For the first time in eight years, anglers can legally fish for bull trout
in Lake Koocanusa, Hungry Horse Reservoir, and the South Fork Flathead
River.
An advisory committee of Oregon marine scientists has reviewed a recent report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy at the request of Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, and strongly endorsed some of the key findings of that study – the oceans are in serious trouble, major changes are needed and current ocean policies do not reflect existing science and sound management principles.
The Upper Columbia steelhead "evolutionarily significant unit" is proposed for downlisting from endangered to threatened and the Lower Columbia River coho salmon should be given protection under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries announced today (May 28).
NOAA Fisheries officials said today they will continue to weigh the risks that hatchery production poses to wild, naturally spawning West Coast salmon and steelhead, but that a proposed new policy does take into account developing science which indicates hatcheries may play a stronger role in the rebuilding of depressed natural stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service outlined late Friday, May 21, its proposal for Libby Dam flows that are designed to aid spawning endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon and threatened bull trout in the river.
Zebra mussels, invasive species that could harm Washington fish and wildlife and damage hydroelectric dams and public water systems, were discovered this month on a large boat being trailered cross-country by commercial vehicle, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported this week.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton this week announced $304,000 in challenge cost-share grants to support eight cooperative conservation projects in Idaho, from eradicating invasive species to restoring riparian habitat along Kootenai River tributaries.
The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission on Thursday adopted water quality criteria for toxic pollutants that tribes say do not adequately protect people who consume large amounts of fish.
There is just enough water in the forecast for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week to move ahead on a white sturgeon operation in the Kootenai River in Montana.
The operation, which calls for ramping up higher flows out of Libby Dam once sturgeon spawn, could begin as early as next week.
The Nez Perce Tribe took a step Saturday (May 15) in reaching a settlement with the state of Idaho and federal agencies over Snake River water rights the tribe’s initially challenged in 1993.
NOAA Fisheries today corrected what it said are misconceptions in the news about the intent and impact of its hatchery policy and that the agency would likely relist by May 28 at least 25 of the 26 salmon stocks that are currently under review.
The agency charged with protecting Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act will have more time than originally scheduled to remold its opinion about the effects of federal hydrosystem operations on the fish, according to the judge that last year ruled the prevailing recovery strategy invalid.
Wrestling through numerous legal, biological and social complexities has prolonged the task of assembling a summer hydrosystem spill reduction plan that the region can accept, according the Bonneville Power Administration's top fish and wildlife official.
While the Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) generally supports a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan proposed by the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership for the Lower Columbia River and Estuary, it rejected that part of the monitoring plan for habitat, saying it lacks detail and so is not "fundable."
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Portland General Electric's application to surrender the ownership of its Sandy River dams, opening the way to remove the dams by 2008. FERC is charged with licensing hydroelectric dams among its other responsibilities.
The latest estimate of the 2004 return of "upriver" spring chinook salmon to the Columbia River is roughly half what was forecast in preseason, but it is still expected to be the fifth largest in recent decades.
Spring chinook salmon fishing was ended sooner than most would like on the Columbia River mainstem, and likely the Snake River, in large part because the overall return will not be as large as expected.
About 2,000 10- to 12-inch-long white sturgeon will be released in Lake Roosevelt May 12, marking Washington's first effort to recover declining populations of the largest and oldest freshwater fish in the upper Columbia River.
A Spokane-based U.S. District Court judge this week ordered the federal government to deliver its judgment within 30 days on whether eight stocks of West Coast salmon and steelhead still merit listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Salmon managers said at this week's Technical Management Team meeting that a monitoring plan developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for operating McNary Dam turbines outside the one percent efficiency range is insufficient to monitor changes in fish survival at the dam.
Fishing in the Columbia and Snake rivers this spring and summer could be very rewarding for those who pursue the northern pikeminnow.
The 2004 sport reward program opens on the lower Columbia River May 3 and upstream into the Snake River on May 17.
Anglers' opportunities will be limited for the balance of the season after one week's sport catch in the Columbia River mainstem witnessed a near doubling of that fishery's "impact" on the upriver spring chinook salmon run.
The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, in a preliminary report released today, called on Congress and President Bush to establish a new national ocean policy that balances use with sustainability, is based on sound science and educational excellence, and moves toward an ecosystem-based management approach.
About 13 million juvenile chinook salmon and steelhead are being released this spring from 13 Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) hatcheries and ponds in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Attorneys for the state of Oregon and tribal fish managers told a federal judge today (April 16) that they had deep concerns about a federal proposal that makes dams and reservoirs part of the environmental baseline and judges the perils faced by salmon on day-to-day operations alone.
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
