A longstanding debate over the benefits of spill ordered by two federal judges at eight dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers is likely to resurface with a new NOAA Fisheries study. Read more

Scientists who study avian predation in the Columbia Basin have long known that birds can be a significant cause of death for young salmonids—especially upper Columbia River steelhead. But even Allen Evans and Dan Roby were surprised by the numbers after tallying cumulative impacts of 14 bir… Read more

As a journalist, it's very disheartening to see how science gets misreported or misrepresented—or just plain missed—when national media jumps in to cover a complicated issue, like the reasons for low salmon and steelhead returns to the Snake River. Disheartening because these are the folks a… Read more

An organization representing irrigators who would be affected if the four lower Snake River dams are breached issued a white paper on Nov. 20 putting the cost of compensation at between $446 million and $622 million. Read more

There are enough pockets of cold water on the Columbia River to provide migrating adult salmon and steelhead a temporary reprieve when the lower Columbia River gets uncomfortably warm, an Environmental Protection Agency study found. But these areas of cooler water likely will not be enough t… Read more

Extraordinary returns of naturally spawning Snake River steelhead five years ago followed by steady declines and a dismal run this year triggered an "early warning indicator" that is prompting federal agencies to take formal steps to determine if "rapid response actions" should be taken to a… Read more

The jury is still out on whether the Northwest is ready to come together to try to solve issues surrounding poor returns of salmon and steelhead to the Snake River, according to a white paper following up on a Boise State University conference in April. Read more

A team of independent scientists offered a positive review of a tribal organization's analysis for reintroducing salmon and steelhead above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams, but recommended that tribes and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council proceed with caution due to continuing … Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to apply for a pollution discharge permit for Chief Joseph Dam, track the amount of lubricants it uses there, and study and use environmentally friendlier lubricants at the dam when feasible. Read more

Eight months after returning from a monthlong international voyage to catch and analyze salmon in the North Pacific Ocean's high seas, the involved scientists recently received results from genetic tests to show where the roughly 400 salmon they caught originated. Read more

With no rain in the forecast, continuing to provide flows for chum below Bonneville Dam is a tough decision, fish managers and dam operators who work together to manage Columbia River flows for fish agreed Nov. 6. Read more

A cleanup site on a Columbia River island that is part of the Bonneville Dam complex is more contaminated than previously known and should be designated as a Superfund site, a joint letter by the states of Oregon and Washington and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation says. Read more

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has unveiled a new educational tool on its website designed to keep people informed about its Fish and Wildlife Program, and progress on mitigating for fish losses from the Federal Columbia River Power System. Read more

The Environmental Protection Agency expects to fund about $1 million in grants for projects to reduce toxins in the Columbia Basin. Read more

California Trout and Trout Unlimited seized on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's about-face on the question of whether states relinquish their authority to issue a water quality certification after one year, and again urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a circuit court decision. Read more

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council appointed three new members to the 11-member Independent Scientific Review Panel on Nov. 13—Josh Korman is a fisheries scientist, quantitative ecologist and modeler, president of Ecometric Research and adjunct professor at the Institute of Oceans … Read more