2018 Northwest Fish And Wildlife Year In Review, Part III
There were the changes at the helms, court battles, legislative battles and more, and here we wrap up 2018 with a recap of notable news from October through December.
2018 Northwest Fish And Wildlife Year In Review, Part II
If it wasn’t the plight of orcas and mountain caribou, it was the fangs of cougars and wolves that were in the news — along with the flight of mountain goats and pangs of grizzly bear restoration.
2018 Northwest Fish And Wildlife Year In Review, Part I
As 2018 draws to a close, we’re taking our annual look back at some of the biggest fish and wildlife stories the Northwest saw during the past year.
Columbia Sea Lion Bill Signed By President
Federal legislation expanding sea lion removals in more of the Columbia and many of its tributaries became law yesterday, capping a multi-year, multi-stakeholder, bipartisan effort to reduce pinniped predation on ESA-listed salmon and steelhead as well as other stocks in the big river.
Anglers Unhappy With Another Salmon Hatchery Disaster
Washington salmon fishermen and others were furious to learn that as many as 6.2 million Chinook fry died last Friday when a state hatchery lost power during a windstorm and a backup generator failed to start up.
Governor’s Budget Proposal Includes ‘Unprecedented’ $1.1B For Orcas, Salmon
Washington Governor Jay Inslee is touting an “unprecedented investment” of $1.1 billion to recover orcas and their key feedstock — Chinook — in his just-released 2019-21 budget proposal.
U.S. House Passes Senate’s Sea Lion Bill; Next Stop: White House
The U.S. House today passed the Senate’s Columbia sea lion bill and it now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature, according to Northwest lawmakers.
Columbia Sea Lion Bill Passed By US Senate
The U.S. Senate has passed a key bill that would make it easier for state and tribal managers to protect ESA-listed salmon and steelhead in the Lower Columbia from California sea lions.
Good Luck Getting Fish Extremists To Reconsider, Idaho — Been There, Done That
An editorial in today’s Lewiston Tribune asking organizations that are forcing Idaho to close steelheading as of this Saturday to have their lawyers “stand down” for the good of the fish and fish advocacy never had a chance.
WDFW Director Looks For Public Budget Support, Assures Sportsmen He’s ‘Adding To, Not Changing Our Base’
WDFW’s new director Kelly Susewind fielded more than three dozen questions about salmon, hatcheries, sea lions, orcas, wolves, increasing fishing and hunting opportunities, and more during an hour-and-a-half-long webinar last night.
Offshore Survey Finds Improved Young Coho, King Numbers
A federal fisheries biologist is sharing his guarded assessment of 2018’s annual spring survey of young salmon off the Northwest Coast, one that offers a glimmer of hope for future Columbia River runs but also comes as the Pacific continues to give off mixed signals.
Sport Fishing Reaction To Final Orca Recommendations Sent To Gov
Washington’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force has transmitted its recommendations for how to help out the state’s struggling orcas to Governor Inslee, and members of the sportfishing community are reacting to the final package.
State, Tribal Fall FDR Pike Survey Turns Up More Bad News, But Slivers Of Good
More details are coming out about last week’s large-scale joint state-tribal survey on Lake Roosevelt, one that alarmingly turned up a 6-pound pike just 10 miles from Grand Coulee Dam and a 27.5-pound northern in the upper Spokane Arm, but may have also reduced bycatch over last fall’s effort.
Inaugural Ridgefield NWR Veterans Waterfowl Hunt A Success
From an ADA-accessible blind at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Sal Trujillo watched as the first rays of sun peeked above the surrounding hills. Flocks of mallards, pintails and tundra swans soon filled the sky.
Task Force Makes Key Recommendations For Orcas, Chinook
Significantly increasing Chinook abundance to help out starving orcas is among the recommendations Washington’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force voted to forward to Governor Jay Inslee yesterday.
Lake Washington’s Sockeye Run At An ‘All-time Low’
More grim news on Lake Washington sockeye. This year’s second lowest count at the Ballard Locks was followed by an “all-time low” spawning run of the red salmon up the Cedar River. “Now just about everything that can go wrong is going wrong,” laments longtime metro lake angler and sportfishing advocate Frank Urabeck. Preliminary figures […]