An attempt by Northwest states and federal agencies to reach an agreement on how to operate the federal hydro system for the next 10 years has been going nowhere fast, say some parties to the talks. That's because until last month, environmental groups, tribes and Bonneville Power Administration customer groups weren't even invited to the table. ...more

Federal fish authorities have made their final call on the critical habitat needed by 19 ESA-listed fish populations on the West Coast, and cut about 80 percent of the original habitat designated by NOAA Fisheries as essential to the conservation of the listed species. ...more

A relatively new coalition of sports fishers and Snohomish County PUD say they will sue the federal government if it doesn't take immediate action to obey the ESA's stricture that prohibits the import of endangered species. The new coalition wants the feds to crack down on chinook salmon caught by U.S. sportfishers in British Columbia's recreational fishery and brought across the border. ...more

Two representatives of the Bonneville Power Administration say they will manage resources more conservatively after dodging a potential power shortage in July.

BPA managers Rick Pendergrass and Dave Armstrong explained how the agency got in the power pickle at last month's Northwest Power and Conservation Council meeting in Missoula. ...more

This year's Fraser sockeye run has been so poor that commercial fishing has not been allowed to make sure enough fish reaching spawning grounds hundreds of miles upstream. ...more

Biologist Bruce Suzumoto has been named to head the NOAA Fisheries Northwest Region's Hydro Division based in Portland, the group responsible for salmon passage and survival issues at major Northwest dams. One of its main tasks is writing biological opinions on hydro operations dealing with ESA-listed fish in the Columbia Basin. ...more

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it will begin a three-year review of operations at its 21 regional salmon hatcheries as federal agencies move forward with their salmon recovery plans. ...more