North Pacific Ocean conditions for salmon in 2021 were among the best in more than two decades. That bodes well for juvenile salmon that entered the ocean last year. Read more
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will spend the next five years measuring the abundance, trends and consumptive impacts of nonnative fish in the Columbia River from McNary Dam to Priest Rapids Dam, in order to better inform efforts to control them. Read more
Are Columbia River Chinook populations returning at lower rates due to freshwater conditions compared to other Chinook runs in the North Pacific Ocean? Do birds in the Columbia River basin have a major impact on steelhead smolt survival? Do the Columbia's hydroelectric turbines and bypass sy… Read more
The future of the lower Snake River dams took top billing among public comments on the draft 2021 Power Plan. Many said the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's regional plan should take a stand on removing or keeping the controversial federally owned dams. Others want the plan to incl… Read more
High spill at lower Snake River dams has dramatically cut the percentages of juvenile fish transported from the dams to the estuary as an alternative to migrating through the hydro system. However, the larger issue of lower fish returns, and models showing the added spill will increase their… Read more
NOAA's Northwest River Forecast Center is predicting near- to above-normal water supply this summer, thanks to fall rains and a healthy start to the winter snowpack. Read more
Columbia Riverkeeper resurrected a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that was settled more than seven years ago, noting that the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits that the Corps agreed to apply for still have not been issued for the four lower Columbia Ri… Read more
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced his proposal for a new bill to commit $187 million in new funding for salmon recovery throughout the state. Read more
A federal judge has ruled that Washington state has failed for years to protect aquatic species from toxins in its waters and ordered EPA to reconsider its denial of a petition from Northwest Environmental Advocates asking the federal agency to step in. Read more
Idaho Department of Fish and Game managers say it's pretty rare to catch a 10-foot white sturgeon in Idaho. But fishery biologists doing surveys for sturgeon between Lower Granite and Hells Canyon dams last fall caught three in one week, including two that they'd never caught and tagged befo… Read more
A new poll found a majority of Washington, Oregon and Idaho residents—including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans in each state—support use of hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River to produce electricity. Read more
Researchers found evidence of gas bubble trauma (GBT) in resident fish at federal dams in the Snake and Columbia rivers during spring spill in 2021, but not enough to trigger operational changes, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist told the Columbia River Technical Management Team on Dec. 1. Read more
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit asking the court to order Seattle City Light to install fish passage at Gorge Dam. Read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a description of the alternatives being evaluated in its Willamette Valley System EIS, and has provided a virtual room with videos, digital poster boards, maps and slides to help the public understand the process. Read more
NOAA Fisheries has determined that southern resident killer whales (SRKW) remain in danger of extinction and should continue to be classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Read more
After two years of advisory committee meetings, gathering input and rewriting drafts, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a nonnative game fish and fisheries policy on Dec. 3 that attempts to balance popular sport fishing for nonnative species with conservation needs of nativ… Read more
Fred Koontz, a commissioner on the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission since Jan. 5, 2021 resigned from his six-year term on Dec. 13. Koontz was a commissioner from King County and did not indicate his reason for leaving. His departure leaves two vacant positions on the nine-member commi… Read more
