salmon Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Fisheries Managers Face Mixed Forecast For Northwest Salmon, Concerns Over Endangered Orca

By Jes Burns March 11, 2019

Fish trap operators can pick out the hatchery salmon for harvest and release the wild salmon so they can return to their spawning grounds. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA/OPB

About this time every year, the Pacific Northwest gets a report card from the natural world. It comes in the form of salmon run forecasts, and gives us an indication of how healthy the Pacific Ocean and our rivers and streams are. The grades are in, and here’s what you need to know about our scores.Read More

To Help Orcas Catch More Salmon, Washington Plans To Increase Spill At Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 30, 2019

A young resident killer whale chasing a Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091.

In an effort to help imperiled salmon, Washington officials are proposing more water be spilled at dams during fish migration. The hope is that this would also increase the amount of food for orcas in Puget Sound.Read More

Columbia River Salmon Face Another (Previously Underestimated) Threat: Gulls

By Courtney Flatt January 27, 2019

Biologist think gulls are eating more juvenile salmon on the Columbia River than they realized. To help salmon, some fish advocates are proposing to shoot problem gulls during salmon migration. CREDIT: Ronald Woan, Flickr Creative Commons

There are a lot of predators known to eat imperiled salmon, from sea lions to double-crested cormorants. For a long time, biologists thought gulls weren’t a big part of the problem. Now, they say that was a miscalculation.Read More

Banned Fish Trap Returns To Columbia As Sustainable Way To Catch Salmon

By Cassandra Profita January 16, 2019

For years, Oregon and Washington have been searching for the best way to catch more hatchery fish while letting the wild fish return unharmed to their spawning grounds. Now, one group says they’ve found it.Read More

Vancouver Fined $60,000 For 2017 Columbia River Sewage Spills

By Molly Solomon January 6, 2019

Allies and members of Yakama Nation hold a rally at the Vancouver Landing Amphitheater along the Columbia River. CREDIT: ERICKA CRUZ GUEVARRA/OPB

The city of Vancouver has been fined $60,000 after raw sewage was accidentally released into the Columbia River in 2017. The discharged sewage from Vancouver’s Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant happened during two separate spills in September and October of 2017Read More

Another Endangered Puget Sound Orca Suffering From ‘Peanut Head’

By John Ryan January 3, 2019

Orca J17 in Haro Strait on Dec. 31, 2018. CREDIT: MELISSA PINNOW/CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH

A southern resident orca appears to be emaciated, suffering from the disfiguring condition called “peanut head.” Whale researchers encountered the southern resident orcas' J-pod on New Year's Eve as they swam in Haro Strait.Read More

Study: Northwest Salmon Not Immune To Ocean Acidification

By Jes Burns December 26, 2018

A new study suggests that salmon will not be immune to the effects of ocean acidification. Scientists found that changes to ocean chemistry disrupt a fish’s ability to smell danger in the water.Read More

Changing Climate, Water Flows Impact Bald Eagles’ Feasts On The Skagit River

By Tom Banse December 20, 2018

A bald eagle looks for its next meal along the Skagit River. Eagles converge there in great numbers every winter. CREDIT: JASON RANSOM/ NPS 2017

From mid-December to February, hundreds upon hundreds of bald eagles flock to the Skagit River in northwest Washington to feast on spawning salmon. It's one of the biggest seasonal concentrations of eagles in the Pacific Northwest, but this eagle watching hot spot is being affected by changing cycles of nature.Read More

Agreement On Dams Aims To Help More Salmon Survive Columbia And Snake River Journey

By Cassandra Profita December 19, 2018

Fish advocates say sending water through spill bays is the best way to ensure fish survival through dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

A new agreement aims to help more young salmon make their way past dams along the Columbia and Snake rivers. The agreement, reached this week, spells out new strategies for spilling more water over the dams — and sending less water through power-generating turbines — each spring. Read More

Bill To Allow Killing Columbia River Sea Lions To Help Salmon Heads To President Trump’s Desk

By Cassandra Profita December 12, 2018

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

Congress has agreed to make it easier to kill sea lions threatening fragile runs of salmon in the Northwest. A bill approved by the House this week changes the Marine Mammal Protection Act to lift some of the restrictions on killing sea lions to protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and its tributaries.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

Report: Climate Change Is Already Bringing Problems To Northwest — And It Will Get Worse

By Cassandra Profita November 28, 2018

The Eagle Creek Fire as seen from the Cascade Locks Hatchery. To keep hatchery fall chinook from dying because of the fire, Oregon officials released them early. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

The Northwest is already seeing the effects of climate change, according to a new national climate assessment. Read More

Helicoptering Logs In Yakima Valley For The Northwest’s Largest River Restoration

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

A helicopter is used to fly logs from a staging area to streams that need restoration but are no longer reached by roads. This is the largest stream restoration effort ever in the Northwest. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Almost 40 years ago, Scott Nicolai started his stream restoration career taking logs out of the water. A project that’s putting more than 6,000 logs back into remote streams across Central Washington.Read More

Lost No More: Coho Salmon Return To Oregon’s Lostine River After 40 Years

By Courtney Flatt November 2, 2018

Coho salmon have returned to Oregon's Lostine River in late 2018. CREDIT: RICK SWART/OREGON DEPT. OF FISH & WILDLIFE

For the last 40 years, something has been missing from Oregon’s Lostine River: coho salmon. Now, 42 coho have made it to the waters in the last two weeks.Read More

EPA Must Protect Northwest Salmon From Warming Waters, Judge Rules

By Courtney Flatt October 18, 2018

A federal court ruled Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must come up with a plan to protect salmon from warm water temperatures.Read More

Alaska’s Katmai National Park Names ‘Fattest Bear’ (And It’s A Big One!)

By NPR News October 10, 2018

Bear 409 was named "Fattest Bear" at Katmai National Park and Preserve on Tuesday.

It's the bear body-positive competition you didn't know you needed. The results are in. And this year's winner in Katmai National Park and Reserve's annual "fattest bear" contest is 409 Beadnose.Read More

Orcas Need Salmon. Dams Hinder Salmon. Remove Snake River Dams? Feds Say It’s Not So Simple

By Courtney Flatt October 5, 2018

As the Northwest’s killer whales have gained worldwide attention, more calls are being made to bolster the population of salmon they eat. One big way to do that, supporters say, is by removing Lower Snake River dams. But the federal government isn’t so sure that’s the answer.Read More

Seattle’s New Seawall Is Built To Help Salmon

By Eilís O'Neill September 26, 2018

A view of the new seawall being installed on the Seattle waterfront. It's designed to help juvenile salmon. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL/KUOW

The Seattle waterfront is getting a redesign to be friendlier to fish. The city is redesigning this area for migrating salmon, making it more like the shoreline that was here before there was a city.Read More

Can Dams And Salmon Coexist? Congressional Hearing In Pasco Highlights Difference On Both Sides

By Anna King September 10, 2018

Tribal canoeists on the Memorial Bridge in Lewiston, Idaho, on the Clearwater River just before the confluence with the Snake River. The group joined the larger Free the Snake "flotilla" demonstration, Sept. 7-8, 2018. CREDIT: MIKE BEISER

In the past few days, dam advocates and people who want more wild salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers have been putting on their best shows. At the U.S. House committee hearing on Monday, dam advocates gave the bulk of the testimony.Read More

Closing Hwy 97 At Blewett Pass: Inconvenient For Drivers, Possibly Critical For Salmon

By Eilís O'Neill September 10, 2018

This is a culvert, or narrow passage for water to pass, in this case, under a highway. This culvert on the south side of the summit is a barrier to salmon and trout.

On Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation closed Blewett Pass for five days to replace fish-blocking pipes with a fish-friendly concrete box. The construction will cost taxpayers $1.2 million, although that’s nowhere near the full cost of the project.Read More

Should We Kill Sea Lions To Save Northwest Salmon? Congress Is About To Decide

By Tom Banse July 31, 2018

Sea lions rest at the mouth of the Columbia River before moving upriver to feast on seasonal salmon runs. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

In a clash of protected species, Pacific Northwest members of Congress are coming down in favor of salmon. The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to vote to make it easier to kill sea lions who feast on Columbia and Willamette River salmon and steelhead.Read More

U.S. House Bill OKs Killing Sea Lions To Protect Columbia River Salmon

By Molly Solomon July 3, 2018

A sea lion eats a salmon at Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks, Oregon. CREDIT: RICK BOWMER

The U.S. House approved a bill Jun 26 that makes it easier to kill a limited number of sea lions that threaten imperiled salmon and steelhead populations.Read More

Supreme Court Gives Tribes A Victory Over Washington State In Salmon Case

By Eilís O'Neill June 11, 2018

A fish-friendly culvert in Washington state. CREDIT: FLICKR PHOTO/WASHINGTON DNR (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)/HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/CCUMVY

A tie in the U.S. Supreme Court may cost Washington state $2 billion. The court split 4-4 June 11 in a long-running court battle between tribes and the state over salmon-blocking road culverts.Read More

How The Puyallup Tribe Brings Salmon Home

By John Ryan May 22, 2018

Fred Dillon, second left, has help from his son, Codi Dillon, 10, while returning the salmon to the water after a tribal ceremony honoring the first salmon caught by Puyallup tribal fishermen on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Tacoma. CREDIT: MEGAN FARMER/KUOW

The Puyallup Tribe welcomed the first salmon of the year back to the Puyallup River in Tacoma on Tuesday. Strangely, perhaps, that chinook’s epic journey from mid-Pacific Ocean to a Puyallup fishing net begins with a sloshing tanker truck.Read More

Bill Protecting Lower Snake River Dams In Washington Passes U.S. House, Moves To Senate

By Tony Schick April 25, 2018

The U.S. House passed has approved a bill that would circumvent a federal judge’s order for dams on the lower Snake River to spill more water and protect current dam operations through the next four years. It was sponsored and pushed by two Washington state Republicans.Read More

This Is What That ‘Salmon-Safe’ Label Says About Your Wine Or Eggs

By Eilís O'Neill April 19, 2018

The original location of Wilcox Family Farms, an egg farm, is in the shadow of Mount Rainier. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL

One of the eco-labels Wilcox Farms acquired in recent years is “salmon-safe,” a label more often seen on craft beer and Northwest wine bottles than egg cartons. The salmon and steelhead in the Nisqually River have been declining for decades, and that’s a huge concern for the Nisqually Tribe.Read More

What Are Mini Versions Of Northwest Dams Doing In Mississippi? (Hint: Salmon, Of Course)

By Cassandra Profita April 3, 2018

Sean Milligan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District sends hot pink dye through the spill bay of the Little Goose Dam model in Vicksburg, Mississippi. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is gearing up for its biggest-ever planned spill of water over dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. It’s a move ordered by a federal court to help endangered fish. To make sure it’s done right, dam managers tested options first using miniature models of Northwest dams way down in Vicksburg, Mississippi.Read More

Appeals Court Affirms Order For More Spill Over Dams To Help Columbia River Salmon

By Courtney Flatt April 2, 2018

The federal government will have to spill more water over Columbia and Snake river dams starting Tuesday in an effort to help young salmon migrating to the ocean. This will make up the biggest planned water spill over dams for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Read More

Fight Over Salmon-Killing Roads In Washington Now A Supreme Court Case About Native Rights

By Eilís O'Neill March 31, 2018

Salmon on their way up from northwest Washington's Skagit River have to leap two feet onto the jagged edge of this pipe to make it to habitat upstream. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL/EARTHFIX

Seventeen years ago, 21 tribes sued Washington state to fix road culverts. On April 18, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to take on the case. The question is whether state taxpayers should have to dish out billions to dig up roads so salmon can get through. The court’s decision will have repercussions for tribes all over the West.Read More

Three Things You Should Know About Chinook Salmon, Key To Orca Survival

By Max Bartlett March 22, 2018

Orcas survive largely on a single food source: Chinook salmon migrating from Northwest rivers. As Chinook populations have declined, orcas have struggled to find enough to eat.Read More

Good News For Fishing Industry: Pacific Heat Wave ‘The Blob’ Appears To Be In Retreat

By Jes Burns March 19, 2018

Unusual ocean and climate conditions have significantly harmed several Washington fisheries. Six fisheries in the state could now seek federal assistance to help bring things back to normal. CREDIT: SEAN O'CONNOR

Ocean conditions off the Pacific Northwest seem to be returning to normal after a three-year spike in water temperature. It’s promising long-term news for fishermen who are looking ahead in the short term to yet another year of low salmon returns.Read More

After 70 Years, Salmon Could Return To Columbia River Above Grand Coulee Dam

By Emily Schwing March 16, 2018

Grand Coulee Dam File Photo - CREDIT Bureau of Reclamation

If all goes according to plan, there could soon be salmon above the Grand Coulee Dam again. That’s according to Cody Desautel, director of Natural Resources for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville.Read More

This Is Why You Don’t See People-Sized Salmon Anymore

By John Ryan March 2, 2018

Fisherman Tony Canessa with an 85-pound chinook he caught near Astoria, Oregon, in 1925. CREDIT: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

While the orcas of Puget Sound are sliding toward extinction, orcas farther north have been expanding their numbers. Their burgeoning hunger for big fish may be causing the killer whales’ main prey, chinook salmon, to shrink up and down the West Coast.Read More

Forecasts Predict Low Salmon Returns In Washington This Year

By Emily Schwing February 28, 2018

File photo. Wildlife officials expect returns of salmon in Washington state will be low this year. CREDIT: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

Every year, wildlife officials keep track of how many salmon return to their spawning grounds. This year, they expect low returns of salmon in Washington state—and that could change the fishing outlook.   Read More

Listen Up: Northwest Researchers Have Started Tracking Salmon With Sound

By Courtney Flatt February 21, 2018

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

Salmon researchers in the Northwest are turning to sound to learn more about the fish they’re trying to understand.Read More

Yakama Nation Sues For Cleanup Cost At Portland Harbor Superfund

By Ericka Cruz Guevarra February 20, 2018

A protestor holds a sign at a rally at the Vancouver Landing Amphitheater along the Columbia River on Nov. 11, 2017 demanding accountability for pollution in the river. CREDIT: ERICKA CRUZ GUERVARRA

Oral arguments in a federal lawsuit filed against 30 private companies and government entities for cleanup costs associated with pollution at the Portland Harbor Superfund site are expected to start in April.Read More

Researchers In Seattle Show Polluted Stormwater Hurts Fish Survival

By Eilís O'Neill February 13, 2018

Jenifer McIntyre, WSU researcher, scrutinizes juvenile coho salmon that had been exposed to stormwater in this 2012 file photo. CREDIT: KATIE CAMPBELL

Each time it rained during an eight-week period in the winter of 2015, someone from Jenifer McIntyre’s team drove up to Seattle and collected stormwater near the Highway 520 bridge across Lake Washington.Read More

Record Bald Eagle Numbers In North Idaho (And Biologists Don’t Know Why)

By Emily Schwing January 13, 2018

Every winter, hundreds of bald eagles migrate through Idaho’s panhandle. This year, eagles numbers are at a record high. Migrating eagles start to arrive in mid-November, just as the blue-backed kokanee salmon return to the lake.Read More

Federal Agency Will Stop Killing Beaver State’s Beavers To Help Salmon

By Courtney Flatt January 12, 2018

It took the threat of a lawsuit, but a federal agency is no longer killing the Beaver State’s beavers. Environmental groups had challenged the practice in Oregon because, they said, it’s a threat to more than just the state animal. Like much in the Northwest, it touches on salmon.Read More