Three environmental groups whose petition was denied last year by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, have once again petitioned the court to review the Bonneville Power Administration's reserves distribution clause for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Read moreConservation Groups Petition 9th Circuit Again Over BPA Funding
An estimated 850,000 fall Chinook fry likely died from gas bubble trauma soon after their release from a new $35 million hatchery built to help restore salmon in the Klamath River where four hydroelectric dams are being demolished. Read moreGas Bubble Trauma Kills 850,000 Juvenile Klamath River Chinook
Search "Columbia River walleye" online and you'd never know that anyone's concerned about the impacts this nonnative fish is having on struggling salmon and steelhead runs. Instead, there are countless opportunities to explore walleye fishing videos and hire walleye fishing guide services. Read moreWalleye Conundrum: Game Species or Expanding Salmon Predator?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began spilling water on March 1 for four hours a day at four lower Snake River dams and McNary Dam on the lower Columbia River to aid juvenile salmon and steelhead in their migration downstream. Regular spring spill traditionally begins in April on both rivers. Read moreSpill Began Early at Snake, Columbia River Dams to Aid Migration
An environmental group that advocates for widespread dam removal has jumped into the lower Snake River dam debate with a report claiming new science "disproves claims that hydropower is clean energy." Read moreGroup Claims LSRDs Are 'Major Source' of Greenhouse Gases
When Portland General Electric relicensed its Westside Hydropower Project in 2010, it committed to significant improvements to fish passage at the project's three dams. More than a decade later, that $90 million investment—along with habitat work and good ocean conditions—is contributing to … Read moreWork at PGE's Dams Contributes to Record Salmon Returns
Scientists and salmon managers say last year's ocean conditions and this year's forecast for Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead returns are about average. But as with most things related to salmon, those averages are nuanced, presenters told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on M… Read moreAverage Ocean Conditions, Salmon Returns Expected
Researchers from Washington and Alaska have published yet another study demonstrating the competitive dominance of pink salmon—the least valuable and most abundant species of salmon in the North Pacific Ocean. Read morePerspectives: In Salmon Recovery, Does Policy Ever Catch Up With the Science?
The Environmental Protection Agency has recommended a new Superfund site be in and along the upper Columbia River, including Lake Roosevelt, the 150-mile-long reservoir created by Grand Coulee Dam. Read moreEPA Proposes Adding Upper Columbia River to Its Superfund List
The United States and Canada have agreed to reduce and mitigate the impacts of transboundary pollution from mining and other activities under a new joint action reached in partnership with Native American tribes and First Nations. Read moreU.S., Canada Agree to Address Columbia Basin Pollution
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture will have an additional $6.6 million in fiscal year 2025, which begins July 1, to monitor for invasive quagga mussels and prevent the mussels and other invasive species from becoming established in Idaho. Read moreIdaho to Boost Fund for Quagga Mussel Detection
Federal fish hatcheries in the Columbia Basin built to compensate for salmon and steelhead loss caused by federal hydroelectric dams will get a $60 million boost from the Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA Fisheries announced March 22. Read moreNOAA Fisheries Announces $60M for Columbia Basin Hatcheries
With an estimated 19,000 fish passage barriers identified for removal and limited funds to complete the work, the Washington State Legislature passed a law making it easier for private donors to help. Read moreWashington Legislature Passes 'Adopt-a-Fish-Passage' Program
A March 8 blasting test at Copco No. 1 Dam cleared the way for the Klamath River Renewal Corporation to begin its final season of deconstruction of the Lower Klamath Project. Read moreDemolition Begins on Klamath River's Copco No. 1 Dam
The Washington State House of Representatives dropped a $1.5 million proposal from the Legislature's supplemental budget this year that would have increased efforts to remove sea lions in the lower Columbia Basin, Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview) said in a news release. Read moreFunding to Boost Sea Lion Removals Dropped From Washington Budget
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has asked a federal judge to find Electron Hydro in contempt of court for failing to apply for permits needed to partly remove a temporary dam on the Puyallup River by Feb. 26. Read morePuyallup Tribe Claims Electron Hydro Failed to Follow Court Order
The University of Washington's Climate Impact Group has released its 2023 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment. The annual report details the monthly progression of temperatures and precipitation in Washington, Oregon and Idaho during the water year, from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sep… Read moreBrief Mentions: Orcas, Parasites, Northern Pike and More