The Columbia River basin in 2023 is still the only major river basin in the U.S. free of quagga and zebra mussels, largely due to the Northwest’s four-state watercraft inspection efforts, according to a presentation this week at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council by Stephen Phillips, senior program manager at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed the initial review of three petitions filed to remove the grizzly bear in the lower 48 States from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife under the Endangered Species Act in certain ecosystems. The Service says two of these petitions present substantial information indicating the grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem may qualify as their own distinct population segment and may warrant removal from the ESA list.

Columbia River fishery managers are expecting a larger run of upriver spring Chinook salmon to enter the river this year and cross Bonneville Dam, but barely 10 percent of the salmon would be of natural origin, according to a recently released joint Oregon and Washington report that includes preseason run size forecasts. That compares to actual returns in 2022 when 15.5 percent of the upriver run was of natural origin.

A draft plan for managing Columbia River threatened smelt (eulachon) is out for review by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Among the plan’s features is a transparent approach to evaluating when and if commercial and recreational fisheries can be adopted.