The population of white sturgeon from Hells Canyon Dam to Lower Granite Dam is in decline, with fewer juvenile sturgeon found in both the 101 miles of free-flowing river and 36 miles of reservoir water. That decline began when the lower Snake River dams were completed, according to information provided by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at last week’s Northwest Power and Conservation Council meeting.
Latest News
Idaho Enters Third Year Using Copper Treatment To Eradicate Invasive Quagga Mussels In Snake River, Impact Area Reduced By 51 Percent
October 24th, 2025
For the third consecutive year, Idaho poisoned a section of the Snake River near Twin Falls to rid the river of dangerously invasive quagga mussels first found in 2023.
Salmon Hit More Milestones After Klamath River Dam Removals; Spreading Into Upper Klamath Lake, Throughout Basin
October 24th, 2025
Salmon are making further progress in their return to the upper Klamath Basin, with fisheries biologists from ODFW and The Klamath Tribes celebrating a series of firsts as salmon reach areas where they have been absent for over a century.
Columbia River Managers Adopt Phased-In Start For Chum Salmon Flows To Save Lake Roosevelt Water
October 24th, 2025
Although no chum salmon have showed up yet at spawning grounds downstream of Bonneville Dam, fishery managers and dam operators agreed this week to a phased-in beginning for chum flows as a way to save Lake Roosevelt water for spring flow augmentation and to protect resident fish in the lake.
WDFW To Hold Virtual Town Halls To Discuss Coastal Steelhead, Survival Dropping Below Escapement Goals
October 24th, 2025
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fishery managers will hold two virtual town halls on coastal steelhead to review 2024-25 returns, present 2025-26 run forecasts, and summarize proposed fishing regulations.
Tribes Targeting Nice Coho Run Above Bonneville Dam, Begin Fall Research Fishery In John Day Pool
October 24th, 2025
In addition to continuing tribal commercial gillnetting upstream of Bonneville Dam that is currently targeting the fourth largest run of coho salmon in the last 10 years, tribes also received approval this week from the two-state Columbia River Compact for a little-known fishery that commercially removes from the John Day Dam pool non-native fish that prey on salmon and steelhead.
Judge Denies Feds’ Request To Put Salmon BiOp Case On Hold Due To Shutdown, Plaintiffs Seek Changes To Dam Operations To Aid Fish
October 19th, 2025
In a wild two weeks in the U.S. District Court in Portland, federal government attorneys asked the court on Oct. 2 to put a hold on renewed litigation that challenges federal environmental impact statements and biological opinions regarding the impact of operations of Columbia and Snake river federal dams on imperiled salmon and steelhead. The hold in litigation, they said, is due to the government shutdown.








