From British Columbia: April Update On Negotiations Towards A Modernized Columbia River Treaty
2023 was a year of accelerated activity in the ongoing process of modernizing the Columbia River Treaty.
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
Entries by CBB
Status Report: Though Some SW Washington Steelhead, Salmon Populations Under ESA Show Improved Numbers Since Listing, None Anywhere Near Recovery
The status of southwest Washington salmon and steelhead listed under the federal Endangered Species Act is generally stable, although none of these fish populations are close to meeting recovery goals, says a recent report by the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Imperiled Steelhead Migrating Up Columbia/Snake River Show Lowest Survival Bonneville Dam To McNary Dam, Miss Survival Targets
Asotin Creek adult summer steelhead survival is at its lowest in the Bonneville Dam pool as the fish migrate upstream to the Snake River tributary, according to a presentation last week that focused on survival of steelhead listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Temperature and harvest (catch and release mortalities) are cited as the main reasons for steelhead struggles in the Bonneville Pool.
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Fish Family Tree: McKenzie River Study Shows Reproductive Success For First Generation, Wild-Born Descendants Of Hatchery Chinook Salmon
Researchers who created “family trees” for nearly 10,000 fish found that first-generation, wild-born descendants of hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in an Oregon river show improved fitness.
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Oregon Annual Wolf Report Shows No Population Growth For First Time In 16 Years; ‘The Amount Of Poaching, Other Suspicious Deaths Alarming’
The minimum known count of wolves in Oregon at the end of 2023 was 178 wolves, according to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management annual report released this week by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is the same number documented in 2022 and does not include 10 wolves translocated to Colorado in 2023 to help establish a wolf population there.
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PFMC Recommends Closure For California’s Ocean Salmon Fisheries; For Oregon, Washington Fishing Opportunities Likely Similar To Last Year
The Pacific Fishery Management Council acted unanimously to recommend closure of California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries through the end of the year, mirroring recommendations made last year to close the fisheries in 2023.
ESA Protections Sought For Two Freshwater Snails Once Widespread In Columbia River Basin; Now Scattered, Isolated Populations
The Center for Biological Diversity this week filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act protections for the ashy pebblesnail and shortface lanx.
With A Forecasted Lower Water Year For Lower Columbia River During Juvenile Fish Migration, Additional Flow Aug From Lake Roosevelt Approved
With lower-than-average water flow in the lower Columbia River expected during the spring juvenile salmon and steelhead outmigration, fishery managers at the interagency Technical Management Team last week asked for additional flow augmentation from Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir backed up behind Grand Coulee Dam on the upper river, to aid fish migration.
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Interior Funds Solar Panels Over Irrigation Canals In California, Oregon, Utah; Decrease Evaporation While Producing Renewable Energy
The Department of the Interior announced a $19 million investment to install solar panels over irrigation canals in California, Oregon and Utah, simultaneously decreasing evaporation of critical water supplies and advancing clean energy goals.
Review Of Salmon Habitat Projects Shows Putting Woody Debris In Right Place In Stream Can Lead To Increased Juvenile Numbers
Well-placed woody debris in streams results in a two- to three-fold increase of juvenile salmon, according to a recently completed review.
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Groups Sue USFWS Over Denial Of Petition To Protect Gray Wolves In Northern Rocky Mountains
Four conservation and animal protection groups have sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for denying their petition to protect gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains under the Endangered Species Act.
Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast Still Projected Well Below Normal; Expect Early Runoff, Lower Flows This Spring/Summer
Water supply forecasts at major dams in the Columbia River basin dropped again during March, with the forecast at The Dalles Dam dropping from 83 percent of normal in February to 80 percent of normal in March, according to the April 3 water supply forecast by NOAA’s Northwest River Forecast Center.
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Though Angler Effort High, With Low Catch Rates And Late Arriving Run, Lower Columbia River Spring Chinook Fishing Extended
Due to a lateness of the run of spring Chinook salmon and lower than expected harvest, Oregon and Washington extended recreational angling for the fish through Tuesday, April 9. The angling period set by the two-state Columbia River Compact in February began March 1 and was due to end today, Friday, April 5.
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Sea Lion Trapping Begins; 2023 Pinniped Report Notes Predation Impacts To ESA Steelhead Twice As Severe Compared To Spring Chinook
As states and tribes begin trapping and euthanizing sea lions in the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its 2023 report on last year’s pinniped abundance and predation of salmon and steelhead. The report covers the period July 2022 through May 2023 and shows that the 104 sea lions observed during the 2023 reporting period is the highest since 2018, when the number was 134.
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NOAA Releases Status Review For Oregon Coast/Northern California Chinook, Low To Moderate Risk Of Extinction; Listing Decision Coming
NOAA Fisheries is nearing a determination of whether the Oregon Coast (OC) and Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal (SONCC) Chinook salmon should be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, saying the final determination is expected this spring.
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Corps Says Report On Greenhouse Gases From Lower Snake Reservoirs Misleading; ‘Relatively Clean Reservoirs In Columbia/Snake River’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that a report by a new group that recently asserted the four lower Snake River dams are a major source of greenhouse gases, particularly methane gas, largely used emission figures from dams and reservoirs outside of the Columbia and Snake river basins.
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Final ESA Rules Released Restoring Some Protections Tossed Out By Trump Administration; Groups Want Further Actions
Newly released changes to the rules implementing the Endangered Species Act are intended to restore protections overturned under the Trump Administration, while providing clarity for state and Tribal wildlife agencies. Some discarded rules were not reinstated.
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As Part Of Commitment To Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery, Administration Allocates $60 Million To Address Climate Change, Hatchery Repairs
The Department of Commerce and NOAA have announced plans to allocate $60 million in funding to advance tribal priorities and address the impacts of climate change on Pacific salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River. These funds from the Infrastructure Law will also address deferred maintenance and repairs at Mitchell Act-funded hatchery facilities across the Columbia River Basin.
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Alaska, Canada Sign Agreement On Yukon Salmon Recovery; Suspension Of Most Harvest For Seven Years
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada have signed an agreement regarding the recovery of Chinook salmon in the Yukon River drainage. The agreement is focused on rebuilding the stocks to a level that they can once again provide for subsistence, as well as sport, commercial, and personal use fishing opportunities.
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During Extended Outage Corps Completes Major Work On Aging McNary, Lower Snake Dams’ Locks To Reduce Risk Of ‘Asset Failure’, Navigation Reopened
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, reopened navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers on March 29 after an eleven-week outage. This extended outage allowed the district to perform routine maintenance and to replace aged equipment to reduce the risk of asset failure.
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For First Time, Oregon Satellite Tagging Winter Steelhead ‘Kelts’ To See Where They Go In The Ocean; Rarely Encountered In Commercial Fisheries
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists in southern Oregon want to know where steelhead go in the ocean after they spawned in the rivers.
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Final Federal EIS Proposes Establishment Of Experimental Grizzly Bear Population In North Cascades National Park
The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have published a final Environmental Impact Statement that identifies the preferred alternative to reintroduce grizzly bear into the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, including North Cascades National Park.
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Fish Tanker Truck Accident Results In Loss Of Spring Chinook Smolts For Imnaha River Release
On March 29 near Lookingglass Hatchery in northeast Oregon, a fish tanker truck was involved in an accident while transporting approximately 102,000 spring Chinook smolts for release in the Imnaha River.
USFWS Report Shows Wetlands Loss Has Increased By 50 Percent Since 2009, Half Gone Since 1780s
A new report released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveals wetlands – 95 percent of which are freshwater — covered less than 6 percent of the lower 48 states as of 2019 – which is half the area they covered since the 1780s. The report also identifies that loss rates have increased by 50 percent since 2009 and that without additional conservation actions taken to protect these ecosystems, wetland loss will likely continue, reducing ecosystem benefits for people and habitat for fish, wildlife and plants.
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WSU Study Shows How PNW Honey Bees At Risk For Colony Collapse As Climate Warms, Hive Boxes May Need Cold Storage
The famous work ethic of honey bees might spell disaster for these busy crop pollinators as the climate warms, new research indicates.