Why Are Southern Resident Killer Whales Not Recovering? Ground-Breaking Study Shows Inbreeding Major Contributor To Decline Of Endangered Orcas
March 22nd, 2023
The small size and isolation of the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have led to high levels of inbreeding. This inbreeding has contributed to their decline, which has continued as surrounding killer whale populations expand, according to research published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Read the Full Article
Northwest Washington Study: With Less Salmon To Eat, Bald Eagles Showing Up On Dairy Farms To Get Food From Farm By-Products
March 22nd, 2023
Bald Eagles and dairy farmers exist in a mutually beneficial relationship in parts of northwestern Washington State. According to a new study, this "win-win" relationship has been a more recent development, driven by the impact of climate change on eagles' traditional winter diet of salmon carcasses, as well as by increased eagle abundance following decades of conservation efforts.
Read the Full Article
With End Of La Nina, Ocean Conditions Likely Trending Downward For Salmon, Steelhead Survival, Mass Of Warm Water In North Pacific
March 16th, 2023
Good years in the Pacific Ocean for salmon and steelhead, as the last couple of years have been, are an anomaly. Instead, ocean conditions are generally trending downward, according to a NOAA Fisheries scientist briefing the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
Read the Full Article
UW/NOAA Study Looks At Why Northern Resident Orcas Doing Better Than Southern Residents; They Hunt Differently
March 16th, 2023
In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, scientists have been sounding the alarm about the plight of southern resident orcas. Annual counts show that population numbers, already precarious, have fallen back to mid-1970s levels.
Read the Full Article
California Current Ecosystem Status Report Shows Disconnect Between Oceanographic Predictions, Observed Conditions
March 16th, 2023
Ecological relationships across the Pacific Coast that once guided annual expectations such as salmon returns are evolving as climate change disrupts long-standing connections. NOAA Fisheries researchers report these findings in their latest Ecosystem Status Report for the California Current Ecosystem.
Read the Full Article
California Salmon: Shrinking Age Distribution Of Returning Spawners Increases Impacts Of A Bad Year, Warming Climate; Older Fish Rarely Observed
March 9th, 2023
By returning to spawn in the Sacramento River at different ages, Chinook salmon lessen the potential impact of a bad year and increase the stability of their population in the face of climate variability, according to a new study by scientists at UC Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries.
Read the Full Article
Oregon State Scientists Analyze 41 Climate Change ‘Amplifying Feedback Loops’; Threats Looming From Tipping Points
March 9th, 2023
An international collaboration led by Oregon State University scientists has identified 27 global warming accelerators known as amplifying feedback loops, including some that the researchers say may not be fully accounted for in climate models.
Read the Full Article
WSU Study Estimates, Surprisingly, About 50 Canada Lynx in Glacier National Park; Could Provide Climate Haven
March 9th, 2023
Glacier National Park is home to around 50 Canada lynx, more than expected, surprising scientists who recently conducted the first parkwide occupancy survey for the North American cat.
Read the Full Article
New Data On Salmon Behavior In Ocean, Availability of Chinook For Endangered Orcas, Resets Threshold For Fishing Limits
February 17th, 2023
New research examines how Chinook salmon from West Coast rivers travel through the ocean. It shows that endangered Southern Resident killer whales do not have access to as many salmon prey as previously thought.