For years, scientists at Washington State University’s Puyallup Research & Extension Center have been working to untangle a mystery: Why do coho salmon in Puget Sound creeks seem to suffocate after rainstorms — rising to the surface, gaping, and swimming in circles before dying?
Latest News
Cormorants, Terns, Pelicans, Gulls: Council Gets The Latest Numbers On Managing Avian Salmonid Predation Across Columbia/Snake Basin
August 19th, 2025
Predation by sea birds on salmon and steelhead smolts in some years is responsible for as much as 50 percent of all smolt mortalities during the outmigration to the sea from the Columbia and Snake river basins, according to a presentation this week at a meeting of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
European Green Crab 2025 Field Season Update: WDFW, Tribes, Co-Managers Set 30,000 Traps This Year, Remove 300,000 Crabs
August 19th, 2025
European green crabs were first discovered in Washington state in 1998 in Willapa Bay, where they remained in small numbers for over a decade. The green crabs were first documented in Washington’s inland waters in the San Juan Islands in 2016.
Collaborative Success: State, Tribes, College Build Hatchery Program Leading To Record Chinook Salmon Return To Creek
August 19th, 2025
More than 7,000 Chinook salmon are expected to return to Whatcom Creek in downtown Bellingham, Washington this season thanks to an ongoing collaboration between Bellingham Technical College, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe.
Pallid Sturgeon Recovery No Easy Task For Montana Fish Biologists, Less Than 100 Wild ‘Heritage’ Fish Remain
August 19th, 2025
For many reasons, 2023 was the “Holy Grail Year” for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ pallid sturgeon recovery efforts in the Yellowstone River drainage. That’s fisheries manager Mike Backes’ term for it. Fisheries crews were able to validate the spawning of two wild heritage females with a wild heritage male and an unknown male in the Tongue River after capturing larvae that matched the parental genetics from three of the fish.
Utility Group Tells Council Regional Utilities Feeling Uncertainty Over Coming Surge Of Demand, Pressure To Add Generating Resources
August 19th, 2025
At July’s Northwest Power and Council meeting in Portland, staff from the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee discussed a new 10-year outlook they’ve produced showing regional utilities’ forecasted electricity demand and planned resources.
BPA’s Third Quarter Financial Outlook Shows New Revenue Forecasts For Power, Transmission Above Targets
August 19th, 2025
The Bonneville Power Administration says its third quarter financial report indicates the agency’s fiscal position remains positive. Despite seeing some decline in positive net revenues and end-of-year days cash on hand since the second quarter forecast, the agency “continues to see encouraging key performance indicators for its finances.”