Study Analyzes Non-Native Warmwater Fish Consumption Of Juvenile Salmon In Reservoirs; Walleye Predation Much Higher Than Native Pikeminnow
September 23rd, 2021
When warmwater fish species like bass, walleye and crappie that are not native to the Pacific Northwest, but prized by some anglers, overlap with baby spring chinook salmon in reservoirs in Oregon’s Willamette River they consume more baby salmon than native predatory fish per individual, new research found.
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Understanding Gas Bubble Trauma On Juvenile Fish At Dams: Study Deep Dives Into Relationship Between GBT, Depth
September 23rd, 2021
A recent study has made a direct connection between the severity of gas bubble trauma in juvenile salmonids caused by total dissolved gas at dams and the pressure experienced in deeper water where the severity of GBT is less.
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New Research Documents How Less Available Salmon Leading To Poor Body Condition Of Killer Whales; Greater Risk Of Death
August 26th, 2021
The body condition of endangered Southern Resident killer whales reflects changes in Chinook salmon numbers in the Fraser River and the Salish Sea. This is according to new research using aerial photogrammetry from drones to track changes in their body condition over time.
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NMFS Denies Petitions To List Coastal Spring Chinook As Separate ‘Evolutionary Significant Unit’ From Fall Chinook
August 19th, 2021
The National Marine Fisheries Service denied two petitions this week that, if they had been approved, would have separated spring chinook from the fall chinook evolutionary significant unit along two areas of the Oregon and California coast. The petitions also asked for spring chinook, once separated from its fall chinook ESU, to be listed separately as a threatened or endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
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IPPC Report Says Climate Change Widespread, Rapid, Intensifying: For PNW More Marine Heatwaves, Droughts, Fires; Less Snowpack, Declining Glaciers
August 12th, 2021
Marine heatwaves in the Pacific Ocean will increase in both intensity and duration as will ocean acidification along the Pacific Northwest coast, says the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released this week.
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Research: When Nearby Boats Have Navigational Sonar Turned On, Travel Fast, Killer Whales Struggle To Capture Prey
August 5th, 2021
Increased abundance of salmon in the inland waters of the Salish Sea increased the odds of endangered Southern Resident killer whales capturing salmon as prey, but increased speeds of nearby boats did just the opposite, according to new research findings.
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EPA Issues Salish Sea Health Report With 10 Indicators; Chinook (Declining), Killer Whales (Declining), Water Quality (Declining)
August 5th, 2021
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada have released their joint “The Health of the Salish Sea Report” analyzing 10 indicators of the health of the Salish Sea, the shared estuary that includes the Strait of Juan De Fuca, Puget Sound, and Georgia Basin.
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Lower Willamette River Contaminants Impact Growth Rates, Threaten Population Abundance Of ESA-Listed Wild Spring Chinook
July 22nd, 2021
The suite of contaminants found in the lower Willamette River’s Portland Harbor is impacting growth rates – resulting in smaller fish – and population viability of the threatened upper Willamette wild subyearling spring chinook salmon that rear there. That could mean the smaller fish would be more susceptible to avian predation and less successful at finding their own prey when they reach the lower Columbia River estuary, says a new study.
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Funded By Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative, Biologists Use E-DNA To Track Presence Of Lamprey In Deschutes River Basin
July 22nd, 2021
Pacific lamprey have lived in the Deschutes River basin for millennia and native peoples in the area have counted on the lamprey for thousands of years for their nutrient rich meat. The fish have a tribal significance in their teachings, in their stories and in their ceremonies, says Lyman Jim of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.