 27th, 2021
Climate skeptics who aren't persuaded by the existing evidence from climate change are unlikely to change their minds for many years, according to a newly published quantitative study by a University of Oregon environmental economist.
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Streamflows And Salmon Survival: Study Shows How Managed Pulse Flows In Dammed River Substantially Increases Survival
May 20th, 2021
Juvenile salmon migrating to the sea in the Sacramento River face a gauntlet of hazards in an environment drastically modified by humans, especially with respect to historical patterns of stream flow. Many studies have shown that survival rates of juvenile salmon improve as the amount of water flowing downstream increases, but "more is better" is not a useful guideline for agencies managing competing demands for the available water.
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WSU Research Finds ‘Epigenetic Features’ In Hatchery Steelhead Not Present In Wild Fish, Might Account For Lower Hatchery Survival
May 20th, 2021
Alterations in the “epigenetic programming” of hatchery-raised steelhead trout could account for their reduced fertility, abnormal health and lower survival rates compared to wild fish, according to a new Washington State University study.
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The Competing Trade-Offs Of Mixed-Stock Fisheries: Can Fisheries Benefit From Such Biodiversity Without Harming Weak Populations?
May 13th, 2021
A new study by researchers from Simon Fraser University and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans reveals the trade-offs of fish biodiversity--its costs and benefits to mixed-stock fisheries--and points to a potential way to harness the benefits while avoiding costs to fishery performance.
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Expect The Wildfires To Get Worse: Urban Areas Will See Degrading Air Quality
May 6th, 2021
From the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountains, summers in the West are marked by wildfires and smoke. New research from the University of Utah ties the worsening trend of extreme poor air quality events in Western regions to wildfire activity, with growing trends of smoke impacting air quality clear into September.
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Study Looks At How Combination Of Extreme Events Led To Labor Day Fires Burning 11 percent Of Oregon Cascades
April 29th, 2021
An unprecedented combination of strong easterly winds and low humidity coupled with prolonged drought conditions drove the spread of catastrophic wildfires in the Oregon Cascades last September, a new study has found.
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That Age-Old Question, Do Fish Feel Pain? Researchers Conclude You Can’t Say They Can’t
April 29th, 2021
An international, multidisciplinary team that includes faculty members from The University of Texas at Arlington has published a paper in the journal Philosophical Psychology that wades into the debate about whether fish feel pain.
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Independent Science Panel Reviews Conflicting Studies On Impacts Of Columbia/Snake Dam Bypass Systems On Juvenile Salmonids, Smolt-To-Adult Returns
April 23rd, 2021
The bypass systems at Columbia/Snake dams for juvenile salmon and steelhead are mostly attracting the smaller fish, which return as adults in lower numbers than larger fish. Is it the size of the fish impacting survival, or “delayed mortality” from dam passage?