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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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01. river

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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02. wildlife

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

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

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

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

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

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With Summer And World Cup Crowds Approaching, WDFW Reminding Boaters About New Rules (2025) To Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales

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03. habitat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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New PNW Wildfire Risk Assessment Tool Considers Social Vulnerability A Factor, Could Assist Fair Distribution Of Risk Reduction Resources

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04. science

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

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A new study shows per-area greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s water reservoirs are around 29% higher than suggested by previous studies, but that practical measures could be taken to help reduce that impact.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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05. power

Transmission towers and a wind turbine on a brown hill under a dramatic cloudy sky, with power lines crossing the scene.

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

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Similar trends from first quarter financial performance results continued for the Bonneville Power Administration into the second quarter for fiscal year 2026. While agency net revenues continue to fall short and the agency debt-to-asset ratio is higher than expected, BPA is on track to meet most of its end-of-year targets. The Q2 projection for end-of-year…

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

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

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

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

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

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Corps’ ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ Initiative Aimed At Cutting Red Tape, Says Won’t Change Public Processes, NEPA, ESA

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BPA First Quarter Financials Show Mixed Results As Revenues Fall Short, Agency Closely Monitoring Such Variables As Snowpack

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06. law

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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USFWS Approves Oregon’s Wildlife Action Plan, Stronger Focus On Climate Change, Invasive Species; Eligible For Federal Funding

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