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NW Power/Conservation Council Approves New Columbia Basin Fish/Wildlife Program, States Split On Summer Spill For Salmon

After a year and a half of deliberations and extensive public input, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council approved this week its 2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The Program will inform hydroelectric operations and be included in the Council’s 2026 Power Plan. A Power Plan draft will be completed for public review…

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Mainstem Columbia River Water Supply Forecast (Dalles Dam) Now At 88 Percent Of Normal, But Dire Conditions Showing For Many Tributaries

El Nino Joins West Coast Marine Heatwave: NOAA Describes 7 Ways Prolonged High Temperatures Impact Fisheries, Marine Life

With Drought, Summer Heat Anglers In Idaho Can Expect To Lose Some Fishing Opportunities

Oregon’s Record-Breaking Low Snowpack, Drought, Bring Impacts To Cold-Water Fish, Angling Regulations

Salmon Super Highway: Oregon Coast Coho Showing Improved Numbers With Restoration Of Fish Passage On Coastal Rivers, Streams

Though Columbia River Treaty On Pause, Additional Flow At McNary Dam With Canadian Water Comes With Supplemental Agreement

Research Project In Japan Develops World’s First Land-Based, Closed-Recirculation Aquaculture System For Chum Salmon

01. river

Mainstem Columbia River Water Supply Forecast (Dalles Dam) Now At 88 Percent Of Normal, But Dire Conditions Showing For Many Tributaries

Most water supply forecasts in June are lower to some degree across the Columbia and Snake river basins, although May rains tempered their decline, especially in Montana where the forecasted water supply at Libby Dam actually rose from May to June. Still, areas of Oregon, Washington and Idaho continue to experience drought conditions. While the…

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Though Columbia River Treaty On Pause, Additional Flow At McNary Dam With Canadian Water Comes With Supplemental Agreement

Feds Reduce Court-Ordered Spill At John Day Dam In Effort To Address Salmon Passage Problems; State, Tribal Salmon Managers Disagree With Operation

With A Poor Spring Chinook Return Coming To An End, Enough Allocated Catch Still Available For More Recreational Fishing Days

Deadly Collapse Of Chemical Tank At Longview, WA Shows No Impact On Columbia River Water Quality And Fish, Says WDOE

Corps Finalizes Plan To Keep Lower Columbia River Deep-Draft Navigation Channel Dredged For 20 Years At 43-Feet Deep, 600-feet Wide

With Two Downgrades Columbia/Snake River 2026 Spring Chinook Return Marginal, Fishing Likely Done For The Year

Klamath River: USGS Researchers Publish First Documentation Of How Rain-On-Wildfire Events Rob Streams Of Oxygen, Kill Aquatic Life 

02. wildlife

With Drought, Summer Heat Anglers In Idaho Can Expect To Lose Some Fishing Opportunities

With severe drought in Idaho and summer heat on the way, it’s likely anglers will lose some fishing opportunities. “Drought affects many aspects of Idaho life, including fisheries, and we’re concerned,” Idaho Fish and Game Fisheries Bureau Chief Lance Hebdon said. “We will be watching them carefully, but there may be little we can do…

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This Month in 2021 | Find Invasive Species In Early Stages: E-DNA Being Used To Successfully Detect Unknown Incursions

This Month in 2016 | As Spring Chinook Fishing Ends, Harvest Managers Set Summer Chinook Season

This Month in 2016 | After Nearly 100 Years, Salmon Fishing Returns To Upper Malheur River For Burns Paiute Tribe

Columbia River Harvest Managers Announce Summer, Fall Recreational Fishing Times, Regs, Limitations For Salmon, Steelhead

2026 Proving Deadly For West Coast Whales: Group’s Analysis Shows 51 Whales Already Died, Many From Poor Nutrition, Ship Strikes

Feds Reduce Spill For Juvenile Salmon At Lower Monumental Dam Hoping To Get Stalled Adult Spring Chinook Moving Into Fish Ladders

03. habitat

Salmon Super Highway: Oregon Coast Coho Showing Improved Numbers With Restoration Of Fish Passage On Coastal Rivers, Streams

NOAA Fisheries supports one of the most ambitious salmon restoration projects on Oregon’s coast: the Salmon SuperHwy. This partnership of more than a dozen organizations works across the Tillamook, Nestucca, and Sand Lake watersheds. It works to restore fish passage at dozens of stream barriers, such as failing road culverts and tide gates. When complete, salmon and steelhead will be able to access 180 miles of habitat that had been blocked for decades.
The benefits of the Salmon SuperHwy project and other coastal restoration work are not just theoretical. Threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon have experienced a dramatic rebound in recent years, says NOAA Fisheries.

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This Month in 2021 | High Temps Force Salmon Managers To Begin Sockeye Trap And Haul Next Week At Lower Granite Dam

Chemical Cocktail: Juvenile Chinook Salmon In Lower Fraser River Feeding, Growing In Slurry Of Contaminants, Key Prey For Killer Whales

Montana Research Shows How Atmospheric Rivers Can Recharge Mountainous Groundwater Levels In Arid West

Dam Removals, Habitat Restoration, Past Fishing Closures Lead To First Salmon Fishing In Klamath River Basin In Three Years

Study Shows How PNW Forest Restoration (Thinning, Controlled Burns) Can Reduce Conflict With Spotted Owl Conservation

California Study: Salmon Becoming ‘River Ghosts’ As Extreme Weather, Less Wetlands Lead To Substantial Juvenile Mortality During Migration

NOAA Fisheries Announces Up To $99 Million For Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund Projects

04. science

El Nino Joins West Coast Marine Heatwave: NOAA Describes 7 Ways Prolonged High Temperatures Impact Fisheries, Marine Life

A large marine heatwave has bathed parts of the West Coast in very warm ocean waters over the past year, breaking temperature records in the Pacific. NOAA has also announced that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific and is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this fall.

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This Month in 2021 | WSU Study Shows Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Reservoirs Higher Than Previously Thought

Lower Snake Walleye Study Shows How Invasive Predator Fish Benefit From Other Invasive Species (Siberian Prawn, Shad) For Food

Removing Barriers To Fish Passage: UW Examines Process That Prioritizes Projects, Explores Whether Money Well Spent

OSU Study Shows Many AI Users Unaware Of Ecological Footprint, One-Fifth Of World’s Energy Consumption By 2030

With Angler Help, Researchers Discover What Salmon Are Eating Year-Round In Salish Sea, Show Differing Diets Based On Region

Pacific Fishing Effort Mapping Project: A Geographic Grid Covering Waters Off West Coast Consolidates Location, Decades Of Catch Data, Fisheries Revenue 

Pacific Fishing Effort Mapping Project: A Geographic Grid Covering Waters Off West Coast Consolidates Location, Decades Of Catch Data, Fisheries Revenue 

05. power

This Month in 2006 | . BPA RELEASES PROPOSAL ON SELLING LOW-COST POWER AFTER 2011

The Bonneville Power Administration released a proposal this week aimed at defining its electrical power supply role in the Pacific Northwest after 2011, when its current power sales contracts expire.

This Month in 2021 | High Temps Force Salmon Managers To Begin Sockeye Trap And Haul Next Week At Lower Granite Dam

BPA Says Second Quarter Financials Project Net Revenues Falling Short Of End-Of -Year Target, Agency Stresses Continued Uncertainty

Washington Ecology Seeks Public Comment On Cleanup Of Old Smelter Site Now Slated For Pumped Storage Project Near John Day Dam

WSU Researchers’ Model Identifies Vulnerable Transmission Towers In Extreme Wind Events, Determines Retrofits To Prevent Outages

Corps Completes Scoping of Proposed Underwater Transmission Line In Columbia River, Draft EIS Next

Corps Taking Interim Measures At Willamette Valley Dam Due To Risks Associated With Major Earthquake From Cascadia Subduction Zone

Corps Opens Public Comment On Proposed Renewable Diesel Refinery In Columbia River Estuary; Could Produce 1.4 Billion Gallons Per Year

06. law

NW Power/Conservation Council Approves New Columbia Basin Fish/Wildlife Program, States Split On Summer Spill For Salmon

After a year and a half of deliberations and extensive public input, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council approved this week its 2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The Program will inform hydroelectric operations and be included in the Council’s 2026 Power Plan. A Power Plan draft will be completed for public review…

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Oregon’s Record-Breaking Low Snowpack, Drought, Bring Impacts To Cold-Water Fish, Angling Regulations

This Month in 2006 | AGREEMENT CALLS FOR STUDY OF UPPER COLUMBIA CONTAMINATION

This Month in 2006 | $32 MILLION PROJECT TO REDUCE DISSOLVED GAS AT CHIEF JOE DAM

USFWS Seeks Public Comment On Draft Recovery Plan For Pacific Marten, Isolated Populations In N. California/Oregon Coast

Council Nears Completion Of New Columbia Basin Fish/Wildlife Program With August Spill At Dams A Bone Of Contention

Ninth Circuit Sets Schedule For Briefings In Federal Appeal Of Lower Court’s Ruling On Hydro Operations For Salmon, Steelhead

PFMC Finalizes 2026 Recreational, Commercial Ocean Salmon Fishing Seasons For California, Oregon, Washington

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