Last year's sockeye run on the Columbia River--230,000 were counted at Bonneville Dam, making it the largest return since 1959--was the result of factors outside of the hydro system, according to a new study by NOAA fisheries. They said the good return on the Snake--the highest since the early 1970's was likely due to factors outside the basin as well. ...more

Some Northwest scientists are speculating Puget Sound killer whales may be getting a double dose of lingering organic poisons because they must eat twice as much salmon as their northern cousins to obtain the same level of nourishment. ...more

Earlier this month, Washington and Oregon came up on opposite sides of another fish-management issue. It's a fairly common occurrence as litigation over the hydro BiOp heads for a showdown in early March, when the two states square off in oral arguments over the latest fish plan. ...more

The $216-million endowment fund used by the U.S. and Canada to fund research projects helping to implement a salmon treaty has lost more than 30 percent of its value during the past year. ...more

The regional EPA office released a new report on toxic contaminants that is part of a larger plan to clean up some of the dirtiest waters left in the Columbia Basin. ...more

Bob Lohn has resigned his position as regional NOAA Fisheries head, effective Jan. 20. He served there since 2001, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, and has led the agency through litigation of several Columbia River salmon plans, the last of which will be decided sometime this spring. ...more

A federal judge has again OK'd a plan to shoot salmon-munching sea lions at Bonneville Dam, after plaintiffs filed for a stay while their appeal wends its way through the 9th Circuit Court. ...more

Tacoma Power, the Skokomish Tribal Nation and a number of resource agencies signed a set of agreements Jan. 12 resolving the tribe's $5.8 billion damage and trespass claims over the city's 131-MW Cushman Hydroelectric Project and establishing new, 40-year terms for the Cushman license, which has been in litigation since it was issued in July 1998. ...more