Fish and Wildlife Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

He Spent $50K On A Tag To Kill A Noted Kittitas Valley Elk. What’s The Real Cost Of Trophy Hunts?

By NWPB News October 29, 2019

File photo of the Ellensburg-area elk that residents nicknamed Bullwinkle. The elk was shot and killed in 2015 by hunter Tod Reichart in an area the state had closed to hunting. Courtesy of Washington DFW.

Over at least two decades, Washington business owner Tod Reichert spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying exclusive hunting licenses he used to kill more than 100 elk. His license for the Ellensburg hunt, a “governor’s tag” auctioned to fund elk-related conservation efforts by state wildlife managers, cost him $50,000.Read More

Timeline: A History Of Grizzly Bear Recovery In The Lower 48 States

By NWPB News June 10, 2019

A sow grizzly bear spotted near Camas in northwestern Montana. Wildlife officials endorsed a plan in August to keep northwestern Montana's grizzly population at roughly 1,000 bears as the state seeks to bolster its case that lifting federal protections will not lead to the bruins' demise. CREDIT: MONTANA FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARK

At their peak, grizzly bears numbered more than 50,000 in the Lower 48. Facing threats from habitat loss, hunting and conflicts with people and livestock, their numbers dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in the lower 48 by the time the Endangered Species Act was implemented in 1975. Here's a timeline of the management actions, court cases and notable events that have shaped Read More

The Fight Is On To Save Columbia River Salmon From A Toothy Invader

By Courtney Flatt May 29, 2019

Travis Rehm holds up the largest northern pike biologists caught on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The female fish was about 34 inches long. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

The fight to save Columbia River salmon could hinge on a major battle taking place in the basin’s biggest reservoir. It pits biologists against a fish: The invasive northern pike.Read More

Dead Gray Whale Found On Olympic Coast Is 24th On Pacific Northwest Beaches This Year

By Tom Banse May 24, 2019

Responders examine a malnourished adult gray whale on April 15, 2019 after it was towed to a remote beach after initially being found floating near downtown Seattle. CREDIT: CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

Olympic National Park said a decomposing gray whale washed ashore Friday morning north of Kalaloch Campground. That makes the 24th dead whale stranding in Oregon and Washington this year during the northbound migration.Read More

Charter Fishing Fleet Casts Wary Eye Toward Possible Fishing Cutbacks To Save Orcas

By Tom Banse April 24, 2019

Hula Girl is one of the remaining vessels in the Westport, Washington charter sport fishing fleet. TOM BANSE / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

Pacific Northwesterners are undeniably fond of their endangered resident killer whales. Many locals are also fans of salmon fishing, a hobby that sustains charter fishing fleets in coastal harbors from Neah Bay, Washington, to Brookings, Oregon. But now there is a chance future fishing trips on the ocean could be curtailed to leave more food for the killer whales. Read More

Salmon Conference Calls For Innovative Solutions To Protect Fish

By Courtney Flatt April 24, 2019

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

What to do with the four Lower Snake River dams and how to best protect imperiled salmon have been a tough questions for decades. They were the focus at a conference on salmon Tuesday at Boise State University’s Andrus Center for Public Policy.Read More

Salmon Fisheries Set As Managers Start Process To Protect Endangered Orcas

By Jes Burns April 18, 2019

Members of Puget Sound's south resident orca population. CREDIT: NOAA

The organization that sets limits for commercial, recreational and tribal salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest wrapped up their work Tuesday at a meeting in Northern California.Read More

East Of The Cascades, Lingering Snow Means Struggle For Northwest Fauna

By Anna King March 15, 2019

A coyote in snow on the Hanford Reach National Monument near the Columbia River shoreline. CREDIT: JANE ABEL/US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

All this snow so late in the season prompts the much-asked question: Is this climate change? Kathie Dello, a climatologist with Oregon State University in Corvallis, says this late-winter snow is perfectly normal. But, it doesn’t mean the larger picture is all fine. Read More

Oregon Starts Killing Sea Lions At Willamette Falls

By Cassandra Profita January 9, 2019

Sea lions have been eating steelhead and other fish at Willamette Falls in ever greater numbers.Photo courtesy of ODFW

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has started killing sea lions below Willamette Falls to protect a fragile run of winter steelhead.Read More

Scent Research Could Help More Salmon Find Their Way Home

By Jes Burns December 6, 2018

OSU's Maryam Kamran is conducting research on salmon olfactory homing in an effort to prevent hatchery fish on the Elk River from straying. CREDIT: JES BURNS/OPB

Apparently, salmon don’t like the smell of watercress. The aroma of shrimp doesn’t pique their interest either. And the fragrance, eu de steelhead? A definite no-go.Read More

Super Bacteria In Puget Sound Wildlife Could Endanger Humans

By John Ryan November 27, 2018

Transient whales are shown on Friday, August 10, 2018, as crews attempt to locate the JPod. (Image taken under the authority of NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit No. 18786-03) CREDIT: KUOW PHOTO/MEGAN FARMER

Last year, researchers reported finding 35 kinds of multi-drug-resistant bacteria in the exhaled breaths of killer whales off the San Juan Islands. Sewage treatment plants are usually effective at getting rid of bacteria — that’s their main purpose — but they fail to screen antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals from reaching otters or other aquatic organisms.Read More