In their latest status update, federal agencies say they are on track to develop a BiOp for the Columbia hydro system that uses the "best available science" to fill any gaps between current fish survival and recovery goals with improvements in the other H's-habitat, hatcheries, and harvest. ...more

The federal government seems to have come down with a severe passive-aggressive disorder during the latest remand. In an April 3 status update on the new BiOp, they told U.S. District Court judge James Redden that the process is proceeding apace in collaborative fashion, though some fundamental disagreements remain. They pointed out that 12 different technical groups are grappling with the "best, available science" in the new remand, and that the groups are composed of federal, state and some tribal scientists, along with "observers" from environmental and BPA customer groups. ...more

Harvest managers shut down the lower Columbia River to sportfishing last week after the upriver spring run stayed at a slow trickle over Bonneville Dam. ...more

The Pacific Fishery Management Council OK'd some ocean fishing south of Oregon's Cape Blanco this year after federal fishery managers had recommended a total closure to protect weak stocks of Klamath River chinook. The Klamath stock has been hammered in recent years by a combination of poor inriver flows for adult passage and a decline in ocean productivity. ...more

The U.S. Department of Interior and NOAA Fisheries Service have recommended to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that PacifiCorp add fish ladders to its 151-MW Klamath River Hydroelectric Project as a condition of renewing the project's license. ...more

Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to challenge the new NMFS policy that counts hatchery fish with wild fish in some populations listed under the Endangered Species Act. ...more

The Bonneville Power Administration announced last week that it will extend the temporary contract of the Fish Passage Center through November to satisfy concerns that the power-marketing agency is complying with terms of a court order. ...more

The latest briefs in a lawsuit that tries to join different biological opinions which govern upper and lower Snake reservoir and dam operations were filed last week in Oregon District Court, where oral arguments are scheduled to be heard April 26 by Judge James Redden. ...more