House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., leads the panel during an organizational meeting for the 118th Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.… Continue Reading Read More
Sadie Mildenberger holding Elderberry Crumble muffins. CREDIT: Dori Luzzo Gilmour Listen (Runtime 4:06) Read Forty years ago, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Department of Natural Resources started… Read More
A drone image of salmon during spawning season in Alaska. CREDIT: Daniel Auerbach LISTEN READ Searching for the places where salmon lay eggs, known as redds, is getting a boost… Continue Reading Drones could help researchers count salmon nestsRead More
Salmon advocates want negotiators to consider salmon and the Columbia River’s ecosystem as a part of an agreement between the U.S. and Canada. Continue Reading Salmon advocates ask to include healthy ecosystems in Columbia River Read More
Only 12 commercial fishing captains still hold permits to go reefnet fishing in the Pacific Northwest out of a fleet that once numbered in the hundreds. The distinctive fishing technique dates back thousands of years as an Indigenous method to catch salmon. Its practitioners today say the gear should proliferate as the preferred way to harvest healthy salmon runs while Read More
Vegetation Returns Yakama Nations Fishieries Listen (Runtime :56) Read 11 years ago, the Condit Dam was removed and this year the Yakama Nation will celebrate the anniversary of the return… Continue Read More
Breaching the Snake River dams is one major way to protect salmon, according to a final federal report announced Friday on salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia River Basin. Continue Reading Federal report recommends Read More
Listen (Runtime 1:18) Read The Yakama Nation hosted an event at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers in Richland to celebrate Tribal heritage and culture. The event also… Continue Reading Honoring Chamna With Yakama NationRead More
If two British Columbia tailings dams fail, it could spell disaster, according to two reports that analyzed the chances of the dams failing. Continue Reading B.C. Tailings Dam Failure Could Spell Disaster For Canada, Washington, Read More
A much-awaited report said removing the four Lower Snake River dams shouldn't happen right now, but dam removal is the best way to protect Snake River salmon. Continue Reading Breaching The Four Lower Snake River Dams Not An Read More
To recover healthy salmon populations, one or more of the Snake River dams must be breached, in addition to other actions, according to a new draft report released Tuesday by federal officials. Continue Reading Federal Report Read More
Breaching the dams would be the best way to remove Snake River salmon runs from the Endangered Species List and the best way to maintain treaty and trust obligations with tribes, according to the report. It could cost from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion. Read More
Four members of the U.S. Congress recently got a close look at Washington’s Snake River dams. Continue Reading Members Of The Congressional Western Caucus Get A Close Look At Snake River DamsRead More
The young daughter of Anessia Scott interacts with the traveling totem. Anessia, who is a descendant of the Nez Perce and Blackfoot tribes, says she wants her daughter to learn… Continue Reading Indigenous Totem Travels From Salish Sea To Snake Read More
A recent salmon field trip has helped students become more curious about salmon. Continue Reading Salmon Summit Teaches Kids About Conservation, ScienceRead More
Bringing salmon back to the Upper Columbia River will take a lot of time and a lot of money, according to the Upper Columbia United Tribes. Continue Reading $3 Million Will Help Tribes Study Salmon Reintroduction In The Upper Read More
A line of people pass buckets of summer chinook salmon to be released into Hangman Creek Read Courtney Flatt/Northwest News NetworkCoeur d’ Alene tribal members Bobbie White (left) and Vince… Continue Reading Salmon Release In Read More
Researchers at PNNL tag young chinook salmon with tags slightly larger than a grain of rice Listen: Northwest News Network’s Courtney Flatt reports on data released that tracks fish and… Continue Reading Newly Released Data Could Read More
Fish swimming out to sea over the past year have lucked into some of the best water temperatures and food abundance along the West Coast in the last 24 years, according to an analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began monitoring ocean conditions. Read More
Climate change is forcing creative water storage options in the Yakima River Basin to ensure enough water for fish, cities and farmers. Continue Reading Yakima Water Woes Need More Storage Options, Advocacy Group SaysRead More
Two surveys about breaching the Snake River dams show opposing results. Continue Reading New Survey Shows Support For Snake River Dams, In Contrast To Earlier SurveyRead More
Columbia River fish could have another challenge to their ecosystem. Growing numbers of American shad could challenge salmon and steelhead. Continue Reading Will A Shad Horde Take Over The Columbia River?Read More
Soon, it could be easier to track young sockeye salmon around dams. Continue Reading Smaller Fish Tags To Help Sockeye Studies Above Grand Coulee DamRead More
Upper Columbia tribes want help to continue reintroducing salmon above Grand Coulee Dam. Continue Reading Tribes Ask For More Support For Salmon Reintroduction To The Upper ColumbiaRead More
Whiskey isn’t just for drinking anymore. A new craft whiskey is turning the old saying: “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting,” on its head. This whiskey is fighting to save salmon. Continue Reading This Whiskey Is For Protecting SalmonRead More
Nez Perce Tribe install Tesla Megapack for soloar power at wastewater facility. Continue Reading Nez Perce Tribe Installs Tesla MegapackRead More
Washington Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee said they'll listen to diverse viewpoints with open minds to recover salmon and potentially breach the four Lower Snake River dams. Continue Reading Murray, Inslee Detail Read More
A longstanding court battle over the federal government’s plan to manage dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers could be on hold until next summer. Continue Reading 20-Year Legal Battle Over Salmon To Be Paused Until Next SummerRead More
Salmon are now spawning in waters blocked by Grand Coulee Dam. It's the start of a larger effort to reintroduce salmon into the blocked area. Continue Reading Salmon Spawning Above Grand Coulee Dam A ‘Hopeful’ SightRead More
A new poll supported by environmental groups found Washington voters West and East of the Cascades support dam removal. Continue Reading Poll Finds Many Washington Voters Support Removing Snake River DamsRead More
Federal regulators starting this spring will require dam operators to limit hot water pollution caused by the four Lower Snake River dams. Continue Reading Federal Regulators To Limit Hot Water In Snake, Columbia RiversRead More
Whoosh Innovations said its fish passage system could transport salmon quickly over the Snake River dams – and generate $60 million over 10 years by diverting water from fish ladders to hydropower turbines. Continue Reading Could A New Fish Passage Read More
Funding to help fix culverts could open up cold water habitat to Northwest salmon. Continue Reading U.S. Senate Infrastructure Package Could ‘Significantly Improve’ Salmon HabitatRead More
This summer’s heat wave led to some unhealthy hot water for salmon. But, fish managers said it hasn’t been as devastating for salmon runs as the warm water temperatures were in 2015. Continue Reading Fish Read More
Tribes across the Northwest called for immediate action to remove the four Lower Snake River dams during a two-day Salmon and Orca summit in western Washington. The group called on President Biden and congressional members to “take bold action, now.” Read More
As the mercury climbs this weekend, water temperatures are also expected to increase. Warmer waters can spell bad news for salmon, especially if the temperatures stay warm for long periods of time. Continue Reading Heat Read More
The Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department have found several chinook salmon under 1-year-old. Biologists had transported 100 fish above Grand Coulee Dam to see if the habitat made for good spawning spots. Continue Reading Read More
A wide-ranging proposal to save wild salmon by removing the four Lower Snake River dams may be dead in the water. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray say any proposal for the controversial dams needs a “science-based,” “community-driven” approach. Read More
The Upper Columbia United Tribes are working together to prove salmon can be reintroduced – and can survive – in the waters above Grand Coulee. Continue Reading Tribes Team With Northwest Researchers To Show Read More
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
Republicans Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers have long championed dams. This is their second go at passing legislation that would reclassify hydropower as a renewable energy source. That’s important, Newhouse says, because hydropower can generate energy when wind and solar farms might be offline. Read More
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
This month, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho issued a bold plan that called for removing those same dams to save the salmon. In between those two acts were decades of litigation that show no sign of ending and $17 billion worth of improvements to the dams that did little to help fish. Read More
A $33.5 billion stimulus package would breach the four dams by 2031. Much of the funding would go toward solutions for what would be lost, including hydropower, less access to irrigation, grain transportation and economic development for Lewiston and the Tri-Cities. Read More
Washington’s salmon are “teetering on the brink of extinction,” according to a new report. It says the state must change how it’s responding to climate change and the growing number of people in Washington. Continue Read More
Bringing salmon back to the Upper Columbia has been a goal since the habitat was blocked by the Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams more than eight decades ago. Tribal members held a Ceremony of Tears 80 years ago when the final run of salmon returned. Read More
Coho salmon returning to freshwater each fall often die, gasping for breath and swimming aimlessly, before they are able to spawn. Scientists now know why. After years of chemical sleuthing, scientists have pinpointed the toxic substance that’s been killing large numbers of coho salmon in Northwest creeks. Read More
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
The Enloe Dam, built 100 years ago, blocks fish from reaching the Similkameen River and is of no use to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation wanting to bring salmon back to the river. Continue Reading Read More
After four years of study, the Record of Decision makes the federal agencies’ preferred option official. Managers and dam supporters say it will benefit salmon, reliable hydropower and the economy. Wild salmon advocates, tribal representatives and renewable energy advocates say this decision will hurt salmon and the orcas that depend on them for food. Read More
