In two of the past three weeks fisheries biologists have downgraded the forecasted run-size of upriver spring Chinook salmon in the Columbia River by 24 percent to 111,900 fish. Passage of the fish at Bonneville Dam has dwindled to just 600 to 800 per day as the spring run winds down to an end June…
The Sin Nombre virus — a hantavirus that can cause a deadly respiratory disease in humans — may be more widespread among rodent populations in parts of the Pacific Northwest than previously recognized.
Juvenile Chinook salmon in Canada’s Lower Fraser River estuary are feeding and growing in a slurry of contaminants from pharmaceuticals, personal care products to industrial chemicals, according to a new Simon Fraser University study. Researchers found more than 200 contaminants in water and fish tissue samples collected from five sites in the Lower Fraser River…
A new study by University of Victoria and Pacific Salmon Foundation scientists has uncovered what adult Chinook salmon in the Salish Sea are eating—and revealed diet can differ according to region.
The study, led by UVic PhD student Wesley Greentree and published recently in Fisheries Oceanography, analyzed the contents of salmon stomachs to assess salmon diet. Greentree found that year-round, herring are the most important food for adult Chinook salmon throughout the Salish Sea. Anchovy were often found in stomachs collected near Howe Sound and sand lance were important in Victoria and Sidney.
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…
At its May meeting this week the Northwest Power and Conservation Council hashed out the few remaining issues in its draft Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. However, the Council members continue to be divided over whether the Program should include August spill for salmon, an issue that one member worried could “unravel” the…
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
Chemical Cocktail: Juvenile Chinook Salmon In Lower Fraser River Feeding, Growing In Slurry Of Contaminants, Key Prey For Killer Whales
/in 03. HABITATJuvenile Chinook salmon in Canada’s Lower Fraser River estuary are feeding and growing in a slurry of contaminants from pharmaceuticals, personal care products to industrial chemicals, according to a new Simon Fraser University study. Researchers found more than 200 contaminants in water and fish tissue samples collected from five sites in the Lower Fraser River…