Sea Lion Mystery: 'How Did The Animals Die And How Did The Doors Get Closed?' Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

Shooting, apparently, did not bring the end for six sea lions found dead late Sunday morning in two closed, floating traps stationed below the lower Columbia River's Bonneville Dam. Read More...

Parties Mull New Biops; Not Clear If Another Round Of Litigation In The Works Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

A three-pronged federal strategy announced this week to lift beleaguered salmon and steelhead stocks onto a recovery trajectory has already begun to draw some heat. Targeted particularly is the leg that addresses hydro system impacts on the Columbia/Snake river basin fish. Read More...

Tribes, Federal Agencies Sign 'Columbia Basin Fish Accords' Resulting From BiOp Remand Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

Four Columbia River basin tribes and three federal agencies say years of divisiveness over salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin ended May 2 with the signing of agreements designed to deliver specific, scientifically valid biological benefits for the region's fish. Read More...

For First Time Montana Gets Desired Dam Operations In Federal Salmon Recovery Plans Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

The federal government's combination of "biological opinions" to govern the recovery of 13 listed salmon and steelhead species in the Columbia Basin includes for the first time the state of Montana's desired dam operations. Read More...

Spring Chinook Returns Still Running Late; Willamette Falls Closed; Tribal Fishery Begins Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

An upriver spring chinook salmon spawning run that has proceeded in fits and starts up the Columbia and Snake rivers is almost certainly late and smaller in number than had been predicted in preseason, according to fishery officials. Read More...

Updated Basin Runoff Forecast Shows 98 Percent of Average For April-September Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

A cooler and drier than normal April and early May has kept, for the most part, the Columbia River basin's water supply bottled up in mountain snowpack, but forecasters say the region will eventually be blessed with an average spring-summer outpouring. Read More...

Weather Releases Enough Water to Meet Both McNary Fish Flows, Reservoir Objectives Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

A three-meeting tug-o-war was settled over the past week by Mother Nature, which released enough water from mountain snowpacks to keep Lake Roosevelt ferry boats afloat and boost Columbia River flows carrying juvenile salmon and steelhead toward the Pacific Ocean. Read More...

Council Report: BPA Spent $716 Million in FY07 on F&W Mitigation, $9.4 Billion Since 1978 Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is seeking public comments on the seventh annual report to the Northwest governors on Bonneville Power Administration expenditures to implement the Council's program to protect and rebuild fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Read More...

Hydro, Fish Managers Balancing Idaho Flow Aug for Fish with Assuring Dworshak Refill Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

Water releases from central Idaho's Dworshak Dam were ratcheted down to some degree Wednesday evening as fish and hydro system managers tried to strike a balance between providing flow augmentation now for migrating juvenile steelhead and salmon and assuring a maximum store of water to help returning adult fish this summer. Read More...

Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program Begins; $500 Fish Out There Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (PST)

The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program kicked off this week in the lower Columbia and Snake rivers and is open through Sept. 28. Read More...