A copper-based chemical treatment to rid a portion of the Snake River of invasive quagga mussels – the first to be found in any Columbia Basin stream – destroyed up to 90 percent of water-based macroinvertebrates (bugs), nearly all gastropods (snails and slugs) and most white sturgeon residing near the area where the poison was applied, according to a recent study.

This summer, Idaho Fish and Game biologists are testing whether trail cameras can help estimate the number of black bears in one of the state’s most popular bear hunting areas, Unit 32A.

More than 7,000 Chinook salmon are expected to return to Whatcom Creek in downtown Bellingham, Washington this season thanks to an ongoing collaboration between Bellingham Technical College, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the next round of Wildlife Diversity Grant recipients, awarding approximately $1 million in funding for the next two years. This investment supports eight collaborative projects focused on some of Washington’s most at-risk wildlife species.

A bleak preseason forecast for summer steelhead turned positive this week when a team of fisheries biologists recorded more steelhead passing Bonneville Dam than had been expected this year and nearly tripled the forecasted return.

Sunflower sea stars are the largest sea stars in the world -- they have up to 24 arms and grow to the size of a bicycle tire. Starting in 2013, these creatures and other sea star species along the west coast of North America died in epidemic proportions.

A federal district court in Missoula has ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act when it determined that gray wolves in the western U.S. do not warrant federal protections. The ruling means that the Service’s finding that gray wolves in the West do not qualify for listing is vacated and sent back to the agency for a new decision, consistent with the ESA and best available science.

Oregon and Washington are transitioning Columbia River fisheries beginning Aug. 1 from a summer Chinook salmon run that has been the fourth lowest in the last 10 years to a fall Chinook run that is nearly 10 percent larger than last year.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed three new wolf families — the One Ear, King Mountain and Three Creeks packs. They join the already established Copper Creek pack, which also welcomed new pups. While the total number of pups is still to be determined there are a minimum of four pups in the King Mountain pack.

Recent results from white sturgeon monitoring surveys by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suggest the white sturgeon population has continued to decline. CDFW fisheries biologists now estimate there are approximately 6,500 white sturgeon between 40-60 inches long in California — down sharply from the previous estimate of approximately 30,000 fish in that size range, based on the 2016-2021 survey average.