Parties in a legal battle over the operation of federal dams in the Columbia Basin agreed to put the litigation on hold for nine months, and on Oct. 26, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon granted their request. Read more
A new process to determine whether there are reasonable ways to replace the four lower Snake River dams was announced Oct. 22 in a joint statement by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Read more
Scientists at the University of British Columbia say in a new study they were surprised to find Chinook salmon are four to six times more abundant in the summertime foraging area of endangered southern resident killer whales compared to the area frequented by the more numerous northern resid… Read more
Two years ago, when I attended a ceremonial release of summer Chinook salmon into Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir above Grand Coulee Dam, it felt quite like history in the making. Hundreds of people—mostly members of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation—attended. Parents brought… Read more
American shad have become so populous in the Columbia Basin that scientists worry they may be competing with salmon and steelhead for food and nursery habitat, eating their young or spreading disease. This nonnative fish that returns to the Columbia River by the millions each year has been i… Read more
A conservation group that attempted to halt commercial Chinook troll fishing off Alaska's southeast coast has convinced a federal magistrate judge in Seattle that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated federal laws when it allowed increased hatchery production in Washington state to … Read more
A poll of 800 Washington state voters found that a majority support a plan to remove the four lower Snake River dams when combined with federal money for clean energy, transportation improvements and preserving irrigation—similar to the plan proposed by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), as descri… Read more
Lisa Wilson, a Lummi Indian Business Council member and commissioner for the Northwest Indian Fish Commission, wrote this piece about the importance of hatcheries to salmon recovery, which was originally published on Oct. 5 for NWIFC's column, Being Frank, which appears on the Northwest Tre… Read more
A proposed new policy on management of nonnative game fish in Washington state will be out for public review in early November, and is scheduled for possible adoption in December by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Read more
Rare sightings of pink salmon are being reported in the upper Columbia and upper Snake river basins. Read more
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cowlitz Indian Tribe and three environmental groups filed requests to intervene in a FERC decision that will determine if PacifiCorp and Cowlitz County PUD are entitled to a "trial-type" hearing over the actions of federal agencies likely to re… Read more
Despite significant precipitation in parts of the region, much of the Columbia Basin continues to experience severe to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Read more
As the Bonneville Power Administration continues to manage its costs at or below the rate of inflation through 2028, the agency plans to operate under a constrained budget in fiscal year 2022, which started Oct. 1, Bonneville told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council committee. Read more
A request by the Independent Scientific Review Panel for additional analysis by some entities receiving Bonneville Power Administration funds through the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program was met with some concern by staff at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Read more
