US V. OREGON PARTIES REACH CONSENSUS ON SNAKE RIVER TRANSPORT STUDY DESIGN Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

Many of the details have been worked out, but funding and scope issues remain to be settled before a long-sought study can be launched to determine the best path to the ocean -- transportation aboard barges or in-river -- for migrating juvenile Snake River fall chinook salmon. Read More...

BIOP: STATUS CONFERENCE SET, IMPACTS TO LAKE ROOSEVELT DISCUSSED Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

Participants in long-running litigation will meet in federal court Dec. 12 to discuss "issues" arising from the latest federal plan for protecting for Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Read More...

BIOP: MESHING COUNCIL PROGRAM WITH NEW ESA PROCESSES Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has had, and will continue to have, a "major" role in efforts to assure that 13 listed Columbia/Snake river salmon stocks aren't jeopardized by the federal hydro system and are indeed lifted toward recovery, according to the NOAA Fisheries Service's Northwest regional administrator. Read More...

UW LAUNCHES $4.1 MILLION EFFORT TO TRACK SALMON WITH GENETIC MARKERS Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

The ability of salmon to migrate such extraordinary distances makes it hard at a management level to know whose fish are whose and at a biological level to unravel the mystery of their ocean migration. Read More...

COUNCIL APPROVES COORDINATION FUNDING FOR UPPER SNAKE RIVER TRIBES Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council this week recommended more than $364,000 in spending for within-year fish and wildlife project budget requests, including $160,000 in startup "coordination" funding for the newly formed Upper Snake River Tribes. Read More...

BPA ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS STRONG NET EARNINGS FOR 2007 Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

The Bonneville Power Administration's annual report released this week shows the agency continued to earn strong modified net revenues in fiscal year 2007, despite water runoff that was 89 percent of average. Read More...

TRIBES EXPECTED TO FORM FISH PROCESSING FACILITY COMPANY Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

Four tribes -- the Umatillas, Yakamas, Warm Springs and Nez Perce -- are expected to create a limited liability company to operate the East White Salmon fish processing facility. Read More...

COUNCIL APPROVES FINAL DRAFT OF CO2 FOOTPRINT PAPER Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council this week approved the final draft of its Power Division's "Carbon Dioxide Footprint of the Northwest Power System" paper, which charts steadily growing outputs of the greenhouse gas and details what might be done to curb that growth. Read More...

MONTANA ASSESSES FLATHEAD BASIN BULL TROUT REDD COUNTS Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

Annual bull trout redd counts are in for Montana's Flathead Basin, with slight declines in some drainages and counts well above average in others. Read More...

WAVE ENERGY ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS, INCLUDING TO FISHERIES, CONSIDERED Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 (PST)

As public interest in wave energy technology increases, scientists are beginning to explore potential ecological implications – including impacts to salmon -- that may arise from the creation of wave energy parks along the West Coast. Read More...