NOAA Begins Court-Ordered Work On EIS Analyzing Increase Of Hatchery Salmon Production To Feed Imperiled Killer Whales
August 23rd, 2023
Responding to a recent District Court order, NOAA Fisheries has opened a review of its prey increase program specifically designed to provide more food for endangered Southern Resident killer whales in Puget Sound. NOAA is seeking written and verbal feedback from the public as it develops an Environmental Impact Statement for the program.
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Promising Sign For Declining Gray Whales? Researchers Count Increase In Calves Headed North To Arctic Feeding Grounds
August 10th, 2023
Almost twice as many gray whale calves swam north with their mothers to their Arctic feeding grounds this spring compared to last year, according to a new count completed by NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
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Study Of Protected Birds Found Dead Along Powerlines In The West Found Illegal Shooting A Significant Threat, 66 Percent Of Birds Studied Shot
August 10th, 2023
A study examining protected birds found dead along power lines on public lands in the western U.S. shows that gunshot deaths were three times more common than deaths from other causes.
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UW Research Show Massive Seabird Die-Offs Off West Coast Indicator Of Marine Heat Waves; Can Kill Millions Of Birds Within Months
July 13th, 2023
New research led by the University of Washington uses data collected by coastal residents along beaches from central California to Alaska to understand how seabirds have fared in recent decades. The paper shows that persistent marine heat waves lead to massive seabird die-offs months later.
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NOAA Fisheries New Count Of West Coast Gray Whales Shows Continued Decline, Connected To Shifting Prey Abundance In Arctic
July 13th, 2023
A new count of gray whales that migrate along the West Coast each year found a continued decline of this population. However, new clues suggest that population numbers may soon start to rebound.
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Montana Wolf Population Drops Slightly To 1,087 Wolves, Packs Now At 181, Down By 10; 258 Animals Harvested
June 29th, 2023
For the second year in a row, wolf numbers in Montana did again fall slightly in 2022, according to the 2022 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wolf Report.
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Scientists Concerned About Increasing Skin Disease In Southern Resident Killer Whales; May Be Sign Of Compromised Immune System
June 29th, 2023
In a recently published study, scientists investigating the endangered southern resident killer whales have made a noteworthy observation: the prevalence of skin disease within this population has shown a significant increase.
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NOAA Court Filing Defends Hatchery ‘Prey Increase’ Program For Imperiled Orcas; A ‘Critical Tool’ To Provide Salmon For Whales Suffering Food Shortage
June 21st, 2023
A three-year-old hatchery production program spread across Puget Sound and the Columbia and Snake rivers, designed specifically to provide more food for Southern Resident killer whales should remain in place, according to NOAA Fisheries in its most recent declaration in federal court.
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Study: Even With Population Density Increase, Food Decline, Climate Change, Human Impacts, Yellowstone Grizzlies Maintaining Body Fat For Hibernation
June 8th, 2023
Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have been able to gain the body fat they need for hibernation even as population densities have increased and as climate change and human impacts have changed the availability of some foods, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners.