Redistributing Terns: Birds Nesting At New Oregon Island, More Habitat Slated For Summer Lake Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

A plan to attract Caspian terns to human-enhanced nesting sites, and potentially away from the Columbia River estuary, is showing some early signs of success with the tally of nesting pairs quickly climbing at a newly raised island in south-central Oregon's Crump Lake. Read More...

Research Suggests In Some Cases Removing Birds Increases Pikeminnow Survival, And Pikeminnow Predati Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

Removing species -- such as gulls, mergansers, terns and cormorants -- that prey on salmon and steelhead stocks may not improve the fishes' overall survival rate, according to a University of Washington research paper published last month in the Ecological Applications, a publication of the Ecological Society of America. Read More...

Fish Pact: Harvest Reductions in Canada, Alaska Would Boost Columbia Basin Stocks Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

Efforts to revive protected Columbia River basin salmon stocks, and improve the odds for a steady freshwater harvest of hatchery fish, would get a boost if the United States and Canada approve an agreement hammered out by the Pacific Salmon Commission. Read More...

Despite 2007's High Jack Count, 2008 Spring Chinook Return Numbers Downgraded Again Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

Probably the most unpredictable, and the most savored, of Columbia River basin salmon stocks -- upriver spring chinook – have mystified again, passing upstream later than the historic average for the fourth year in a row and in far fewer numbers so far than had been forecast. Read More...

Thousands Of White Sturgeon Found Last Winter Stacked Up Below Bonneville Dam Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

The behavior is not unheard of, but the magnitude of a white sturgeon pileup this past winter below the Columbia River's Bonneville Dam is unique. Read More...

High Flows Bring Debris to Bonneville Dam, Forcing Removal of Smolt Guidance Screens Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

High Columbia River flows have brought high levels of debris into Bonneville Dam's smolt bypass screens, resulting last week in a severe rate of descaling in young migrating fish. Read More...

New Studies Highlight Concern Over Rising Jellyfish Populations' Impact On Salmon, Other Fishes Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

Jellyfish populations appear to be increasing along the West Coast and in the Bering Sea and scientists studying the phenomenon are concerned because jellyfish may feed on the same plankton species targeted by herring, sardines and anchovies, juveniles salmon and other fishes. Read More...

New Study Finds Increasing Acidification Of Pacific Ocean's Continental Shelf Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

An international team of scientists surveying the waters of the continental shelf off the West Coast of North America has discovered for the first time high levels of acidified ocean water within 20 miles of the shoreline, raising concern for marine ecosystems from Canada to Mexico. Read More...

NOAA Announces Funding To Support Ocean Observing In Pacific Northwest Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System is awarding $1.9 million in fiscal year 2008 competitive grant funding to support ocean observing efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Read More...

BPA, Council To Review Hydro System's Capacity To Meet Requirements During Peak Demand Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 (PST)

The Bonneville Power Administration and Northwest Power and Conservation Council are calling on regional power experts to help the Pacific Northwest Resource Adequacy Forum, an ad hoc industry group, perform a sustained hydro peaking capacity analysis -- a review of the entire region's hydro system. Read More...