chinook salmon Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

A Mixed Bag: Northwest’s Iconic Salmon Face Tough Conditions During Ocean Journey

By Courtney Flatt March 12, 2021

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

Salmon survive best when the water is cooler along the coast and warmer farther out. Colder La Niña conditions have also led to higher salmon counts. Right now, that’s exactly what’s happening. But things will likely change over the summer. Read More

Study: Chinook Salmon Are Key To Northwest Orca Population All Year

By NWPB News March 4, 2021

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.

By analyzing the DNA of orca feces as well as salmon scales and other remains after the whales have devoured the fish, the researchers demonstrated that the while the whales sometimes eat other species, including halibut, lingcod and steelhead, they depend most on Chinook. And they consumed the big salmon from a wide range of sources — from those that spawn in California's Read More

Idaho Chinook Salmon Numbers Rise, For Now…But Extinction Looms

By NWPB News November 27, 2020

The number of chinook salmon returning to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and its tributaries is just a tiny fraction of historic numbers, experts said. “More is better, but it’s still abysmal numbers,” said Russ Thurow, a research fisheries scientist with the U.S. Forest Service based in the small city of Salmon. “We’re bouncing around just above extinction.” Read More

Federal Study Recommends Keeping Snake River Dams In Place, With Congress Having Final Say

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2020

The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

Debates have dragged on for decades about whether to remove or alter the four dams. The Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration received almost 59,000 comments on the draft EIS this spring. The agencies are expected to finalize this plan by Sept. 30. Read More

In Northwestern Washington, A Free-Flowing Middle Fork Nooksack River Is Just Months Away

By Bellamy Pailthorp July 16, 2020

A view of the dam on the Middle Fork Nooksack River on Monday, July 13, 2020. CREDIT: American Rivers

A dam removal that has been 20 years in the making reached an important milestone this week. Explosives ripped through the concrete on the Middle Fork Nooksack, east of Bellingham. Continue Reading In Northwestern Read More

A Push To Protect Spring Chinook Salmon Gets A Boost From Genetic Science

By Jes Burns September 25, 2019

USFS biologist Casey Baldwin stands just downstream of a restoration project that creates gravel for spawning spring chinook on the South Umpqua. Jes Burns/OPB

Recently, there’s been a significant shift in our understanding of salmon genetics. Researchers have found a distinct area in salmon DNA where the spring and fall chinook differ. Continue Reading A Push To Protect Spring Chinook Salmon Read More