Entries by CBB

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

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…

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NOAA Determines ESA-Listing For Gulf Of Alaska Chinook Not Warranted; Large ‘Overall’ Population Sizes, Low Risk Of Extinction

In response to a petition filed in 2024 by the Wild Fish Conservancy, NOAA Fisheries announced this week that it had completed its status review and 12-month finding for Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon, determining that listing of three evolutionary significant units of the salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act is not warranted. The…

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Columbia River Spring Chinook Return Downgraded But More Fishing Days Allowed Under ESA-Impact Rates

After a mid-season run-size update this week, the two-state Columbia River Compact approved two weekends of additional angling for spring Chinook salmon on the mainstem Columbia River, including angling over the Memorial Day holiday weekend both upstream and downstream of Bonneville Dam. The U.S. v Oregon Technical Advisory Committee for the first time during this…

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

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.

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

Following three consecutive years of closure, salmon fishing will return to the Klamath River Basin and Sacramento River for the upcoming summer and fall seasons.

More good news comes for inland anglers with a full season on the Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers after a shortened season in 2025.

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

Restoring dry forests in the Pacific Northwest, shaped by frequent low-intensity fire and widely spaced trees, often means thinning dense stands that accumulated after decades of fire suppression. This can make forests healthier and more resilient to wildfire, but it can raise concerns about protecting wildlife that depend on dense tree cover, including the northern spotted owl.

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

A new system combines decades of fisheries data and statistics to visualize West Coast fisheries and how they have changed over time.
The Pacific Fishing Effort Mapping Project was led by researchers at NOAA, state wildlife departments, and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. It consolidates location and catch data from fishing vessels with landings and economic figures into revealing maps and charts of major West Coast fisheries. It then shows how they may be affected by other ocean uses. For instance, the new system turns data on the catch value of groundfish into a landscape of colors depicting the West Coast, where the highest value catch areas stand out boldly.

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

Salmon are becoming river ‘ghosts’ as brutal droughts and violent floods cause unprecedented losses on their treacherous journey to the Pacific Ocean, scientists say.

A major study 10.1111/gcb.70854  led by the University of Essex, NOAA Fisheries, University of California, Davis, and Cramer Fish Sciences found that young Californian Chinook salmon face a deadly double threat from extreme weather and the destruction of historical wetland habitats they rely on.

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Canada Expands Mass-Marking Of Hatchery Chinook Salmon In Southern British Columbia, Going From 40 Percent To 97 Percent

Joanne Thompson, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries, has announced a next step in strengthening the long-term conservation and rebuilding of wild Pacific salmon with the expansion of mass marking of all DFO (Fisheries and Ocean Canada) hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in southern British Columbia.

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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 

Above: Geographic distribution of the revenue for trawl-caught groundfish in 2024 and 2016–2024 along a portion of the U.S. West Coast. This sample image from the Pacific Fishing Effort Mapping tool illustrates how data is visualized. Credit: NOAA Fisheries A new system combines decades of fisheries data and statistics to visualize West Coast fisheries and…

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

A model developed by Washington State University researchers can predict how transmission towers might fail and collapse in extreme wind events. The work, reported in the journal, Engineering Structures, could someday help power companies identify the most vulnerable transmission towers in extreme wind events and determine which should have retrofits to reduce the power outage…

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

Above photo: Fire-damaged Detroit, Oregon, following the 2020 Labor Day blazes. A new wildfire risk assessment tool that takes social vulnerability into account indicates more than 400 communities in the Pacific Northwest are at greater risk than previously thought. However, researchers at Oregon State University and The Nature Conservancy say their assessment tool could inform…

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NW Lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Create Task Force To Address Impacts Of Toxic Tire Chemical (6PPD-Quinone) Killing Salmon

U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Co-Chair of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, has introduced her “6PPD Task Force Act.” The bill creates a task force to bridge together federal, state, tribal, and industry voices to coordinate further 6PPD-quinone research. 6PPD-quinone is a toxic chemical from tires that runs off into stormwater and ends up in […]

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

The public has had its say in the scoping round for the Cascade Renewable Transmission project, a more than 100-mile transmission line proposal that, if approved, would include 80 miles of line buried beneath the Columbia River from The Dalles to Portland. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is currently writing the project’s draft…

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

For the litigation over river operations for Columbia/Snake River salmon and steelhead, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has set a briefing schedule for the federal government’s appeal of rulings by a lower court in Portland. But the Court has yet to say whether it will stay the lower court’s rulings as the legal wrangling…

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Wolf Reports: Both Oregon, Washington Count Increases In Wolves, Packs, Breeding Pairs In 2025

Following a decline at the end of 2024, the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management Annual Report shows that the minimum year-end wolf count increased by more than 17% at the end of 2025. In Oregon, the minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2025 was 230 wolves, compared to 204…

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Alaska Salmon Harvest In 2026 Expected To Be Lower Than Last Year, Far Less Pink

The Alaska all-species salmon harvest for 2026 is expected to be 72 million less fish than in 2025. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released the annual statewide salmon run forecast and commercial harvest projection report: Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections for 2026 Alaska Salmon Fisheries and Review of the 2025 Season. The Alaska […]

Ocean Conditions Off Washington Coastline Key Influence In Columbia River Salmon, Steelhead Mortality; More Ocean Research Funding Needed

Above table shows the years ranked low to high (numbers) based on whether ocean conditions are favorable or unfavorable for juvenile salmon survival. It’s an impossible task to manage salmon and steelhead ocean mortalities along the entire west coast of the United States, so fishery managers should concentrate more on influencing the environment along Washington’s…

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Lower Columbia River Spring Chinook Fishing Update: One More Fishing Day Added As Managers Balance Catch Rates With Protecting Upriver ESA Fish

Oregon and Washington added one more day of recreational spring Chinook salmon angling on the Columbia River at a virtual two-state Columbia River Compact hearing this week. The one-day opening is Saturday, April 18, from Buoy 10 near Astoria to Bonneville Dam. Although several Columbia River recreational advisors, some of whom are sportfishing guides, pleaded…

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Climate Warming Driving Starving Gray Whales Into San Francisco Bay Where They Are Hit, Killed By Vessels

Above photo: TMMC-1-91, also known as ‘Ladybug’, swimming in central San Francisco Bay – pictured with the skyline of the city. This individual later died. Photographer: Josephine Slaathaug © The Marine Mammal Center. Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico — but as the climate crisis gathers…

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Yakima River Basin Salmon Recovery: Removing Earthen Berm In River Delta Improves Access To Hundreds Of Miles Of Spawning Habitat

Above: Map of the Yakima River Basin with the Bateman Island Causeway project location marked with a red star. Credit: Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board Every summer, salmon and steelhead returning to the Yakima River swim hundreds of miles from the Pacific Ocean toward their spawning grounds in central Washington. But as they…

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