The independent science panel that weighs in on various Northwest salmon recovery issues has recommended that spill be maintained while barging fish in May, a finding that's at odds with planned BiOp operations. ...more

Washington and Oregon water quality agencies have released a synopsis of technical information gathered from other regional agencies that echoes the continuing debate over modeling fish survival and spill that will soon be heard in the next round of BiOp litigation. ...more

Overall survival of PIT-tagged yearling chinook from the Snake River to below Bonneville Dam dropped to only 42 percent this year, down from 60 percent in 2007. That's in spite of the court-ordered spill regime started in 2005 that BiOp parties agreed to implement again this year. ...more

Columbia Basin harvest managers re-opened part of the lower Columbia Sept. 20 to recreational and commercial fishing after their latest run upgrade triggered a boost in harvest rates for both tribal and non-tribal fishers. ...more

NOAA Fisheries has just released its latest fish recovery plan for public comment. The latest plan focuses on mid-Columbia steelhead populations that inhabit mainstem tributaries in Washington and Oregon and is expected to cost close to $235 million over the next five years, with a final price tag that approaches a billion dollars. ...more

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes based in southeastern Idaho is the latest group to sign a 10-year agreement with federal agencies promising to improve fish habitat in return for support of the latest hydro BiOp. The $61-million proposal became available for public comment last Friday. ...more

Charles Pace, an economist who runs a consulting firm in Challis, Idaho, has filed a petition asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the 10-year, $900-million fish & wildlife memoranda of agreement (MOA) that BPA signed in May. ...more

The federal government announced Sept. 17 that it would begin distributing $100 million in financial and to West Coast fishermen and coastal businesses hurt by this year's closure of most ocean waters to salmon fishing. ...more