salmon
Feds consider removing Snake River dams in leaked agreement with plaintiffs in lawsuit
The Biden administration and federal agencies are prepared to remove four lower Snake River dams to save imperiled salmon species, according to a leaked proposal among parties in a federal lawsuit and the administration’s environmental council. Republican representatives in the Northwest, as well as some electric utilities, are not pleased about the proposed agreement. The […]
EPA moves on petition from West Coast tribes to investigate tire toxin linked to fish deaths
This article was first published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. For several decades, many coho salmon returning to waterways around Seattle to spawn have died mysteriously following heavy rains. In some urban streams, nearly all of the coho returning from the ocean died. It wasn’t until 2021 that scientists figured out what was behind what […]
With little movement on salmon bycatch, Alaska advocates look to feds for action
This article was previously published by the Alaska Beacon. Amid catastrophic shortfalls in salmon harvests in some of Alaska’s rural, Indigenous communities, advocates have pleaded for a crackdown on unintentional catch of those same salmon by the trawl vessels that harvest billions of pounds of whitefish in the Bering Sea. But the politically appointed regional […]
Federal funds boost tribal-led revival efforts for salmon in upper Columbia River Basin
This article was first published by the Idaho Capital Sun. In June of 1940, Native American tribes from across the Northwest gathered at Kettle Falls in northeast Washington to mourn the loss of their historic fishing grounds. Known as the “Ceremony of Tears,” the gathering drew thousands of tribal citizens from the Colville Reservation in […]
Struggling Oregon salmon fishermen getting federal help, but it may be too late
The federal government will dole out disaster relief to commercial Chinook salmon fishermen who have weathered a string of poor seasons on the Oregon Coast. But some fishermen say the help won’t be enough to rescue the fast-shrinking industry. Earlier this month, two years after a request by Oregon’s governor, the U.S. Department of Commerce […]
Pushback continues against genetically modified salmon being raised at Indiana farm
This article was first published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. As demand for seafood grows, including across the Hoosier state, a remote Indiana farm is harvesting thousands of pounds of salmon every year — on land. But the genetically modified fish teeming in the Albany tanks are continuing to draw pushback from environmental advocates who […]
Biden administration proposes $106 million for Western salmon and steelhead recovery
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is recommending sending $106 million to 16 salmon and steelhead recovery efforts in five Western states, the federal agency said Thursday. NOAA and the Department of Commerce recommended grants to state agencies with salmon protection missions, tribes and tribal partnerships in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and California. The funding […]
Billions spent on hatcheries, habitat fails to help native Columbia River salmon, study finds
Decades of data show that despite billions in taxpayer investment, salmon and steelhead hatchery programs and restoration projects in the Columbia River Basin have failed to support or boost native fish populations and in fact are contributing to their decline. Oregon State University economics professor William Jaeger and Mark Scheuerell, a biologist with the U.S. […]
Tribes call for feds to ban chemical in car tires that is linked to salmon deaths
Two tribes in Washington are asking federal regulators to ban a chemical widely used in car tires that scientists have identified as highly toxic to salmon and other fish. The Port Gamble S’Klallam and Puyallup tribes, along with the Yurok, which is the largest native nation in California, petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on […]
Alaska salmon fishers fume over low prices, but processors say they’re hurting too
A few times this summer, Jared Danielson, who fishes for salmon on the Alaska Peninsula, found himself fighting back tears in his bunk. Aboard the F/V Five Star, his boat, Danielson and his deckhand put away as many pounds of fish as they could. They had no breakdowns. But his seafood processor is paying him […]
Feds release plans for $2.6B in climate and fisheries spending
Washington state and Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest are positioned to score some of $2.6 billion for climate and fisheries programs the Biden administration unveiled on Tuesday. But how much of the money could eventually end up in this corner of the country isn’t yet clear. Part of the package is $390 million […]
Disaster aid has arrived, but Western Alaska’s salmon and crab problems continue
As $216 million in federal aid is flowing to help Alaskans cope with salmon and crab collapses over the past three years, conditions that caused some of the harvest failures persist. The Alaska congressional delegation announced on Friday that the U.S. Commerce Department released the disaster aid. The money is to go to harvesters, processors […]