NOAA Rejects ESA-Listing For Oregon Coast, Northern California Chinook Salmon; ‘High Overall Abundance, Well-Distributed Spawning Populations’

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A 2022 petition to list Oregon Coast and Northern California Coastal Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act was denied by NOAA Fisheries this week.

In its status review, NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle determined that the two evolutionary significant units are not currently in danger of extinction, nor are they likely to become so within the foreseeable future.

The original August 22, 2022 petition to list the ESUs was initiated by the Native Fish Society, Center for Biological Diversity and Umpqua Watersheds. They had asked that the ESUs be considered by NOAA for listing, along with a designation of critical habitat at the same time.

In its December 9, 2025 Federal Register notice, NOAA said: “Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, including the status review report, and taking into account efforts being made to protect the species, we have determined that the OC and SONCC Chinook salmon ESUs do not warrant listing.”

“This decision ignores the agency’s own science and wastes an invaluable opportunity to avail the federal resources and leadership needed to set Oregon’s coastal Chinook salmon on a pathway to recovery,” said Mark Sherwood, Native Fish Society’s Executive Director. “We will continue to pursue recovery for these iconic native fish and the coastal communities, cultures, and ecosystems they hold together.”

In 2022, the petitioners gave as an alternative to separate out the spring run of OC and SONCC Chinook ESUs from the fall run of the fish, but on Jan. 11, 2023, NOAA said that option was not warranted.

At the same time, the federal fisheries agency said that the “petition presents substantial scientific information indicating the petitioned action to list the OC and SONCC Chinook salmon ESUs may be warranted …” and proceeded with a status review to “to determine whether the petitioned action to list the OC and SONCC ESUs is warranted.”

In the recent extinction risk assessment for OC and SONCC Chinook published in the Dec. 9 Federal Register, NOAA concluded that both ESUs are at low risk of extinction due to similar factors.

“They both have high overall abundance, with numerous, well-distributed spawning populations,” the notice says. “Additionally, their high productivity allows them to maintain abundance even in the face of relatively high exploitation rates. In evaluation of the threat factors identified in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA, we concluded that the factors do not contribute substantially to rangewide extinction risk now or in the foreseeable future.”

The Science Center status review of the two ESUs was actually completed more than a year ago in January 2024 (Biological Status of Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon/Northern California Coastal Chinook Salmon : Report of the Status Review Team).

Chinook salmon are anadromous fish, returning from the ocean to the freshwater streams where they were born to reproduce. The Oregon and California Chinook salmon populations contain both early and late-run variants, otherwise known as spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon.

Spring-run Chinook salmon enter coastal rivers from the ocean in the spring and migrate upstream as they mature, holding in deep pools in rivers through the summer, and spawning in early fall in the upper reaches of watersheds. Conversely, fall-run Chinook enter the rivers in the fall and spawn shortly thereafter.

Spring-run Chinook in Oregon and Northern California suffer from chronically low abundance. These fish have specific habitat needs, and there are numerous unaddressed threats to every population and their habitat in Oregon and Northern California.

The current OC and SONCC Chinook salmon ESUs were identified by NOAA in the late 1990s, and include fall- and spring-run Chinook salmon spawning in rivers on the Oregon and northern California coasts, the status review says.

Identifying the freshwater range of OC Chinook, the status review says it includes rivers on the Oregon coast south of the mouth of the Columbia River down to and including the Elk River, located near Port Orford. The range of the SONCC Chinook extends from Brush Creek (just south of the Elk River) in the north to the lower portion of the Klamath River at its confluence with the Trinity River in California.

NOAA summed up the status of all OC Chinook populations, saying that the natural-origin abundance of the fall-run fish was between 100,000 and 200,000 spawners, and the spring-run natural-origin populations combined were between 2,500 and 5,000 spawners. The populations ranged from 100,000 to 500,000 in the 19th century.

“Trends were variable among populations, with some populations experiencing unusually low recent abundances,” the status review says. “Among fall-run populations, about half of the populations have increased over the past 15 years and about half have declined. The two spring-run populations have declined over the past 15 years, but total spring-run abundance remains higher than it was prior to 1960. The spring component of the predominantly fall-run populations is not well monitored, but the available data did not indicate any obvious downward or upward trends.”

For SONCC Chinook, NOAA found spawning abundance data for one spring-run and six fall-run populations, but together they made up the major SONCC Chinook spawning populations.

“Data for the Smith River, an apparently sizable population, were insufficient to evaluate trends. Summed across the ESU (excluding the Smith River), total abundance of fall-run Chinook salmon during the period 1990–2022 typically ranged from 30,000 to more than 125,000 natural-origin spawners. Several estimates for the Smith River from 2010 to 2021 were between 10,000 and 20,000 fall-run Chinook salmon,” the status review says.

The only major spring-run Chinook population was in the upper Rogue River. Between 1990 and 2022 the population ranged from a few thousand to more than 10,000 natural-origin spawners, along with similar numbers of hatchery-origin spawners. NOAA estimated the population of the spring-run fish between 1940 to the late 1980s to be 30,000 to 50,000 fish.

“Trends over the past 15 years for the fall-run populations were generally negative, and variable but without an obvious trend for the Rogue River spring-run population,” the status review says.

Estimates of late-19th century run sizes for the SONCC Chinook salmon ESU ranged from about 100,000 to 300,000 Chinook salmon
“We followed the rangewide assessment with a significant portion of its range extinction risk assessment and we did not find any portions of the OC or SONCC ESU’s range that were both significant and at risk of extinction,” NOAA concluded.

The Dec. 9 Federal Register notice where NOAA published its findings and determination: (Federal Register :: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 12-Month Finding on a Petition To List the Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units Under the Endangered Species Act).

The Jan. 11, 2023 Federal Register notice announcing the status review is here Federal Register :: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal Chinook Salmon as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act

For information on the conservation groups’ petition and federal actions, see: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/2022-petition-list-oregon-coast-chinook-salmon-and-southern-oregon-and-northern-california

For background, see:
— CBB, April 5, 2024, NOAA Releases Status Review For Oregon Coast/Northern California Chinook, Low To Moderate Risk Of Extinction; Listing Decision Coming, NOAA Releases Status Review For Oregon Coast/Northern California Chinook, Low To Moderate Risk Of Extinction; Listing Decision Coming – Columbia Basin Bulletin

— CBB, October 26, 2023, CONSERVATION GROUPS SAY VERY LOW RETURN OF WILD SPRING CHINOOK TO SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL RIVER SHOWS NEED FOR ESA LISTING, https://cbbulletin.com/conservation-groups-say-very-low-return-of-wild-spring-chinook-to-southern-oregon-coastal-river-shows-need-for-esa-listing/

— CBB, January 13, 2023, NOAA TO CONSIDER ESA-LISTING FOR OREGON COAST, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SPRING/FALL CHINOOK SALMON, https://cbbulletin.com/noaa-to-consider-esa-listing-for-oregon-coast-northern-california-spring-fall-chinook-salmon/

— CBB, April 16, 2020, NOAA FISHERIES ANNOUNCES STATUS REVIEW OF OREGON COAST SPRING-RUN CHINOOK TO DETERMINE IF PETITIONED ESA PROTECTIONS WARRANTED; CURRENTLY MANAGED WITH FALL-RUN, https://cbbulletin.com/noaa-fisheries-announces-status-review-of-oregon-coast-spring-run-chinook-to-determine-if-petitioned-esa-protections-warranted-currently-managed-with-fall-run/

— CBB, September 26, 2019, GROUPS PETITION TO ESA-LIST OREGON COAST SPRING CHINOOK, SAY DISTINCT FROM FALL-RUN CHINOOK, https://cbbulletin.com/groups-petition-to-esa-list-oregon-coast-spring-chinook-say-distinct-from-fall-run-chinook/

— CBB, December 16, 2016, “Recovery Plan Aims To Make Oregon Coast Coho First West Coast Salmonid To Be Eligible For Delisting,” https://www.www.www.cbbulletin.com/recovery-plan-aims-to-make-oregon-coast-coho-first-west-coast-salmonid-to-be-eligible-for-delisting/

NOAA Fisheries Extends Sea Lion Lethal Removal Authorization To Reduce Predation On Columbia River Salmon, Steelhead

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Authorization that allows states and tribes to lethally remove hundreds of sea lions from the Columbia and Willamette rivers as a way to reduce predation on salmon and steelhead has been extended for five more years by NOAA Fisheries.

This is the second 5-year iteration of the 120(f) permit under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The first was approved in 2020 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). The first permit allowed Northwest states and Columbia River tribes to lethally remove 176 Steller sea lions and 540 California sea lions over the five-year period ending this year.

“The initial 120(f) permit was extended for 5 more years,” said Doug Hatch, Fishery Science Department Deputy Manager and Senior Fishery Scientist at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. “All other parts of the permit remain in place. The idea was to extend the permit with the same take limits. This allowed NOAA to approve the permit without a new analysis.”

States and tribes lethally removed 116 California sea lions and 114 Steller sea lions during the first five year permit period, according to Robert Anderson, lead pinniped expert for NOAA Fisheries. That leaves a potential take over the next five year permit period of 424 California and 62 Steller sea lions.

Bounties and market hunting once drove California sea lions toward extinction, but they rebounded under the protection of the MMPA and now number more than 250,000. The eastern stock of the larger Steller sea lions has also increased over the last decade to more than 70,000 animals.

Data shows that sea lions can consume significant numbers of fish—up to 44 percent of the Columbia River spring chinook run and 25 percent of the Willamette winter steelhead run each year.

Removal of the sea lions is conservatively estimated to already have saved about 100,000 salmon and steelhead, some listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, according to Hatch.

Hatch said the team that removes the animals is ready to go. “We’re just waiting on the them (sea lions) to show up at Bonneville,” which generally is in the spring as they first follow smelt and then spring Chinook salmon as they travel upriver.

Also, a part of the original plan was to remove sea lions from Columbia River tributaries downstream of McNary Dam, but that is currently not happening, but may in the spring, Hatch said. “Additionally, budget cuts may impact our ability to do trib removals,” he added.

“Under Section 120 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, thousands of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead have been protected from predation,” NOAA Fisheries said in 2020 when first announcing the authorization. Previously sea lion removal was only allowed at Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls in Oregon.

Known as the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act, Congressional legislation in 2018 amended the MMPA. The first permit was granted by NOAA Fisheries August 19, 2020, giving the states and tribes co-manager status on an expanded authorization to lethally remove both California and Steller sea lions in the Columbia River, between river mile 112 (I-205 bridge) and river mile 292 (McNary Dam), or in any tributary to the Columbia River that includes spawning habitat of threatened or endangered salmon or steelhead. The permit also includes the Willamette River.

ESA-listed species are Lower Columbia River chinook salmon, Snake River fall chinook, Snake River spring/summer chinook, Upper Columbia River spring chinook, Upper Willamette River chinook salmon, Lower Columbia River steelhead, Middle Columbia River steelhead, Snake River Basin steelhead, Upper Columbia River steelhead, Upper Willamette River steelhead, Columbia River chum salmon, Lower Columbia River coho salmon, Snake River sockeye salmon and Southern Distinct Population Segment of eulachon (smelt).

NOAA and the applicants had said in 2020 that “sea lion predation is having a significant negative impact on the recovery on the above-mentioned fishery stocks.” Additionally, the original and subsequent applications state that removal of sea lions is also intended to protect species of lamprey or sturgeon that may not be listed as endangered or threatened but are listed as a species of concern.

Addressing sea lion predation is part of a comprehensive salmon and steelhead recovery strategy, NOAA had said.
As the MMPA requires, NOAA Fisheries had convened a Task Force to review the most recent application and provide a recommendation. The Task Force recommended that NOAA Fisheries approve the application and grant the new authorization.
Applicants for the authorization are:

— Fish and wildlife agencies in the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho
— Nez Perce Tribe
— Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
— Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
— Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
— Willamette Committee

The Task Force met on May 28, 2025. At the meeting, all Task Force members present (12 of 20) recommended approving the Eligible Entities’ application. On July 25, 2025, the Task Force submitted its final report and recommendations to NMFS, according to NOAA’s Anderson.

On August 22, 2025, the WCR issued a permit under MMPA section 120(f) to the Eligible Entities for five-years (2025-2030) to remove sea lions in the 120(f) geographic area.

“The Eligible Entities sought no changes to the terms and conditions in the August 14, 2020, permit, other than to renew the existing permit for a 5-year period that would begin on the date of issuance of the permit,” Anderson said. “In their application, the Eligible Entities only requested to take the balance of animals left over from the August 14, 2020, permit.”

Sea lion management in the Columbia River Basin is nothing new and has been ongoing for over a decade. However, prior to this MMPA authorization, the states were only able to remove California sea lions at two locations—and only then after spending years documenting predation, meeting multiple criteria for removal of individual sea lions, as well as expending considerable effort with non-lethal methods such as relocation and hazing that had largely proved futile.

Although managers have carried out lethal removals of California sea lions on the Columbia River for years, the 2020 permit and now this 2025 permit represent the first time Steller sea lions may also be removed.

For background, see:
— CBB, July 28, 2022, Efforts Under NOAA Permit To Remove, Euthanize Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia, Willamette Rivers Showing Promising Results, Efforts Under NOAA Permit To Remove, Euthanize Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia, Willamette Rivers Showing Promising Results – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, August 14, 2020, NOAA Fisheries Authorizes Expanded Lethal Removal Of Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia River From Portland To McNary Dam, Tributaries, NOAA Fisheries Authorizes Expanded Lethal Removal Of Salmon-Eating Sea Lions In Columbia River From Portland To McNary Dam, Tributaries – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, May 8, 2020, 2019 PINNIPED PREDATION REPORT: SEA LIONS TAKE 3.3 PERCENT OF SALMON/STEELHEAD RUN JANUARY THROUGH MAY, BIG HIT ON WINTER STEELHEAD https://www.www.www.staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/2019-pinniped-predation-report-sea-lions-take-3-3-percent-of-salmon-steelhead-run-january-through-may-big-hit-on-winter-steelhead/
— CBB, April 23, 2020, 23-MEMBER TASK FORCE SET TO MEET TO CONSIDER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXPANDING LETHAL REMOVAL OF SEA LIONS IN COLUMBIA RIVER, TRIBUTARIES 23-Member Task Force Set To Meet To Consider Recommendations For Expanding Lethal Removal Of Sea Lions In Columbia River, Tributaries – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, June 20, 2019, “States, Tribes Seek NOAA Permit To Expand Lethal Removal Of Sea Lions From Columbia River, Tributaries; Could Allow Euthanizing Up To 400 Animals Feeding On ESA Salmon, Sturgeon,” https://www.www.www.staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/states-tribes-seek-noaa-permit-to-expand-lethal-removal-of-sea-lions-from-columbia-river-tributaries-could-allow-euthanizing-up-to-400-animals-feeding-on-esa-salmon-sturgeon/
— CBB, May 23, 2019, “Oregon Removes, Euthanizes 33 California Sea Lions At Willamette Falls, Wild Winter Steelhead Run Up Considerably,” https://www.www.www.staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/oregon-removes-euthanizes-33-california-sea-lions-at-willamette-falls-wild-winter-steelhead-run-up-considerably/
— CBB, January 11, 2019, “With new permit, Oregon begins lethally removing sea lions at Willamette Falls to Protect Steelhead,” https://www.www.www.staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/with-new-permit-oregon-begins-lethally-removing-sea-lions-at-willamette-falls-to-protect-steelhead/

Judge Sets Schedule For Continuing Litigation Over Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery; Motions, Briefs Oct. 8 To Jan. 22, 2026

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After lifting the stay Sept. 11 on long-running litigation that challenges federal environmental impact statements and biological opinions regarding the impact of operations of Columbia and Snake river federal dams on imperiled salmon and steelhead, a federal judge last week set a court schedule that continues the legal battles.

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Plaintiffs Return To Federal Court To Continue Legal Battle Over Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery, Judge Lifts Stay

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Plaintiffs in long-running court battles that since 2001 have challenged environmental impact statements and biological opinions regarding the impact of operations of Columbia and Snake river federal dams on imperiled salmon and steelhead are heading back to court, according to a filing by the groups this week in U.S. District Court in Oregon.

The states of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs joined in the request to lift a stay in litigation on Sept. 11. The stay had been in effect since December 2023.

Other plaintiffs are National Wildlife Federation et al. v. National Marine Fisheries Service et al are the National Wildlife Federation, American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Sierra Club, Idaho Rivers United, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, NW Energy Coalition, Columbia RiverKeeper and the Idaho Conservation League. The groups are represented in court by Earthjustice.

Defendants in the case are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and NOAA Fisheries.

The plaintiffs asked the court in their motion to lift the stay to expedite the court’s decision, also stating that the federal defendants do not oppose the stay motion. However, the motion to lift the stay says, “Federal Defendants do not agree that expedited consideration of the motion to lift the stay is warranted. Given that the administrative records have been compiled, the Federal Defendants’ position is that this case could proceed directly to summary judgment.”

On the same day that the states and tribes asked U.S. District Court of Oregon Judge Michael H. Simon to lift the stay, he did so in a one-line order that simply says “The Court GRANTS the parties’ joint motion to lift stay.” If Simon agrees to proceed directly to summary judgement, the case could potentially be raised to an appeals court.

Other plaintiffs in the case are National Wildlife Federation et al. v. National Marine Fisheries Service et al are the National Wildlife Federation, American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Sierra Club, Idaho Rivers United, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, NW Energy Coalition, Columbia RiverKeeper and the Idaho Conservation League.

A Biden-era Dec. 14, 2023 Memorandum of Understanding, also known as the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, between plaintiffs and the U.S. government was the basis for the stay in the litigation that was to be effective through 2028. The agreement was designed to restore Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead runs to “healthy and abundant levels.” Those who supported the agreement touted it as a long-awaited collaborative and funded effort that finally would give restoration of salmon runs in the basin a chance.

The agreement promised increased funding for fisheries projects and infrastructure, a federal-state partnership to analyze replacement of the energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation services provided by four dams on the lower Snake River, and investments in new tribal clean energy projects. It included $1 billion in federal investments planned over a decade.

As part of the agreement, parties had agreed to a five-year pause of litigation that could have been extended five more years – as long as the agreement was in effect and the federal government continued to work with the states and tribes on a plan to restore the basin’s imperiled salmon, steelhead and other native fisheries while investing in affordable, clean and resilient energy across the Pacific Northwest, Earthjustice said in a news release.

However, the Trump Administration on June 12 revoked the agreement and notified the partners in the MOU in a June 24 letter that said in part:

“The undersigned signatories to the MOU now withdraw the United States from the MOU. It should be noted, however, that none of the undersigned agencies are opposed to seeking a satisfactory solution to the pending litigations and concerns of the various stakeholders and are willing to engage in good faith in efforts to achieve such a result,” the revocation letter said.

The Trump Administration’s unilateral decision to abandon the agreement removes the basis for the stay of litigation, plaintiffs argued in their filing this week for the stay to be lifted.

“The Trump administration’s recent actions leave us with no choice but to return to court,” said Earthjustice Attorney Amanda Goodin. “Since this administration has reneged on this carefully negotiated agreement – with no alternative plan to restore our imperiled salmon and steelhead – we find ourselves once again on a course towards extinction of these critically important species. Earthjustice and our plaintiffs, alongside state and tribal partners, have spent decades protecting Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead – and we won’t back down now.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said that extinction of Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead is “not an option,” and that the President’s decision to withdraw from the agreement means further litigation.

“The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative represents a shared, scientifically sound vision for restoring healthy and abundant salmon populations in the Columbia River that all of our governments committed to implement under the 2023 agreement,” Kotek said. “Healthy runs are key for successful fish migration – and our salmon and steelhead runs are in crisis. President Trump walking away from these commitments presents a very real threat at a time when the fish are on the brink of extinction. It also continues our nation’s shameful legacy of broken promises to sovereign tribal nations that this partnership sought to repair.

“Extinction of iconic Columbia River salmon runs is not an option; we can have both healthy and abundant fish runs and power to meet our growing energy needs. Working with the sovereign tribes and state of Washington, I have directed staff and agencies to protect existing salmon runs and advocate for sustainable salmon population restoration. The state of Oregon will return to federal court and seek an injunction to address urgent needs for the fish, including requiring the federal government to operate the hydropower system to help salmon complete their downstream migration next spring, maximizing the chance that they will return as adults.”

The plaintiffs challenged the salmon/steelhead BiOp Jan. 19, 2021, in the case National Wildlife Federation et al. v. National Marine Fisheries. It was the eighth challenge by Earthjustice since 2001 to federal hydroelectric system BiOps on the impacts of the dams on salmon and steelhead listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. That filing restarted the long-standing dispute over federal biological opinions assessing the impacts of Columbia and Snake river dams on federally listed salmon and steelhead.

Some 13 species of salmon and steelhead in the rivers are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, particularly those that return to the Snake River to spawn, persist at dangerously low abundance and many continue to decline toward extinction, Earthjustice said.

Of the 16 salmon and steelhead stocks that had historically returned to spawn upstream of Bonneville Dam, four are now extinct and seven others are listed under the ESA, including all that return to the Snake River, according to Earthjustice.
“For most of these ESA-listed salmon species, by far the largest threat in their freshwater life stage is the harm caused by federal dams,” Earthjustice said. “These dams kill and harm salmon both as they attempt to migrate past each dam and by transforming the river into a series of slack water, warm reservoirs.”

“Pacific Northwest salmon are facing extinction. Today—salmon, fishing, and clean energy advocates applaud the Tribes, States, and non-governmental organizations for filing a motion with the U.S. District Court in Portland to lift a litigation stay that had been put in place as part of an historic regional agreement,” said Joseph Bogaard, executive director of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition. “Without the agreement in place, plaintiffs are left with no alternative but to return to court to seek critical near-term actions to improve the survival of ocean-bound out-migrating juvenile salmon and steelhead and adults returning in search of their natal spawning beds.”

“People in the Pacific Northwest finally came up with a way to increase salmon populations and fishing while improving public services, meeting the promises we made to Tribes, and cutting taxpayer subsidies,” said Mike Leahy, senior director of Wildlife, Hunting and Fishing Policy for the National Wildlife Federation. “It’s been disappointing to see the federal government overrule all the progress made in the region in favor of returning to court.” 

“The unilateral and abrupt termination of the Columbia Basin salmon agreement by the Trump administration is counter-productive and wrong,” said Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “Climate change and ongoing destructive impacts from the four lower Snake River dams, combined with the stagnant hot reservoirs they create, continue to keep our iconic salmon and steelhead runs at the brink of extinction. We have a responsibility to return to court to improve and modernize our hydropower system so we can have affordable and reliable clean energy well into the future, alongside healthy and salmon and steelhead runs. These wild native fish are essential to tribal cultures and important to sport, commercial, and tribal fishing communities and economies throughout the Pacific Northwest.  We can and must do better.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’ final EIS and NOAA Fisheries 2020 BiOp, currently litigated in Simon’s court, are the culmination of a National Environmental Policy Act process begun by court order in May 2016 when Simon rejected NOAA Fisheries’ 2014 BiOp.

In his opinion, Simon said the rejected BiOp “continues down the same well-worn and legally insufficient path” followed by previous recovery plans over the past 20 years and ordered a new BiOp that had the foundation and support of a full National Environmental Policy Act process.

In their latest challenge to the BiOp, the plaintiffs asked the judge to vacate the EIS and remand it back to the Corps and Bureau of Reclamation, and order NOAA to vacate and set aside the 2020 BiOp and accompanying incidental take statement and permits and “enjoin NOAA to notify the Action Agencies of these actions.”

In their complaint, the plaintiffs noted the goals of the Columbia Basin Partnership and Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and stressed the struggles of Snake River salmon and steelhead listed under the ESA, saying that breaching of the Lower Snake dams is the path to recovery.

“The agreement had set us on a path to restore a strong fishing economy, honor tribal treaty rights and secure a bright future across the Northwest. Now that the Trump Administration has reneged on the agreement, we must find other ways to keep moving Columbia Basin restoration forward – and that includes returning to court,” said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association Policy Director Liz Hamilton. “Losing our irreplaceable salmon would harm everyone, including the sportfishing industry that generates over $5 billion in economic output for the region, creating jobs for nearly 37,000. We won’t give up on these fish – and no one else should either.” 

In its Motion to lift the stay, Earthjustice wrote that “The reasoning underpinning the Court’s decision to impose the stay has been nullified by recent events. The Court should lift the stay in this case and allow interested parties to proceed with the litigation.”

President Trump’s June 12 Memorandum rescinding the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement is here: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin – The White House
Earthjustice’s motion to lift the stay is here: 1404-motion-to-lift-stay-final.pdf

For background, see:
— CBB, August 11, 2025, After Withdrawal Of Biden Administration’s Basin Salmon MOU, Plaintiffs Tell Federal Court They Are Considering Next Steps, After Withdrawal Of Biden Administration’s Basin Salmon MOU, Plaintiffs Tell Federal Court They Are Considering Next Steps – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, June 13, 2025, Trump Rescinds Biden’s Executive Order Aimed At Restoring Columbia Basin Salmon, Steelhead Runs, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/trump-rescinds-bidens-executive-order-aimed-at-restoring-columbia-basin-salmon-steelhead-runs/
— CBB, January 19, 2025, COUNCIL PANEL HEARS DETAILS ON $1 BILLION ‘RESILIENT COLUMBIA BASIN AGREEMENT,’ EXTENT OF ‘COLLABORATION’ QUESTIONED, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/COUNCIL-PANEL-HEARS-DETAILS-ON-1-BILLION-RESILIENT-COLUMBIA-BASIN-AGREEMENT-EXTENT-OF-COLLABORATION-QUESTIONED/
— CBB, December 22, 2024, Agencies Taking Another Look At 2020 Eis Detailing Impacts Of Columbia/Snake River Federal Hydrosystem On Imperiled Salmonids, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/agencies-taking-another-look-at-2020-eis-detailing-impacts-of-columbia-snake-river-federal-hydrosystem-on-imperiled-salmonidsagencies-taking-another-look-at-2020-eis-detailing-impacts-of-columbia-snak/
— CBB, December 22, 2024, Council Shows Total Salmon/Steelhead Return Numbers To Columbia River Through The Years Short Of Goal; Esa-Listed Fish Continue To Struggle, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/council-shows-total-salmon-steelhead-return-numbers-to-columbia-river-through-the-years-short-of-goal-esa-listed-fish-continue-to-struggle/
— CBB, December 15, 2024, Despite Habitat Improvements Over 20 Years, Spring Chinook In Washington’s Tucannon River Still At Risk Of Extinction, Steelhead Doing Better, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/despite-habitat-improvements-over-20-years-spring-chinook-in-washingtons-tucannon-river-still-at-risk-of-extinction-steelhead-doing-better/
— CBB, December 9, 2024, Shifting Currents In Columbia/Snake River Salmon Recovery: Efforts To Save Snake River Fish Runs Likely To Look Different Under Trump, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/shifting-currents-in-columbia-snake-river-salmon-recovery-efforts-to-save-snake-river-fish-runs-likely-to-look-different-under-trump/
— CBB, October 18, 2024, Northwest Power/Conservation Council Issues Draft Annual Report To Congress On Council Progress With Fish, Power, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/northwest-power-conservation-council-issues-draft-annual-report-to-congress-on-council-progress-with-fish-power/
— CBB, June 21, 2024, Administration Report Describes Harm Of Dams To Columbia Basin Tribes, White House Sets Up Task Force To Coordinate Basin Salmon Recovery, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/administration-report-describes-harm-of-dams-to-columbia-basin-tribes-white-house-sets-up-task-force-to-coordinate-basin-salmon-recovery/
— CBB, Feb. 9, 2024, Federal Judge Approves Years-Long Pause On Basin Salmon Recovery Litigation So Parties Can Pursue Tribal-States-Feds Restoration Plan, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/federal-judge-approves-years-long-pause-on-basin-salmon-recovery-litigation-so-parties-can-pursue-tribal-states-feds-restoration-plan/
— CBB, Dec. 15, 2023, Biden Administration, Two States, Treaty Tribes Reach MOU On Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery, Litigation Paused For At Least Five Years, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/biden-administration-two-states-treaty-tribes-reach-mou-on-columbia-river-basin-salmon-recovery-litigation-paused-for-at-least-five-years/
— CBB, July 15, 2022, White House Issues Reports On Basin Salmon Recovery, Costs; ‘Business As Usual’ Not Restoring ESA-Listed Salmon, Steelhead, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/white-house-issues-reports-on-basin-salmon-recovery-costs-business-as-usual-not-restoring-esa-listed-salmon-steelhead/
— CBB, October 22, 2021, Parties Put Salmon/Steelhead BiOp Litigation On Hold, Commit To Working Together To Find ‘Comprehensive, Long-Term Solution’ https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/parties-put-salmon-steelhead-biop-litigation-on-hold-commit-to-working-together-to-find-comprehensive-long-term-solution/
— CBB, February 5, 2021, “Conservation Groups File Complaint Against New Columbia River System Operations EIS, BiOp For Salmon, Steelhead,” https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/conservation-groups-file-complaint-against-new-columbia-river-system-operations-eis-biop-for-salmon-steelhead/

NOAA In Court Agreement To Determine ESA-Listing Of Coastal Spring Chinook Salmon By Late 2025, Early 2026

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NOAA Fisheries agreed in Oregon District Court to complete its long-awaited decisions to list coastal spring Chinook salmon in Washington, Oregon and Northern California under the federal Endangered Species Act.

NOAA must complete its decision by Nov. 3, 2025 to list or not to list Oregon Coast and southern Oregon/Northern California coast Chinook salmon, and by Jan. 2, 2026 for Washington coast spring-run Chinook salmon.

Protecting the salmon would also help the imperiled Southern Resident Killer Whales, who feed on the fish, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups that petitioned for a decision earlier this year.

“This is an important victory for these icons of the Pacific Northwest and brings them one step closer to lifesaving Endangered Species Act protections,” said Jeremiah Scanlan, a legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The government has taken far too long deciding whether to protect these imperiled Chinook salmon, but these deadlines will hold officials accountable.”

The June 26 stipulated settlement agreement is the result of a lawsuit filed in Oregon District Court by plaintiffs Center for Biological Diversity, Native Fish Society, Umpqua Watersheds and Pacific Rivers against NOAA Fisheries in February, but the listing determination has a long history.

Three of the plaintiffs – Center for Biological Diversity, Native Fish Society and Umpqua Watersheds – petitioned NOAA Aug. 4, 2022, requesting that the agency list the Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal evolutionary significant units of Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the ESA.

Several months later, on Jan. 11, 2023, NOAA published a “90-day finding” concluding that plaintiffs’ petition “presented substantial information that listing the [Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal Chinook] salmon ESUs may be warranted under the ESA,” the settlement agreement says.

Two of the plaintiffs – Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Rivers – petitioned the court July 17, 2023, asking NOAA to list the Washington Coast spring-run ESU of Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered.

NOAA followed Dec. 7, 2023, with a “90-day finding” concluding that the petition presented substantial information that listing the Washington Coast spring-run Chinook salmon ESU may be warranted under the ESA.

Little happened and so the plaintiffs notified NOAA on Nov. 15, 2024 their intent to sue to compel the agency to complete its “12-month findings” with respect to the petitions to list the spring-run Chinook salmon ESUs. They followed up Feb. 18, 2025 with the actual lawsuit, and in June all parties reached an agreement.

“This agreement requires a decision that is already overdue,” said Michael Morrison, chair of Pacific Rivers. “Science and law are crystal clear. These unique and endangered salmon urgently need and deserve protection.”

The Center for Biological Diversity, in a news release, said that “spring-run” Chinook salmon are ecologically essential to the overall health of coastal Chinook populations and the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest.

“Once abundant, Chinook salmon populations are now threatened by habitat destruction from logging and road construction, water diversions, interbreeding with hatchery-raised fish, overharvest in commercial fisheries and dams obstructing their return migrations,” the news release said.

“King salmon are not just icons, they’re indicators of the health of the Pacific Ocean and Northwest ecosystems,” said Mark Sherwood, Native Fish Society’s executive director. “We’re eager to see NMFS’s overdue decision, so we can take the next step in this determined effort to revive these fish and the habitats that sustain us all to health and natural abundance.”

“Over the past 20 years I’ve personally watched this population decline, and we only had 28 spawners return in 2018,” said Stanley Petrowski from Umpqua Watersheds of the Southern Oregon ESU. “The threats to this magnificent keystone species have lurked in the shadows for decades. This settlement recognizes that these threats have been neglected for far too long.”

Spring-run Chinook salmon are also a preferred and primary food for endangered Southern Resident orcas, which has a population of only 73 individuals. “Diminishing salmon numbers and smaller body sizes of spring Chinook means that fish-eating orcas must travel farther and work harder to find sufficient food,” the Center for Biological Diversity said. “Pacific Northwest orcas have suffered in recent years from malnourishment and reproductive failures.”

In addition, the Wild Fish Conservancy recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. in an effort to speed up NOAA Fisheries’ review of the Washington-based conservation group’s proposal to list Chinook salmon in Alaska under the federal Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit was filed in May.

The group said in a news release that NOAA is failing to meet an essential legal guideline under the ESA and delaying the federal protections a listed species would have, in this case “at-risk Alaskan Chinook salmon.” The Conservancy formally petitioned NOAA on Jan. 11, 2024, nearly one-and-a-half years ago, to list the fish and to grant it federal protection under the ESA in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Alaska.

NOAA issued a finding May 24, 2024 that the petition filed by the Conservancy contained substantial information indicating that federal listing and protection could be warranted. According to the group, that triggered a review at NOAA that should have been completed by Jan. 11, 2025.

Also recently, two other conservation groups – The Conservation Angler and the Wild Fish Conservancy – made a similar court filing after NOAA Fisheries had taken what the groups said was too much time to act on a listing of Western Washington’s Olympic Peninsula summer and winter steelhead. In a biological status review of the fish, NOAA had found in November 2024 that the fish are at moderate risk of extinction, but the agency had yet to list the fish as threatened or endangered under the ESA. That status review was in response to the groups’ petition in August 2022 that asked the court to direct the federal agency to reevaluate the status of Olympic Peninsula steelhead.

According to the new complaint, the final ESA listing was to occur nearly a year ago, but as of Jan. 17 the action required under the ESA was 536 days late. The two groups filed their complaint Jan. 17 in the District Court of Western Washington.

For background, see:

— CBB, May 23, 2025, Lawsuit Seeks Quicker Action On NOAA Pending Determination Whether Alaska Chinook Salmon Warrant ESA-Listing, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/lawsuit-seeks-quicker-action-on-noaa-pending-determination-whether-alaska-chinook-salmon-warrant-esa-listing/

— CBB, CBB, February 7, 2025, Conservation Groups File Lawsuit Calling For NOAA Fisheries To Speed Up ESA Listing Of Olympic Peninsula Summer, Winter Steelhead, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/conservation-groups-file-lawsuit-calling-for-noaa-fisheries-to-speed-up-esa-listing-of-olympic-peninsula-summer-winter-steelhead

— CBB, December 15, 2024, NOAA Status Review Of Four Northern California/Southern Oregon Salmon/Steelhead Species Says All Should Remain ESA-Listed, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/noaa-status-review-of-four-northern-california-southern-oregon-salmon-steelhead-species-says-all-should-remain-esa-listed/

— CBB, December 9, 2024, New NOAA Status Review Shows Olympic Peninsula Wild Steelhead Numbers In Steep Decline, Now At Moderate Risk Of Extinction, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/new-noaa-status-review-shows-olympic-peninsula-wild-steelhead-numbers-in-steep-decline-now-at-moderate-risk-of-extinction/

— CBB, October 26, 2023, Conservation Groups Say Very Low Return Of Wild Spring Chinook To Southern Oregon Coastal River Shows Need For ESA Listing, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/conservation-groups-say-very-low-return-of-wild-spring-chinook-to-southern-oregon-coastal-river-shows-need-for-esa-listing/

— CBB, February 17, 2023, NOAA Fisheries To Conduct Status Review Of Olympic Peninsula Wild Steelhead To Determine If ESA Listing Warranted, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/noaa-fisheries-to-conduct-status-review-of-olympic-peninsula-wild-steelhead-to-determine-if-esa-listing-warranted/

— CBB, January 13, 2023, NOAA To Consider ESA-Listing For Oregon Coast, Northern California Spring/Fall Chinook Salmon, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/noaa-to-consider-esa-listing-for-oregon-coast-northern-california-spring-fall-chinook-salmon/

— CBB, April 16, 2020, NOAA Fisheries Announces Status Review Of Oregon Coast Spring-Run Chinook To Determine If Petitioned ESA Protections Warranted; Currently Managed With Fall-Run, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/noaa-fisheries-announces-status-review-of-oregon-coast-spring-run-chinook-to-determine-if-petitioned-esa-protections-warranted-currently-managed-with-fall-run/

River Managers Adopt Operations Aimed At Cooling Lower Snake River Water During Return Of Endangered Adult Sockeye

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As happens every summer, cold water from Dworshak Dam on the North Fork Clearwater River in Idaho began being released in late June to help keep the tailwater cooler for migrating salmon and steelhead at Lower Granite Dam downstream on the lower Snake River.

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Anchovy Boom In Ocean Leading To Thiamine Deficiencies In Pacific Salmon, Fish Swimming Upside Down

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A vitamin deficiency likely killed as many as half of newly hatched fry of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in 2020 and 2021. These new findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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With NOAA Funding, Cowlitz Indian Tribe Removes Dam In Washougal River Basin, Restoring Fish Passage, Habitat

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Above photo: The Kwoneesum Dam after its reservoir was drained. Credit: Cowlitz Indian Tribe

In Southeast Washington, NOAA funding is supporting the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s goal of restoring 30 percent or more of the salmon and steelhead habitat on its traditional lands in the lower Columbia River watershed. NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation awarded the Tribe $3.3 million to remove the 55-foot-tall, 425-foot-long Kwoneesum Dam on Wildboy Creek. The dam, which was removed in 2024, blocked upstream salmon and steelhead migration on the creek for almost 60 years.

The Kwoneesum Dam project:

  • Restored access to 6.5 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for threatened summer steelhead and coho salmon
  • Restored 1.3 miles of stream channel
  • Constructed 75 logjam structures and 12 pools for juvenile fish rearing
  • Planted 37,550 native trees and shrubs to reforest the dam reservoir footprint
  • Placed approximately 15,000 cubic yards of rock and spawning gravels to rebuild the degraded stream bed

This year, staff members have already spotted adult steelhead and their redds as well as coho in the restored area. The populations are beginning to grow to where they may support tribal fisheries, as well as broader commercial and recreational fisheries.

“We see restoration as the key to the future of our Tribe,” says William Iyall, Chairman of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. “We hope that future generations will be able to reap the benefits of these resources. We want to be sure that it is substantial enough for everybody to use.”

Wildboy Creek feeds into the Washougal River watershed, one of the major sub-basins of the Lower Columbia River. The watershed once hosted thousands of winter and summer steelhead, as well as Chinook, chum, and coho salmon, which migrated up its cold-water tributaries to spawn.

Since time immemorial, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe burned vegetation in ways that promoted the growth of edible plants and created grazing areas for game animals. It also made habitat more diverse and productive for fish.

The Tribe lost access to their lands in the late 1800s after the land was opened for settlement. Over time, the Washougal watershed was dammed and degraded. Lower Columbia River salmon and steelhead populations declined and some species were added to the federal Endangered Species list.

A lumber company first dammed Wildboy Creek to float logs downstream to lumber mills. In 1965, the Camp Fire Girls organization built the Kwoneesum Dam to create a 9-acre reservoir for recreational summer camp activities. The dam cut salmon off from upstream access to spawning and juvenile rearing habitat, while starving downstream channels of wood and gravel.

Salmon and steelhead require specific-sized gravels for constructing their redds, while woody debris traps gravel and creates complex underwater habitat for juvenile fish. Without these, the downstream portion of Wildboy Creek also became inhospitable for fish. Rising stream temperatures exacerbated these issues. Water in the sun-baked reservoir warmed to 70°F or higher, too hot for cold water-loving salmon and steelhead.

The dam’s age made it vulnerable to failure, threatening homes and other structures downstream. In 1997, the reservoir was accidentally emptied. Millions of gallons of warm water and backed-up sediment flowed downstream, resulting in a massive fish kill.

After years of effort, the Tribe’s partner, Columbia Land Trust, acquired the 1,300-acre site in 2020. Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, NOAA awarded the tribe $2.3 million to complete the demolition of the dam and rehabilitate the degraded stream habitat.

The Tribe successfully removed the dam and completed the major restoration tasks in September 2024.

“It’s such a rare opportunity to completely remove a dam, especially in partnership with a tribe,” says NOAA Marine Habitat Restoration Specialist Chemine Jackels. “NOAA is incredibly excited to see how salmon and steelhead will use and repopulate the habitat, knowing that this project brings them a little closer to recovery.”

“This was an extremely challenging project, but our restoration mantra is ‘intensive and extensive,’” said Peter Barber, Habitat Restoration Program Manager for the Tribe. “Large-scale restoration is the only way we’re going to move the recovery dial for salmon and steelhead.”

After fish and other species were removed from the project site, contractors pumped 20 million gallons of water out of the reservoir. They temporarily rerouted the three tributaries that feed Wildboy Creek. The team had to carefully manage the dewatering process to prevent sediment from entering the tributaries, which could result in fish kills.

Following the dam removal, they began restoring the Wildboy Creek channel downstream of the dam. The channel had sections of exposed bedrock from previous historic log drives and restricted sediment transport due to Kwoneesum dam.

“We delivered and installed 850 logs, 15,000 cubic yards of rock, gravel, and boulders, and rebuilt an entire half-mile of Wildboy stream bed and almost a mile of tributary channel,” says Barber. Workers reconnected the three tributaries to Wildboy Creek in the reservoir footprint and planted thousands of trees and shrubs. The trees will eventually shade the creek, cooling water temperatures.

It will take time for significant numbers of salmon and steelhead to begin using the newly opened habitat. However, the project team spotted salmon and steelhead exploring the area this spring.

“I never would have assumed coho would occupy this site in the first year—I am completely shocked, but excited,” says Barber. “We know steelhead have spawned and I expect to see juveniles swimming around in a few more weeks. I believe this site could potentially be loaded with rearing juvenile salmonids in another 2 months.”

In the meantime, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe is moving forward with another NOAA-funded project. This summer, the Tribe plans to remove a 135-foot-long culvert and abandoned railroad crossing. They block access to 13.9 miles of habitat located upstream on Ostrander Creek, a tributary of the lower Cowlitz River.

“We protect this land with the hope that one day we’ll have the right to come and fish on our homelands,” says Iyall. “It’s critical to do our part. We’ve always given more than we take.”

NOAA Launches New Ocean Modeling System For West Coast, Alaska, Predicts Future Ocean Changes

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NOAA has developed a new high-resolution ocean model to understand and predict West Coast ocean changes.

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NOAA: Gray Whale Population Migrating Along West Coast Continues To Decline, Lowest Since 1970s

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The eastern North Pacific population of gray whales that migrates along the West Coast of the United States has continued to decline, with reproduction remaining very low. Two new Technical Memorandums from NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center report the estimated population size and calf productivity in 2025.

The initial population estimate of gray whales, following an Unusual Mortality Event that ended in late 2023, suggested that their numbers may have begun to rebound last year. However, the most recent count from winter 2025 instead reveals a continuing decline. The new count estimates an abundance of about 13,000 gray whales, the lowest since the 1970s.

Only about 85 gray whale calves migrated past Central California on their way to feeding grounds in the Arctic earlier this year. That’s the lowest number since records began in 1994. Low calf numbers since 2019 indicate that reproduction has remained too low for the population to rebound.

The estimates are based on models that combine visual sightings from NOAA Fisheries research posts in Central California with assumptions about how the whales migrate. The assumptions create some margin for error, but the models indicate that in 2025 the population is most likely between 11,700 and 14,500. They indicate the number of calves produced was between 56 and 294.

The annual estimates are most valuable in revealing population trends over time rather than pinpointing the number of whales or calves in a given year, scientists said.

Scientists attributed the Unusual Mortality Event from 2019 to 2023 to localized ecosystem changes that affected the Subarctic and Arctic feeding grounds. Most gray whales rely on prey in this region for energy to complete their 10,000-mile round-trip migration each year. The changes contributed to malnutrition, reduced birth rates, and increased mortality. Related research has linked fluctuations in the gray whale population to the availability of prey in its summer feeding grounds in the Arctic.

The gray whale population has proved resilient in the past, often rebounding quickly from downturns such as an earlier UME from 1999 to 2000. That makes the ongoing decline in abundance and reproduction following the more recent UME stand out, said David Weller, director of the Marine Mammal and Turtle Division at the Science Center and an authority on gray whales.

“These whales depend, over the course of their lives, on a complex marine environment that is highly dynamic, and we expect the population to be resilient to that over time,” he said. “The most recent Unusual Mortality Event was much longer than the previous one from 1999 to 2000. The environment may now be changing at a pace or in ways that is testing the time-honored ability of the population to rapidly rebound while it adjusts to a new ecological regime.”
Researchers in Mexico reported numerous dead gray whales early this year in and around coastal lagoons. Females nurse their calves in these lagoons in winter before beginning their migration north to the Arctic each spring. They also reported few gray whale calves, suggesting that many female whales may not be finding enough food in the Arctic to reproduce.

So far this year, 47 gray whales have stranded dead on the U.S. West Coast, up from 31 last year and 44 in 2023, the last year of the UME. While some of the stranded whales appeared skinny or emaciated, others did not.

The reduced abundance and calf count underscore the value of long-term monitoring in detecting trends, said Aimée Lang, a research scientist who helps lead the gray whale counts. A decade ago the eastern North Pacific gray whale population was a conservation success story, having recovered from commercial whaling and nearing all-time highs of 27,000 whales. NOAA Fisheries determined in 1994 that the species had fully recovered and no longer needed protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Today, however, the ongoing decline has scientists both puzzled and concerned. Ecosystem changes in the Arctic feeding areas the whales depend on to put on weight and maintain fitness are likely the root cause, Weller said.
The gray whale migration between Mexico and the Arctic crosses the California Current ecosystem and Arctic ecosystem. These areas have both experienced unpredictable changes in recent decades. “Certainly the whales are feeling that too, but may not be able to respond in ways that resemble those of the past,” Weller said.

Trump Rescinds Biden’s Executive Order Aimed At Restoring Columbia Basin Salmon, Steelhead Runs

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Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated that the Upper Columbia United Tribes’ Phase Two Implementation Plan (P2IP) is part of the Columbia Basin Restoration Agreement (RCBA). It is not. The Bonneville Power Administration provides funding for salmon reintroduction above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams through the P2IP Settlement Agreement with the Coeur d’Alene, Colville, and Spokane tribes. This article has been updated for accuracy.

The Trump administration issued a memorandum this week that disrupts Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead recovery by rescinding a 2023 agreement that included the federal government, two states and four Columbia River tribes and funded that effort with nearly $1 billion.

Promising to stop “Radical Environmentalism to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin,” President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order revoking the Biden Administration’s 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement.

The 2023 agreement, struck by the Biden Administration with six Northwest sovereigns and the U.S. government, was designed to restore Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead runs to “healthy and abundant levels.” Those who supported the agreement touted it as a long-awaited collaborative and funded effort that finally would give restoration of salmon runs in the basin a chance. They also promised to keep fighting to prevent extinction of the basin’s salmon and steelhead.

The agreement promised increased funding for fisheries projects and infrastructure, a federal-state partnership to analyze replacement of the energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation services provided by four dams on the lower Snake River, and investments in new tribal clean energy projects.

However, opposition to the agreement was also strong, with the state of Idaho, public power and commercial river users saying that the agreement would eventually lead to the breaching of the four lower Snake River dams, an action they have opposed.

In his memorandum of Thursday, June 12, Trump wrote that he is withdrawing the federal commitments that the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement had promised, saying that the agreement “placed concerns about climate change above the Nation’s interests in reliable energy resources.”

In supporting the President’s action, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) wrote:

“Throughout my time in Congress, I have stood firm in my support for the Lower Snake River Dams and the critical role they play in our region’s economy,” said Newhouse.

“Today’s action by President Trump reverses the efforts by the Biden administration and extreme environmental activists to remove the dams, which would have threatened the reliability of our power grid, raised energy prices, and decimated our ability to export grain to foreign markets. I want to thank the President for his decisive action to protect our dams, and I look forward to continuing to work with the administration for the benefit of the Fourth District.”

The Dec. 14, 2023 agreement is a memorandum of understanding between the states of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the National Wildlife Federation and the U.S. government.

It was a plan to “comprehensively restore Columbia River Basin salmon and other native fish populations to healthy and abundant levels, honor federal commitments to Tribal Nations, deliver affordable and reliable clean power, and meet the many resilience needs of stakeholders across the region,” said the Warm Springs tribes in a press release.

The agreement directed nearly a billion dollars to the restoration effort, including $530 million to fund restoration and mitigation efforts for 10 years, as well as continuing Bonneville Power Administration funding of Columbia River basin fish and wildlife mitigation programs and an additional $100 million over 10 years for basin fish restoration efforts. Funding was also provided for wind and solar power projects for Tribes to replace the power currently generated by the lower Snake River dams. The agreement, however, does not include removing the dams.

“The right to take fish from our traditional usual and accustomed fishing areas was reserved in our 1855 Treaty with the United States government,” a statement from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation said. “We gave much, including millions of acres of our land, but reserved these rights to steward the Creator’s gifts: the fish we rely upon to feed our people and continue our culture, and the clean water to sustain them.

“The RCBA was a commitment from the United States government to honor its obligations to ensure healthy, thriving fish stocks through investing in hatcheries, improving fish passage throughout the Columbia River, and improving fish habitat and was the result of years of coordination and collaboration among the regions’ sovereigns and fish managers. We hope that the federal government recognizes the importance of these agreements and will work with our nations to identify new ways to collaborate to improve the health of our fisheries.

“The Columbia River Treaty Tribes’ very future depends on our salmon. While this decision will challenge our efforts, we remain committed to our efforts to restore these critical Treaty resources.”

Dams and salmon can co-exist, according to the Inland Ports & Navigation Group statement. The group said the Biden agreement had put the region on the path to breaching the lower Snake River dams, a path that failed to consider the “devastating economic impact such action would have on the region and the vital role the river system plays in supporting the Pacific Northwest and national economy.” The group also pointed out that river users had been left out of the Biden agreement.

“The divisive issue of dam breaching has prevented the type of partnerships necessary to work together on productive strategies and actions to improve salmon populations for the benefit of all Pacific Northwest residents,” said Neil Maunu, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (a part of IPNG). IPNG supports a comprehensive approach to salmon recovery in the region that focuses on projects that truly benefit salmon, such as reintroduction above Grand Coulee, habitat access and restoration, predator abatement, toxics reduction, and hatchery improvements. “We can have salmon and a robust economy at the same time,” he said.

In his memorandum, Trump said his administration is restoring American energy dominance by prioritizing the nation’s energy infrastructure over “speculative climate change concerns.” A Fact Sheet describing his memorandum says:

— President Trump recognizes the importance of ensuring the future of wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin, while also advancing the country’s energy creation to benefit the American public.

— The MOU required the Federal government to spend millions of dollars and comply with 36 pages of onerous commitments to dam operations on the Lower Snake River.

— Dam breaching would have resulted in reduced water supply to farmers, eliminated several shipping channels, had devastating impacts to agriculture, increased energy costs, and eliminated recreational opportunities throughout the region.

— The dam breaches would have eliminated over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity—which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes.

Northwest RiverPartners said the December 2023 agreement had been developed in secret negotiations that had excluded Idaho and Montana, as well as organizations representing river users.

The agreement and its implementation threatened to dramatically increase the chance of blackouts and customer electricity bills, RiverPartners said in a news release.

“Now is the time to come together and chart a sustainable path toward effective solutions that protect salmon and maintain affordable and reliable hydropower needed by millions of people in the Pacific Northwest,” says Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest RiverPartners. “This politicized agreement between the former administration and only a fraction of impacted sovereign entities, devalued hydropower, our region’s largest source of affordable, clean electricity. Northwest RiverPartners remains committed to working with all sovereign Tribes, state leaders and other stakeholders to identify science-based, durable solutions.”

Other river users agree:

“We appreciate the efforts of the Trump administration to ensure that the dams remain intact while protecting the integrity of the river system and salmon populations. Washington’s wheat industry relies on the continued operation of dams along the Columbia-Snake River System,” said Washington Association’s of Wheat Growers Executive Director Michelle Hennings. “Over 60 % of Washington wheat exports utilize the river system, which is essential for supporting a thriving overseas export market along with providing nearly 4,000 jobs in the region.”

The agreement was the outcome of a pause in litigation that initially challenged a 2020 Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement and a Record of Decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation, as well as a biological opinion on the effects of the federal power system on salmon and steelhead by NOAA Fisheries, all released at the same time. The Columbia River power system BiOp had been litigated numerous times since 2001.

The litigation that was filed in the federal District Court of Oregon was stayed or administratively terminated in 2021, which allowed all parties to engage in mediated discussions.

Plaintiffs in the legal challenge were American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute For Fisheries Resources, Sierra Club, Idaho Rivers United, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, NW Energy Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Conservation League the state of Oregon and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Attorneys were from Earthjustice.

The outcome of these discussions was a Memorandum of Understanding – the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement — with the Six Sovereigns and the National Wildlife Federation plaintiffs. The RCBA provided for a stay of litigation on the CRSO EIS, ROD and related biological opinions for up to 10 years and includes agreed upon operations at Columbia River dams. At the time, Earthjustice called the RCBA a “comprehensive plan to restore the basin’s native fisheries.”

Earthjustice in a news release said that when signed the agreement “was widely hailed as a turning point in the long-standing effort to protect and restore Columbia Basin salmon that could face extinction without urgent and bold action.”
“The Trump administration is turning its back on an unprecedented opportunity to support a thriving Columbia Basin — and ignoring the extinction crisis facing our salmon,” said Earthjustice Senior Attorney Amanda Goodin. “Unfortunately, this short-sighted decision to renege on this important agreement is just the latest in a series of anti-government and anti-science actions coming from the Trump administration. This administration may be giving up on our salmon, but we will keep fighting to prevent extinction and realize win-win solutions for the region.”

The Columbia River basin is the largest salmon-producing river in the lower 48 states, with a run of salmon and steelhead into the river that once tallied 10 to 18 million fish. Now the annual run is just 1 to 2 million, with only about 250,000 that are natural (wild) spawners. Of the historical runs, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council has estimated the hydroelectric system accounts for the loss of 5 to 11 million salmon and steelhead and Council’s interim goal is for 5 million salmon and steelhead to return to the river each year by 2025.

The Snake River is the largest tributary and contains the largest accessible amount of pristine, protected habitat remaining in the Columbia Basin, yet wild salmon and steelhead from the Snake River Basin are in dire straits, according to Jay Hesse, Director of Biological Services for the Nez Perce Tribe, speaking to the Council earlier this year.
As of 2021, 42 percent of Snake River spring/summer Chinook populations have natural origin spawner abundances at or below the Quasi-Extinction Threshold of less than 50 returning spawners per year; and 19 of Snake River steelhead are at or below the QET, he said.

Developing the RCBA was a response to the urgency of recovering these salmon, Hesse concluded.

See CBB, January 19, 2025, COUNCIL PANEL HEARS DETAILS ON $1 BILLION ‘RESILIENT COLUMBIA BASIN AGREEMENT,’ EXTENT OF ‘COLLABORATION’ QUESTIONED, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/COUNCIL-PANEL-HEARS-DETAILS-ON-1-BILLION-RESILIENT-COLUMBIA-BASIN-AGREEMENT-EXTENT-OF-COLLABORATION-QUESTIONED/

“This action tries to hide from the truth. The Nez Perce Tribe holds a duty to speak the truth for the salmon, and the truth is that extinction of salmon populations is happening now,” stated Shannon Wheeler, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe. “People across the Northwest know this, and people across the Nation have supported us in a vision for preventing salmon extinction that would at the same time create a stronger and better future for the Northwest. This remains the shared vision of the states of Washington and Oregon, and the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce tribes, as set out in our Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative. It is a vision we believe is supported, publicly or privately, by most people in the Northwest. And it is a vision underlaid by the treaties of our Northwest tribes, by the U.S. Constitution that protects those treaties, and by the federal statutes enacted by Congress to protect salmon and other species from extinction.”

“Withdrawing from this agreement that set the Northwest on a path to restore the Columbia Basin’s once fabled salmon and steelhead is wrongheaded and counterproductive,” said Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “Commitments were made by the federal government in December 2023 to restore these salmon and honor tribal treaty rights. This decision sets all of that back, but the good news is that Northwest tribes and the states of Oregon and Washington will continue to lead these basin restoration efforts – and we will rally to support them.”

When completed in December 2023, Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement strategies included:

— Significantly increase funding for restoration to levels sufficient to address identified mitigation needs and obligations and support “healthy and abundant” fisheries recovery goals. That includes about $530 million in new fish restoration and mitigation funds for 10 years, beginning in fiscal year 2023, as well as a commitment from BPA to maintain current levels of funding for its fish and wildlife and fish accord programs.

— In addition, it includes an agreement to seek additional non-rate-payer funds from Congress to at least double available resources for native fish restoration projects in the Columbia Basin, and a government commitment to fund tribal clean energy production. BPA agreed to pay $100 million for 10 years for Columbia Basin fisheries restoration.

— Fully fund hatcheries. Address the significant backlog of authorized and recommended, but historically underfunded, actions necessary for the safe and effective operation of critical fisheries infrastructure, assets, and programs.

— BPA along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will fund $200 million for Lower Snake River Compensation hatchery programs.

— Replace the benefits of the lower Snake River dams with due urgency to enable breaching to move forward, and ensure interim fish measures are adequate to minimize additional generational decline of fish populations.

— Establish a long-term biological performance monitoring and reporting program to measure progress and support accountability towards the qualitative and quantitative recovery and abundance goals identified in the Columbia Basin Partnership Phase II Report.
However, the Trump memorandum reverses this by:

— Revoking the Biden Administration’s “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” Memorandum.

— Directing the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to withdraw from agreements stemming from Biden’s “misguided executive action, including the December 14, 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) filed in connection with related litigation.

–Directing the specified agencies will coordinate with the Council on Environmental Quality to review and revise environmental review processes related to the matters in the MOU, save Federal funds, and withdraw from the MOU.

See the memorandum “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Stops the Green Agenda in the Columbia River Basin” at https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/06/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-stops-the-green-agenda-in-the-columbia-river-basin/

See the President’s June 12 Memorandum at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/stopping-radical-environmentalism-to-generate-power-for-the-columbia-river-basin/

For background, see:

CBB, January 19, 2025, Council Panel Hears Details On $1 Billion ‘Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement,’ Extent Of ‘Collaboration’ Questioned, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/council-panel-hears-details-on-1-billion-resilient-columbia-basin-agreement-extent-of-collaboration-questioned/

CBB, December 22, 2024, Agencies Taking Another Look At 2020 Eis Detailing Impacts Of Columbia/Snake River Federal Hydrosystem On Imperiled Salmonids, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/agencies-taking-another-look-at-2020-eis-detailing-impacts-of-columbia-snake-river-federal-hydrosystem-on-imperiled-salmonidsagencies-taking-another-look-at-2020-eis-detailing-impacts-of-columbia-snak/

CBB, December 22, 2024, Council Shows Total Salmon/Steelhead Return Numbers To Columbia River Through The Years Short Of Goal; Esa-Listed Fish Continue To Struggle, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/council-shows-total-salmon-steelhead-return-numbers-to-columbia-river-through-the-years-short-of-goal-esa-listed-fish-continue-to-struggle/

CBB, December 15, 2024, Despite Habitat Improvements Over 20 Years, Spring Chinook In Washington’s Tucannon River Still At Risk Of Extinction, Steelhead Doing Better, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/despite-habitat-improvements-over-20-years-spring-chinook-in-washingtons-tucannon-river-still-at-risk-of-extinction-steelhead-doing-better/

CBB, December 9, 2024, Shifting Currents In Columbia/Snake River Salmon Recovery: Efforts To Save Snake River Fish Runs Likely To Look Different Under Trump, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/shifting-currents-in-columbia-snake-river-salmon-recovery-efforts-to-save-snake-river-fish-runs-likely-to-look-different-under-trump/

CBB, October 18, 2024, Northwest Power/Conservation Council Issues Draft Annual Report To Congress On Council Progress With Fish, Power, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/northwest-power-conservation-council-issues-draft-annual-report-to-congress-on-council-progress-with-fish-power/

CBB, June 21, 2024, Administration Report Describes Harm Of Dams To Columbia Basin Tribes, White House Sets Up Task Force To Coordinate Basin Salmon Recovery, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/administration-report-describes-harm-of-dams-to-columbia-basin-tribes-white-house-sets-up-task-force-to-coordinate-basin-salmon-recovery/

CBB, Feb. 9, 2024, Federal Judge Approves Years-Long Pause On Basin Salmon Recovery Litigation So Parties Can Pursue Tribal-States-Feds Restoration Plan, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/federal-judge-approves-years-long-pause-on-basin-salmon-recovery-litigation-so-parties-can-pursue-tribal-states-feds-restoration-plan/

CBB, Dec. 15, 2023, Biden Administration, Two States, Treaty Tribes Reach MOU On Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery, Litigation Paused For At Least Five Years, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/biden-administration-two-states-treaty-tribes-reach-mou-on-columbia-river-basin-salmon-recovery-litigation-paused-for-at-least-five-years/

CBB, July 15, 2022, White House Issues Reports On Basin Salmon Recovery, Costs; ‘Business As Usual’ Not Restoring ESA-Listed Salmon, Steelhead, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/white-house-issues-reports-on-basin-salmon-recovery-costs-business-as-usual-not-restoring-esa-listed-salmon-steelhead/

CBB, October 22, 2021, Parties Put Salmon/Steelhead BiOp Litigation On Hold, Commit To Working Together To Find ‘Comprehensive, Long-Term Solution’ https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/parties-put-salmon-steelhead-biop-litigation-on-hold-commit-to-working-together-to-find-comprehensive-long-term-solution/

CBB, February 5, 2021, “Conservation Groups File Complaint Against New Columbia River System Operations EIS, BiOp For Salmon, Steelhead,” https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/conservation-groups-file-complaint-against-new-columbia-river-system-operations-eis-biop-for-salmon-steelhead/

Lawsuit Seeks Quicker Action On NOAA Pending Determination Whether Alaska Chinook Salmon Warrant ESA-Listing

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The Wild Fish Conservancy filed a lawsuit this month in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. in an effort to speed up NOAA Fisheries’ review of the Washington-based conservation group’s proposal to list Chinook salmon in Alaska under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The group said in a news release that NOAA is failing to meet an essential legal guideline under the ESA and delaying the federal protections a listed species would have, in this case “at-risk Alaskan Chinook salmon.”
The Conservancy formally petitioned NOAA on Jan. 11, 2024, nearly one-and-a-half years ago, to list the fish and to grant it federal protection under the ESA in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Alaska.

NOAA issued a finding May 24, 2024 that the petition filed by the Conservancy contained substantial information indicating that federal listing and protection could be warranted. According to the group, that triggered a review at NOAA that should have been completed by Jan. 11, 2025.

“It should not take a lawsuit to make the federal government uphold its legal responsibility, but with the crisis facing Alaskan Chinook, we are out of time and options,” said Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “The Endangered Species Act sets clear deadlines for a reason, to evaluate the risk of extinction and trigger action while recovery is still possible. By ignoring those deadlines, NOAA isn’t just breaking the law—it’s perpetuating the collapse of Alaskan Chinook and threatening the ecosystems and communities that depend on them.”

Under the ESA, NOAA had 12-months, until Jan. 11, 2025, to review the data on Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon and determine whether ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’ status is warranted, according to the group.

Once abundant, wild Chinook are experiencing chronic declines throughout the streams that flow into the Gulf of Alaska, threatening the health of ecosystems, indigenous cultural practices and food security, local economies, and communities that all depend on wild salmon, the Conservancy said.

The Conservancy said that data from the state of Alaska demonstrates persistent declines in Chinook abundance, size, age, diversity, and spatial structure.

“Many are surprised to learn some Alaskan Chinook populations are in even worse condition than other Pacific Northwest populations already listed under the ESA,” the Conservancy said.

Those threats include overfishing, bycatch in trawl fisheries, hatchery impacts, habitat degradation and climate change. Alaska has already recognized many of these stocks as ‘species of concern’ over the last decade, due to their continued decline in the face of the state’s attempted regulatory actions.

“Alaska’s leadership insists it’s taking aggressive steps to recover Chinook and that those efforts are proving successful, but the state’s own data shows this couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Helverson.

“We’ve heard directly from Alaskan fishers, Indigenous individuals, and the general public who depend on Gulf of Alaska Chinook who are frustrated by the state’s false narrative and inaction. These individuals expressed relief and optimism in the ESA process, not only for its comprehensive review, but also for the tangible actions and increased resources it can bring to begin rebuilding populations.”

According to the Conservancy in its January 2024 petition to list, the petition “encompasses all Chinook populations that enter the marine environment of the Gulf of Alaska.” It “includes all populations on the southern side of the Aleutian Peninsula, Cook Inlet, and the coast of Alaska south of Cook Inlet to the southern end of the Alaska/British Columbia border.”

NOAA Fisheries said at the time that it interpreted the request as asking to consider populations of Chinook salmon on:

  • Southern side of the Alaska Peninsula, including Kodiak Island, Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound
  • Gulf of Alaska coastline
  • Inside waters of Southeast Alaska to the United States/Canada border

In many cases, the number of Chinook salmon officials forecast to return are well below the minimum number of fish needed to reproduce at a rate to simply replace themselves, let alone to recover prior abundance, the Conservancy said.

“Compounding the problem, actual returns frequently fall even lower than predicted by the state– a fact that doesn’t become known until after management decisions have already been made,” it said. “Over time, steadily declining returns have resulted in consecutive years of emergency fishery closures for in-river commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries, including for indigenous communities. Meanwhile, Alaska’s government continues to authorize large-scale commercial ocean fisheries to harvest or kill as bycatch Chinook from these same populations; threats identified in the petition.”

It continued, saying that the Kenai River, world-renowned for its Chinook salmon, is at a historic low. In 2024, the early-season count was just 1,365 fish returning, which is the fifth consecutive year of missed forecasts. The late-season numbers were equally concerning, with only 6,930 Chinook returning, far lower than the historical average of about 28,000 Chinook over the last four decades. And, the Conservancy says, the oldest and largest of the (age-7) salmon have failed to appear the last three years.

On the west side of Kodiak Island in the Karluk River, goals to maintain the population require at least 3,000 Chinook to return annually. In 2024 just 76 returned to spawn.

The Ayakulik River, the largest river system on the island, saw only 354 Chinook return to spawn, just 7 percent of the river’s population goal of 4,800 fish.

“Government officials, seafood certifiers, and the fishing industry continue to assure the public that Alaska’s Chinook are well managed, but the data tells a different story. This year, Chinook fisheries across the Gulf of Alaska are closed on an emergency basis, yet fisheries managers continue to stubbornly defend their position that the fish are not at risk of extinction.” said Conrad Gowell, a biologist with Wild Fish Conservancy and co-author of the petition. “The longer the federal government waits to release their findings and take appropriate action, the more severe the social, economic, and environmental consequences will be.”

NOAA has also failed to issue legally required final determinations on ESA listing petitions for Olympic Peninsula steelhead, Oregon and California coast Chinook and Washington coast Chinook, the Conservancy said.
The lawsuit asks that the court order NOAA to “promptly issue” its decision on the petition.

As reported by Nathaniel Herz in the Northern Journal (www.northernjournal.com) in Anchorage, AK, Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska Fish and Game commissioner, said the state agency has opposed the Conservancy’s proposal, but adding that NOAA Fisheries is “working through the process.”

“I understand they’re getting closer to a decision,” he told the Northern Journal. “I’d much rather have them take their time and have a deliberative process than to rush to a decision because of a statutory timeline.”

The Conservancy’s May 8 complaint is at https://wildfishconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/001.0.complaint.pdf

The Conservancy’s Jan. 2024 petition to list Alaska Chinook salmon is here: https://wildfishconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petition-to-List-Alaskan-Chinook-Salmon-under-ESA_Final.pdf

For background, see:
— CBB, Jan. 18, 2024, GROUP PETITIONS NOAA FISHERIES TO LIST ALASKA CHINOOK SALMON UNDER ESA; STATE SAYS ‘TARGETED ATTACK’ ON ALASKA https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/group-petitions-noaa-fisheries-to-list-alaska-chinook-salmon-under-esa-state-says-targeted-attack-on-alaska/
— CBB, May 3, 2024, NOAA Fisheries Finds ESA Listing Of Gulf Of Alaska Chinook May Be Warranted, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/noaa-fisheries-finds-esa-listing-of-gulf-of-alaska-chinook-may-be-warranted/

Columbia Basin Snowmelt, Runoff In Most Areas Early, Rapid; Water Supply Forecasts May-September Dropping

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Due to a drier and warmer than normal April, the water supply forecasts for May-September for the Columbia and Snake river basins have dropped, according to NOAA’s Northwest River Forecast Center’s last water supply briefing of the season held online this month.

NOAA noted that the annual snowmelt is occurring now and is proceeding rapidly. In some areas the extent of the runoff is a month early, especially in the Washington Cascade Mountains, said Amy Burke, senior hydrologist at the NWRFC.

“There is nothing in the weather forecasts indicating there will be more significant snowpack building and we’re likely looking at an early melt in Canada, while the eastern Washington Cascades could melt out a month to two months early,” Burke said during her online presentation, Thursday, May 1. “Snow is generally melting across the basin,” she said, adding that the previously “monster snowpack” in Oregon is plummeting fast.

Burke predicted peak flows from the runoff to occur at The Dalles Dam in May and below Bonneville Dam in June.

The weather outlook for May, she said, is for either above or below average temperatures and precipitation, providing “no clear signal.” However, summer weather predictions in the Northwest are for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.

May water supplies throughout the basin reflect this falling snowpack trend, with British Columbia water supplies at the two storage dams in the upper Columbia basin dropping. The water supply measured at Duncan Dam on the Duncan River dropped two percentage points in May to 86 percent of the 30-year average (1,939-thousand-acre feet). That’s after gaining 10 percentage points April 1 from the March forecast. The Mica Dam water supply forecast dropped 3 percentage points to 86 percent of normal (10,554f KAF). The forecast April 1 was 5 percentage points higher than the March forecast. The forecasts are for the April to September period.

The forecast at Hungry Horse Dam, on the South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana, dropped 3 percentage points to 89 percent of normal (1,997 KAF), after rising 12 percentage points to 92 percent of normal the previous month. At Libby Dam, on the Kootenai River, also in Montana, the water supply was down 4 percentage points to 75 percent of normal (4,975 KAF), after rising 7 percentage points to 79 percent of normal the prior month.

The Grand Coulee Dam May 1 water supply forecast dropped to 88 percent of normal (54,210 KAF) after rising 9 percentage points from March to April to 90 percent of normal.

Some of the largest drops in water supply was in the upper Snake River basin where the American Falls water supply forecast dropped 21 percentage points to 82 percent of normal (it had been up 6 percentage points from the March to the April forecast). The Lucky Peak forecast was down 17 percentage points in May from the April forecast to 102 percent of normal.

Still far below average is Dworshak Dam on the North Fork of the Clearwater River with a forecast now at 80 percent of normal (2,095 KAF), down from the April forecast. Water supply at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is down 7 percentage points to 90 percent of normal (20,116 KAF).

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s May Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report said that April was very dry across Idaho with basins only receiving 6 percent to 75 percent of their normal precipitation.

“Warm, dry conditions in April lead to widespread snowmelt in all basins across Idaho and accelerated the spring runoff season,” said Erin Whorton, Water Supply Specialist for NRCS Idaho. “Streamflow forecasts decreased significantly from last month and water supply concerns have emerged for the Big Wood, Little Wood, Salmon Falls, and Oakley basins. Water supply concerns are still present for the Big and Little Lost basins, as well as the Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe Basin. Water supply remains favorable in the Boise, Payette and Upper Snake basins. We encourage water users to look at the full suite of forecasts for their area and shift towards the 70 or 90% exceedance forecasts if dry conditions continue this spring and summer.”

For the NRCS May Idaho water supply report, go to https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/borid525.pdf

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?ID), much of the Idaho panhandle and down through the central part of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions. The eastern edges of the state along the Montana border are experiencing moderate drought.

After a month of far below normal precipitation and higher than normal temperatures, Oregon May water supply is generally down from April’s relatively high forecasts. The highest water supply forecasts this year in the Columbia basin have been in Central Oregon. However, most May forecasts in the area have dropped considerably. The forecast at the Grande Ronde River near Troy dropped 34 percentage points to 78 percent of normal and the Owyhee Dam forecast dropped 24 percentage points to 89 percent of normal. Water supply in the Umatilla River at Pendleton is down to 76 percent of normal, a drop of 26 percentage points from the April forecast.

However, the water supply for the Crooked River near Prineville rose by 11 percentage points to a whopping 158 percent of normal.

The Willamette River that flows into the Columbia River on the west side of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and downstream of Bonneville Dam water supply forecast for May dropped to 76 percent of normal, down 17 percentage points from the April forecast.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OR), eastern and central Oregon is not experiencing drought, but west of the Cascade Mountains, much of the northwest portion of Oregon is experiencing abnormally dry conditions.

The east side of the Washington Cascades is continuing to show low water supplies. The water supply for the Okanogan River at Malott is at just 60 percent of normal, down 2 percentage points from April, but the Methow River near Pateros is up to 68 percent of normal, up 9 percentage points (the river water supply had gained 8 percentage points in March), according to Burke.

Jacob Genuise, with the Washington State Climate Office, said in a May 5 blog that snow melt has begun in earnest this month.

“Snowpack has fallen further behind our typical 1991-2020 totals as of May 1, 2025, largely as a result of dry conditions, warmer than normal temperatures, and earlier than usual melt,” he wrote. “Snow water equivalent (SWE) fell furthest behind in the Central Columbia watershed, which as of May 1st has only 49% of median SWE.”

The Upper and Lower Yakima River as of May 1 was 52 percent and 68 percent of median SWE and the Lower Columbia, Lower Pend Oreille, and Lower Snake-Walla Walla river watersheds are now running near-normal, although the percentages of median have all declined since April 1st at which point these watersheds had above normal snowpack, Genuise wrote.

“Altogether, this indicates that many watersheds are melting out a bit sooner than normal this year,” he wrote. “Along with below normal snowpack this year, the early melt-out reinforces concerns for water resources later in the warm season.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?WA), moderate drought conditions continue in much of the Cascade Mountains and western Cascade Foothills, as well as in far eastern Washington.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NRCS snowpack report includes this information:
1. Salmon River basin: 102% of normal, down 12% from April 1).
2. Clearwater River basin: 85% of normal, down 12%.
3. Umatilla River basin: 140% of normal, down 18%.
4. Walla Walla River basin: 82% of normal, down 33%.
5. Upper Grand Ronde basin: 100% of normal, down 25%.
6. Imnaha River basin: 110% of normal, down 15%.
7. John Day River basin: 110% of normal, down 53%.
8. Upper Deschutes River basin: 91% of normal, down 30%.
9. Methow River basin: 67% of normal, down 8%.
10. Wenatchee River basin: 44% of normal, down 30%.
11. Upper Yakima River basin: 47% of normal, down 29%.
12. Lower Yakima River basin: 59% of normal, down 59%.
13. Klickitat River basin: 80% of normal, down 32%.
14. Mt. Hood drainage (Hood, Sandy, Lower Deschutes): 61% of normal, down 31%.
11. Coeur D’ Alene basin: 70% of normal, down 16%.
12. Western Montana (five sub-basins): 84% of normal, down 6%.
13. Henrys Fork-Teton River, ID, basins: 81% of normal, down 17%.
14. Big Wood River, ID, basin: 91% of normal, down 20%.
15. Salmon Falls, ID, basin: 70% of normal, down 55%.

This information was compiled by Kyle Dittmer, hydrologist with the Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission, and included in his May and spring weather outlook/climate report released April 3.

NOAA’s May forecast is for “Likely” Above normal Temperature (eastern WA, ID, MT) and Above normal Precipitation (southern ID) with near normal conditions elsewhere across the PNW.

See official forecast: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/30day/

For background, see:
— CBB, April 12, 2025, Some Melting In March But Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast Improves, 90 Percent Of Average At Dalles Dam (April-Sept), https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/some-melting-in-march-but-columbia-basin-water-supply-forecast-improves-90-percent-of-average-at-dalles-dam-april-sept/
— CBB, March 15, 2025, Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast, April-September, Remains Below Normal, Coming Precipitation Could Help, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-basin-water-supply-forecast-april-september-remains-below-normal-coming-precipitation-could-help/
— CBB, February 7, 2025, Though Doesn’t Feel Like It Right Now, Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast For April-September Still Dropping, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/though-doesnt-feel-like-it-right-now-columbia-basin-water-supply-forecast-for-april-september-still-dropping/
— CBB, January 20, 2025, Columbia River Basin Snowpack A Mixed Bag So Far, Water Supply Forecast At Dalles Dam (April-August) Now 89 Percent Of Normal, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-river-basin-snowpack-a-mixed-bag-so-far-water-supply-forecast-at-dalles-dam-april-august-now-89-percent-of-normal/

New Research Shows Juvenile Salmon Swim Downriver To Ocean, Then Back Up Other Rivers; ‘Salmon Still Surprise Us’

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Stretches of coasts and their rivers form enormous salmon nurseries for the exploring juveniles, the scientists said. The researchers documented coho salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout using coastal rivers separated by salt water, and suspect other species may do the same.

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Administration’s Proposed Rule Would Alter Definition Of ‘Take’ For ESA Species, Critics Fear Less Habitat Protections

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President Donald Trump, in an April proposed rule, has directed the Secretary of Commerce, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rescind the long-standing definition of “harm” to species covered by the federal Endangered Species Act. The existing definition of harm as the ESA is currently written, the Administration says, is contrary to the “best meaning” of the term “take.”

The proposal, in essence, says that habitat modification should not be considered harm because it is not the same as intentionally targeting a species, called “take.”

Environmentalists say that the definition of “take” has always included actions that harm species, and the definition of “harm” has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“There’s just no way to protect animals and plants from extinction without protecting the places they live, yet the Trump administration is opening the flood gates to immeasurable habitat destruction,” said Noah Greenwald, co-director of endangered species at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This administration’s greed and contempt for imperiled wildlife know no bounds, but most Americans know that we destroy the natural world at our own peril. Nobody voted to drive spotted owls, Florida panthers or grizzly bears to extinction.”

The ESA prohibits “take” of endangered species by any person, including individuals, government entities and corporations, the Center wrote in a news release. Take has been defined to include actions that “harm” endangered species through “significant habitat modification or degradation.”

The Administration’s proposal would fully rescind this definition, the Center wrote. That would open “the door for industries of all kinds to destroy the natural world and drive species to extinction in the process.”

While the proposed rule could drastically change how habitat protections are considered for threatened and endangered species listed under the ESA, according to the Center, an April 17 Federal Register posting of the proposal says that the Administration is simply adhering to the meaning of the ESA.

“The existing regulatory definition of ‘harm,’ which includes habitat modification, runs contrary to the best meaning of the statutory term ‘take.’ We are undertaking this change to adhere to the single, best meaning of the ESA,” an April 17 Federal Register posting says (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/17/2025-06746/rescinding-the-definition-of-harm-under-the-endangered-species-act).

The Federal Register posting seeks public comment on Trump’s April 15 proposal. Comments are due by May 19. If the proposal is finalized, the Administration plans to take the next step and submit an Executive Order to solidify the proposal.

“The ESA itself defines “take,” and further elaborating on one subcomponent of that definition “harm”—is unnecessary in light of the comprehensive statutory definition,” the Federal Register says.

The ESA was passed by Congress in 1973, designating two agencies to share the responsibility for administering the law: Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries).

Habitat destruction is the biggest cause of extinction and this definition of harm has been pivotal to protecting and recovering endangered species, the Center wrote.

“It was upheld in the Supreme Court case Babbitt v. Sweet Home – 515 U.S. 687 (1995). The inclusion of habitat destruction in the prohibition on take has been critical to saving species. It’s a key difference between the federal Endangered Species Act and almost all state endangered species laws.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_v._Sweet_Home_Chapter_of_Communities_for_a_Great_Oregon)

“Without a prohibition on habitat destruction, spotted owls, sea turtles, salmon and so many more imperiled animals won’t stand a chance,” said Greenwald. “Trump is trying to drive a knife through the heart of the Endangered Species Act. We refuse to let him wipe out America’s imperiled wildlife, and I believe the courts won’t allow this radical assault on conservation.”

A report by the Center called “Trump’s Extinction Proposal,” says that “The proposal has profound, life-altering implications for endangered animals in the United States that are currently protected under the Endangered Species Act” (https://biologicaldiversity.org/publications/papers/Trumps-Extinction-Proposal.pdf).

“Habitat loss is a key driver of extinctions around the globe and in the United States. The protection of habitat has therefore been a crucial element in preventing extinction for species protected under the Act,” the Center’s report says.

According to the report, the ESA prohibits “take” of endangered species by individuals, government entities and corporations. Take has been defined to include actions that “harm” endangered species through “significant habitat modification or degradation.”

“This definition of harm has been pivotal to protecting and recovering endangered species and preventing the destruction of their most important habitat,” the report says. “It was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995. The Trump administration’s extinction proposal would fully rescind this definition, opening the door for industries to mine, log, bulldoze, drain, pollute and otherwise destroy habitat that’s fundamental to the survival of endangered species.”

The Center’s report lists 10 species at risk of extinction due to the Executive Order and one of those species is Chinook salmon.

Nine populations of Chinook salmon are protected under the ESA. Salmon have declined in numbers since the 1800s from habitat destruction, such as “indiscriminate logging, development, dams, river diversion and dramatic reductions in coastal wetlands,” the report says. “The Snake River once supported Chinook runs of half a million fish each autumn but this once-mighty population had a run of only 78 fish in 1990 and remains at less than 10% of its historic numbers today.”

Salmon rely on clear, cool water and connected habitat for them to complete their juvenile and adult migration, but under Trump’s proposed rule, salmon will no longer be protected, says the Center.

“The Trump administration is threatening the survival of some of America’s most iconic animals with this devastating habitat proposal,” Greenwald said. “You simply can’t protect species without protecting the places they live, and Trump’s radical plan might be the end of the Florida panther or the spotted owl. It’s incredibly sad and disturbing to see this administration pressing fast-forward on the extinction crisis.”

According to the Environment and Energy Law Program at Harvard University this matters because, while the ESA provides protections for threatened and endangered species, the level of protection given to each species and the number of species protected depends on how agencies interpret the Act and apply it through regulations. Those regulations, the Harvard Program says, contain detailed definitions and the steps that federal agencies need to take to apply the protections in the Act to species and their habitats. “The regulations are the ‘how-to’ guide that upholds the purpose of the Endangered Species Act, ‘to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend,’” it says.

In an Environmental Law blog, The National Law Review says that Section 9 of the ESA prohibits the “take” of any endangered species.

Under the ESA, “take” means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” Existing regulations further define “harm” as “an act that actually kills or injures fish or wildlife … [including] significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering,” the Review says.

Trump, through NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is proposing “to eliminate the regulatory definition of “harm,” leaving only the statutory definition of “take,” which the Services said they interpret as prohibiting only affirmative acts that are intentionally directed toward particular members of a listed wildlife species,” the Law Review says. “Actions that could indirectly harm listed wildlife by modifying their habitat would no longer be prohibited by the ESA, removing a significant source of potential liability for projects that involve clearing, grading, vegetation removal and similar activities.

“While effects on listed species’ habitat still could trigger a federal agency’s obligation to consult with the Services under Section 7 of the ESA, many projects lacking a federal “handle” such as a federal approval or funding, likely would be able to forgo seeking ESA authorization,” the Law Review concludes.

Mixed Ocean Conditions When Columbia River Salmonid Juveniles Hit Salt Water In 2023, Average Numbers Returning This Year

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Mixed ocean conditions for Columbia River salmon and steelhead juveniles entering the ocean in 2023 translate to average runs of spring and fall Chinook when they return as adults in 2025, according to information from NOAA Fisheries presented to a changing Northwest Power and Conservation Council last week.

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Some Melting In March But Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast Improves, 90 Percent Of Average At Dalles Dam (April-Sept)

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Warmer temperatures with some snowmelt and near- or wetter-than-normal precipitation in much of the Columbia River basin in March led to some early runoff but overall resulted in higher April-Sept. water supply forecasts and a better outlook for stream flows in the basin that will aid juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead migrations this summer, according to a NOAA water supply briefing last week.
Snowpack improved in the eastern basin along the west side of the Rocky Mountains, as well as in the upper Snake River during March, said Henry Pai, senior hydrologist at the NWRFC, during his online presentation, Thursday, April 3. However, while central Oregon snowpack still has “incredible amounts” with snowmelt that is causing some flooding in the Malheur River basin, snowpack along the east side of the Washington Cascade Mountains continues to be much lower than normal.
Upper Columbia River basin water supplies improved the most in March, but are still lower than normal, with the forecast at two of storage dams in British Columbia on the rise. Duncan Dam, on the Duncan River, is now predicted to be 88 percent of normal (1.973-million-acre feet, April – Sept.), a rise of 10 percentage points from the dam’s March forecast. The forecast at Mica Dam on the Columbia River rose 5 percentage points to 88 percent of normal (10.76 MAF, April – Sept.).
The forecast at Hungry Horse Dam, on the South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana, rose to 92 percent of normal (1.738 MAF April – Aug.), up 12 percentage points, and at Libby Dam, on the Kootenai River, also in Montana, the water supply was up 7 percentage points to 79 percent of normal.
Grand Coulee Dam is at 90 percent of normal (55.48 MAF, April – Sept.), which is up 9 percentage points from the March water supply forecast.
The Dalles Dam forecast is for a 90 percent of average water supply (85.186 MAF, April – September), a five-percentage-point increase over the 85 percent of average forecast in early March, The Dalles water supply is the culmination of all water available upstream in the Columbia and Snake rivers. The forecast at the dam has improved from a low 82 percent in February to 85 percent in March and now to 90 percent of average in April.
The most impressive water supply forecasts are in central Oregon where the forecast for Crooked River at Prineville is at 147 percent of normal, up 4 percentage points from March, the Grande Ronde at Troy is at 112 percent of normal, down 6 percentage points, and the Owyhee Dam is at 113 percent of normal, but is down 18 percentage point as the snowpack has begun to melt. In addition, the Umatilla River at Pendleton is at 98 percent of normal, down 9 percentage points.
The April 1 Oregon Water Supply Outlook Report by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service said that overall, snowpack across much of the state is above normal, with near normal snowpack in the Hood, Sandy, and Lower Deschutes Basin. Low-elevation (below 4,000 ft) snowpack on the western side of the central and northern Oregon Cascade Range remains below normal.
The “onset of snowmelt has begun at the larger basin scale across Oregon, with anomalously warm temperatures in the second half of March initiating the melt season. The rate of snowmelt has been particularly rapid in southeastern Oregon in the Blue Mountain Range, contributing to flood conditions in parts of Harney County. Snowpack in this region and across much of eastern and southern Oregon have been robust this year, which bodes well for water supply but does and has presented, in some cases, enhanced flood risks moving into the melt season.”
The April Oregon Water Supply Outlook Report is here: https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/references/public/OR/WSOR_April_2025_OR.pdf
The least impressive water supply is in an area the U.S. Drought Monitor is showing is in moderate to abnormally dry drought: that’s on the east side of the Washington Cascades. The water supply for the Okanogan River at Malott is at just 62 percent of normal, up 5 percentage points, and the Methow River near Pateros is at 59 percent of normal, up 8 percentage points.
“Although precipitation for March was above normal for all major basins in the state, there’s been little improvement to pervasive and persistent deficits in both water year-to-date (WYTD) precipitation and snowpack across much of the central and northern Washington Cascades,” the April 1 Washington Water Supply Outlook Report by the NRCS said. “Snowpack is below 70% at several monitoring sites near Washington Pass (SR20) and near the I-90 corridor. Snowpack within in the Upper Yakima Basin has degraded as percent of normal, notably in the Wenatchee Mountains, since March 1. Since the typical timing for peak snowpack for all major basins is here or very near, drastic changes to conditions are becoming less likely.”
 It added that snowpack is near to slightly above normal across the southern Washington Cascades and the northern Blue Mountains in eastern Washington. Water supply forecast for the Upper Yakima has fallen and water supply shortages should be expected for the Yakima Basin, despite forecast improvements for reservoir inflows in the Naches Basin. The water supply outlook remains below normal for the Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Chelan basins.
The April Washington Water Supply Outlook Report is here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/WSOR_April_2025_WA.pdf
The upper Snake River basin April water supply forecasts are mostly above normal, with American Falls at 103 percent of normal, up 6 percentage points, and Lucky Peak at 119 percent of normal, up 7 percentage points. Still below average is Dworshak Dam on the North Fork of the Clearwater River at 92 percent of normal (2.281 MAF, April – July), but up 2 percentage points over the March forecast. Water supply at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is at 98 percent of normal (22.841 MAF, April – September), down 3 percentage points.
“The near to above normal snowpack across many basins in Idaho bodes well for a good water supply season this water year,” the Idaho Natural Resources Conservation Service’s April report says. “Of course, what happens during the spring and summer will strongly influence whether there is enough water to go around, but with this year’s snowpack and the expectation reservoirs will fill, conditions are setting water users up for success. The only areas of concern for water supply are in the Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe, Big Lost, Little Lost and Birch-Medicine Lodge-Beaver-Camas basins where the snowpack is below normal.”
The April Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report is here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/borid425.pdf
The Idaho Water Supply Outlook report says that the snowpack has peaked in all river basins across Idaho. “Cool temperatures at the end of March halted the snowpack melt that began around March 24 in all basins, but the upcoming warm and dry weather is almost guaranteed to continue widespread melt. April could still bring some cooler weather that slows down the snowpack melt rate, but right now, it looks like winter has ended and spring has officially arrived in Idaho. Thanks to the robust snowpack, water supply looks good across most of Idaho.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NRCS, snowpack report includes this information:
1. Salmon River basin: 114% of normal, unchanged from March 1).
2. Clearwater River basin: 97% of normal, up 2%.
3. Umatilla River basin: 158% of normal, up 11%.
4. Walla Walla River basin: 115% of normal, up 7%.
5. Upper Grand Ronde basin: 125% of normal, up 2%.
6. Imnaha River basin: 125% of normal, up 5%.
7. John Day River basin: 163% of normal, up 5%.
8. Upper Deschutes River basin: 121% of normal, up 10%.
9. Methow River basin: 75% of normal, down 5%.
10. Wenatchee River basin: 74% of normal, down 7%.
11. Upper Yakima River basin: 76% of normal, down 8%.
12. Lower Yakima River basin: 108% of normal, up 24%.
13. Klickitat River basin: 112% of normal, up 19%.
14. Mt. Hood drainage (Hood, Sandy, Lower Deschutes): 92% of normal, up 7%.
11. Coeur D’ Alene basin: 86% of normal, up 4%.
12. Western Montana (five sub-basins): 90% of normal, up 2%.
13. Henrys Fork-Teton River, ID, basins: 99% of normal, unchanged.
14. Big Wood River, ID, basin: 111% of normal, down 5%.
15. Salmon Falls, ID, basin: 125% of normal, up 9%.
This information was compiled by Kyle Dittmer, hydrologist with the Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission, and included in his April and spring weather outlook/climate report released April 3.
Temperature and precipitation over the next 90 days is forecasted by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center as equal chances of above or below average.
NOAA presentation slides are here: https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/presentations/html/wy2025_ws/WS_Briefing_Page_20250403.pdf
April water supply information is here: https://public.crohms.org/tmt/documents/WSF/WSF_WY25_04.pdf
For background, see:
— CBB, March 15, 2025, Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast, April-September, Remains Below Normal, Coming Precipitation Could Help, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-basin-water-supply-forecast-april-september-remains-below-normal-coming-precipitation-could-help/
— CBB, February 7, 2025, Though Doesn’t Feel Like It Right Now, Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast For April-September Still Dropping, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/though-doesnt-feel-like-it-right-now-columbia-basin-water-supply-forecast-for-april-september-still-dropping/
— CBB, January 20, 2025, Columbia River Basin Snowpack A Mixed Bag So Far, Water Supply Forecast At Dalles Dam (April-August) Now 89 Percent Of Normal, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-river-basin-snowpack-a-mixed-bag-so-far-water-supply-forecast-at-dalles-dam-april-august-now-89-percent-of-normal/

Harmful Algae Blooming Off Southern California Coast Poisoning Sea Lions, Dolphins; Stranding In Large Numbers On Beaches

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West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network partners are reporting upwards of 100 calls a day reporting sea lions and dolphins affected by the algal toxin, domoic acid.

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Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast, April-September, Remains Below Normal, Coming Precipitation Could Help

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2025 is forming to be the third consecutive year of low Columbia River basin water supplies, with the latest forecast April-September at The Dalles Dam of just 85 percent of the 30-year average, according to a NOAA water supply briefing this week.

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Lawsuit Filed In Effort To Stop Musk’s DOGE From Taking Further Actions Against Multiple Environmental Agencies

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The Center for Biological Diversity has sued five cabinet-level agencies seeking to stop the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its DOGE teams from taking further actions against multiple environmental agencies until each team fully complies with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

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Corps Still Determining How To Implement Changes At Willamette Valley Dams With Funding Still Uncertain

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still determining “how to proceed” in implementing actions directed by the 2024 Water Resources Development Act and a new jeopardy biological opinion for its 13 Willamette River projects completed by NOAA Fisheries Dec. 26.

The Corps says that it still needs funds from Congress that it could get through the annual federal budget that is working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, but that the efforts are also complicated by the change in administration at the federal government.

“We are working with our headquarters (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA-[CW]) to determine how to proceed with the implementation of the 2024 Water Resources Development Act and the NMFS Biological Opinion,” Corps spokesperson Kerry Solan said. “Those efforts have been complicated by the administration change and the need to appoint a new ASA(CW).”

The WRDA legislation, signed by then President Joe Biden Jan. 4, authorizes Corps projects throughout the nation, but specifically for its Willamette projects the 2024 WRDA directs the Corps to consider what the system and the river would be like without hydropower. It also calls on the Corps to pause work on plans for two juvenile fish passage structures at Detroit (North Santiam River) and Green Peter (South Santiam River) dams.

Just eight of the Corps Willamette dams have the ability to generate electricity, but that power comes at a high price (some five times higher than Columbia River dam generation). The Corps’ Willamette dams generate just 1 percent of the region’s electricity while losing some $700 million over the course of 20 years.

An article produced by ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting and republished by permission in the Columbia Basin Bulletin, said that “The (WRDA) mandate says the Corps needs to shelve designs for its fish collectors — essentially massive floating vacuums expected to cost $170 million to $450 million each — until it finishes studying what the river system would look like without hydropower. The Corps must then include that scenario in its long-term designs for the river.”

See CBB, January 20, 2025, ‘Killing Salmon To Lose Money’: A Costly, Questionable Plan On Oregon’s Willamette River, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/killing-salmon-to-lose-money-a-costly-questionable-plan-on-oregons-willamette-river/

After NOAA had evaluated a revised proposed action submitted to the agency by the Corps in August 2024, it determined the proposed action would jeopardize the continued existence of upper Willamette River Chinook salmon and steelhead, both listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, and that the proposed action would result in adverse modification of the species’ designated critical habitat.

NOAA went on to list other salmonid species in the Willamette and Columbia river systems that would be adversely impacted, including Lower Columbia River Chinook salmon, Upper Columbia spring-run Chinook salmon, Snake River spring/summer-run Chinook salmon, Snake River fall run Chinook salmon, Columbia River chum salmon (O. keta), Lower Columbia River coho salmon (O. kisutch), Snake River sockeye salmon (O. nerka), Lower Columbia River steelhead, Middle Columbia River steelhead, Upper Columbia River steelhead, Snake River Basin steelhead, and Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) and their designated critical habitat.

“However, the proposed action is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of these species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of their critical habitat,” NOAA concluded in its BiOp.

NOAA’s 2024 BiOp focuses on the Corps’ preferred alternative from the Corps’ Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Willamette Valley System, with some key additions and clarifications that focus on implementation, the BiOp says.

The BiOp says the proposed action consists of the continued operation and maintenance of the Willamette system for the congressionally designated authorized purposes of flood control, hydropower, irrigation, navigation, recreation, fish and wildlife, water supply and quality, as well as actions to ensure the system’s operations comply with the ESA.

“This includes the continued operation of existing structures and facilities, modifications to operations and construction, and operation and maintenance of new structures,” the BiOp says. “The new elements of the proposed action were developed to improve fish passage through the WVS dams using a combination of modified operations and new structures. It also includes measures to improve downstream water quality, balance water management flexibility, and reduce project effects for ESA-listed fish.”

In more detail, the BiOp lists as components of the proposed action as:

— An adaptive management and implementation plan, which is a roadmap that lays out the strategy and schedule for implementation, ongoing assessment of the proposed action, and proposed improvements to the Willamette Action Team for Ecosystem Restoration governance and coordination process.

— In addition, the BiOp action includes downstream fish passage structures to be constructed at Detroit Dam, Lookout Point Dam, and on a smaller scale at Foster Dam.

— A structure to improve downstream water temperature management to be constructed at Detroit Dam.

— Changes to operations to facilitate downstream fish passage at Cougar and Green Peter dams.

— The other operational change is a new integrated temperature and habitat flow regime.

The Corps had failed to complete a number of the activities that were listed in the 2008 BiOp and eventually was taken to court.

The Corps’ court involvement is due to a lawsuit by Northwest Environmental Defense Center, WildEarth Guardians and the Native Fish Society. The groups asked the U.S. District Court of Oregon to order the Corps and NOAA Fisheries to reevaluate the impacts of the Corps’ Willamette Valley dams on wild upper Willamette River winter steelhead and wild Spring Chinook. They asked the court to order the two agencies to reinitiate consultation and to make immediate operational adjustments to dams on four tributaries of the Willamette River (North Santiam, South Santiam, McKenzie and Middle Fork Willamette) that the groups say block between 40 and 90 percent of spawning habitat.

In his summary judgement ruling in the case, Aug. 17, 2020, Judge Marco Hernandez said of the Corps that “Far short of moving towards recovery, the Corps is pushing the UWR Chinook and steelhead even closer to the brink of extinction. The record demonstrates that the listed salmonids are in a more precarious condition today than they were at the time NMFS issued the 2008 BiOp.”

“The directive from Congress gives us all the chance to figure out what makes the most sense in the long term while the Biological Opinion requirements will hopefully kickstart recover in the near term,” Jennifer Fairbrother, legislative and policy director at The Native Fish Society, said in a Fly Lords magazine interview this month. “It’s time for the Corps to lay out the full suite of options for recovering fish in the Willamette basin. This means assessing whether eliminating commercial hydropower production can save our fish and save northwest ratepayers money. Of course, given the Corps’ track record of flouting Congressional directives, we’re skeptical that the Corps will complete this analysis in anything resembling a meaningful timeframe, if ever.

Still funding the required actions in the 2024 BiOp is an issue for the Corps, as it also was for completing required activities in the 2008 BiOp, according to Solan.

“In order to implement the biological opinion and complete any necessary actions directed by WRDA, we would require funds from Congress because USACE primarily receives funding for its various activities, including implementing Biological Opinions and WRDA projects, through the annual federal budget,” Solan said.

“If we look back, the 2021 injunction was related to funding for BiOp measures,” Solan said. “The (2008) BiOp laid out a series of measures intended to mitigate harm on ESA-listed species in the Willamette River Basin.

“While Portland District carried out a series of actions, we did not accomplish everything because we did not receive funding for all the measures. This is a function of how the annual appropriations process unfolds when there are many USACE projects/measures across the nation that need appropriations, and there are limited funds.”

NOAA’s 2024 BiOp of the Corps’ Willamette Valley system is here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2024-12/WCRO-2023-00324-PERM-BiOp-WillametteValleySystem-20241226.pdf

For background, see:

— CBB, February 7, 2025, Wild Vs. Hatchery: Court Rules Willamette Hatchery Summer Steelhead Harm Wild Winter Steelhead, Seeks Remedies, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/wild-vs-hatchery-court-rules-willamette-hatchery-summer-steelhead-harm-wild-winter-steelhead-seeks-remedies/

— CBB, December 9, 2024, Court-Ordered Drawdown In Willamette Valley To Aid Salmon Halted Early Due To Downstream Water Quality Issues, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/court-ordered-drawdown-in-willamette-valley-to-aid-salmon-halted-early-due-to-downstream-water-quality-issues/

— CBB, October 12, 2023, COURT ORDERED DRAWDOWN OF WILLAMETTE RESERVOIR TO AID ESA SALMON LEADS TO DEATH FOR THOUSANDS OF KOKANEE, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/COURT-ORDERED-DRAWDOWN-OF-WILLAMETTE-RESERVOIR-TO-AID-ESA-SALMON-LEADS-TO-DEATH-FOR-THOUSANDS-OF-KOKANEE/

— CBB, October 8, 2024, Corps Holds Information Sessions To Explain Willamette Dams’ Drawdowns To Aid Salmon, Steelhead, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/corps-holds-information-sessions-to-explain-willamette-dams-drawdowns-to-aid-salmon-steelhead/

Habitat Albion River CA - 16x9

California Awards $15 Million For Salmon, Steelhead Restoration Projects

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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced the selection of 15 projects that will receive funding for the restoration, enhancement and protection of salmon and steelhead (anadromous salmonid) habitat in California watersheds.

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snowpack measuring - 16x9

Though Doesn’t Feel Like It Right Now, Columbia Basin Water Supply Forecast For April-September Still Dropping

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A drier than normal January is contributing to February’s lower Columbia River basin water supply forecasts for the months ahead. As was the case in early January, snow water content and water supplies vary throughout the region, but, overall, all are lower than a month ago, according to a NOAA Northwest River Forecast Center water supply briefing this week.

However, as dry as January was, early February precipitation and cold weather in many of the areas offered some hope that snowpack and water supplies could improve this month, particularly in the southern basin.

For the next 10 days, the Northwest River Forecast Center is predicting precipitation in the southern portions of the Columbia basin – east of the Cascade Mountains to eastern Idaho and north towards Yakima and the Tri-Cities that is 125 percent to 175 percent higher than normal. That drops to near normal in a slim band just north of that area and to 50 to 75 percent of normal in a swath across Washington, northern Idaho and southwest Montana. British Columbia precipitation is predicted at below 50 percent of normal for the next 10 days.

In its early January briefing, the NWRFC said that the 2025 water year got off to a slow start due to a below normal April to September 2024 runoff in the northern portions of the basin. That continued with a dry but cool January, dampening river runoff and water supplies throughout the basin in February.

While there is a mix of conditions across the basin, there is a clear distinction between the northern basin where snowpack and water supplies are lower than normal, and the southern areas, where they are generally higher than normal, said Henry Pai, senior hydrologist at the NWRFC, during his online presentation, Thursday, February 6. Still, he added, it is difficult to find any improvement across the basin when looking at water year runoff and water supply forecasts.

Runoff and water supply are largely the same, but with a timing difference. Runoff measures what has been observed during the water year Oct. 1 and, in this case, ending Feb. 5. It is not a forecast since it has already happened. Water supply is a forecast for a supply of water the region can expect in the future.

Pai pointed to runoff in the Canadian portion of the basin where at Mica Dam, runoff water year to date is 123 percent of normal, but that is lower by 6 percentage points than it was in early January. Duncan is at 124 percent of normal, also down 6 percentage points.

Water supply forecasts can be vastly different than water runoff, especially this year. The February water supply forecast at Mica for April through September is 80 percent of normal, down 5 percentage points from the January water supply forecast, which was also the first of the year. For Duncan, the water supply forecast is 80 percent of normal, down 7 percentage points.

Further downstream and in U.S. waters, runoff is even lower, with Libby Dam in Northwest Montana on the Kootenai River at 84 percent of normal, down 5 percentage points, Hungry Horse Dam on the South Fork of the Flathead River, also in Montana, at 60 percent of normal, down 1 percentage point, and Grand Coulee Dam on the mainstem Columbia River at 84 percent of normal, down 7 percentage points.

The February water supply forecast for Libby Dam April through September is 4.72 MAF, 73 percent of normal, down 10 percentage points from the January forecast. The Hungry Horse forecast is at 1.67 MAF, 76 percent of normal, down 7 percentage points, and at Grand Coulee Dam, the forecast is 82 percent, down 6 percentage points.

In the Snake River, year to date runoff at American Falls is at 83 percent of normal, the same as it was in January. Lower Granite Dam is 79 percent of normal, down 3 percentage points and Dworshak is at 72 percent, down 8 percentage points.

Much of this can be explained by changes in the Idaho snowpack, which has dropped from January’s amounts, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Idaho (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/idaho/snow-survey?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery).

“Thanks to an abnormally dry January, snowpack percentages compared to normal decreased significantly. said Erin Whorton, Water Supply Specialist for NRCS Idaho. “As of February 1, basin-wide snowpack percentages range from 68 to 119%. This means that snow drought conditions developed in the Wood, Lost, Upper Snake, Bear, Salmon, Clearwater and Coeur d’Alene-St. Joe basins during January.”

“In terms of total water year precipitation, conditions are driest in the Wood and Lost basins (62% to 76%) and wettest along the southern border of Idaho (82 to 97%). Fortunately, at report time, significant snowfall is occurring across the state. Hopefully, these storms will alleviate snow drought conditions.”

The good news is that February water supply forecasts at Snake River dams for April-September are higher. At American Falls the forecast is at 94 percent of normal, up 21 percentage points, and at Lower Granite the forecast is 22.512 MAF, 101 percent of normal, up 7 percentage points, and at Dworshak Dam the forecast is 2.354 MAF, 90 percent of normal, up 1 percentage point.

The culmination of all water available upstream in the Columbia and Snake rivers is measured at The Dalles Dam where the water year runoff is 82 percent of normal. That’s down 6 percentage points and lower than Grand Coulee’s water year runoff at 84 percent of normal. Pei said that’s because water coming out of the Washington Cascade Mountains is so low. For example, the Methow River water year runoff is at a low 65 percent of normal, although that is up 2 percentage points. The Yakima River is at 51 percent of normal, down 3 percentage points and the Walla Walla River is at 66 percent of normal, down 16 percentage points.

The Dalles Dam February water supply forecast is at 79.96 MAF, 85 percent of normal, down 3 percentage points, and slightly higher than at Coulee. The water supply forecast for the Methow River is at 50 percent of normal, down 10 percentage points. The Yakima River water supply is at 99 percent, down 2 percentage points, and the Walla Walla River is at 78 percent of normal, down 12 percentage points from the January water supply forecast.

Even areas where snow water equivalent has been high this year saw a drop during January and that is now reflected in the February water year runoff. The Umatilla River water year runoff is 101 percent of normal, but that’s down 30 percentage points from January’s runoff. The Grande Ronde is 83 of normal, down 9 percentage points, the Owyhee water year runoff is at 109 percent, down 16 percentage points, and the Crooked River is at 188 percent of normal, but that has dropped 66 percentage points since early January.

Unlike water year runoff where runoff is dropping, water supply is rising in the Umatilla River where it is at 104 percent of normal, up 4 percentage points higher than early January. Likewise, the Grande Ronde River water supply is up at 104 percent of normal, 4 percentage points higher, the Owyhee water supply is at 115 percent of normal, up 28 percentage points, and the Crooked River is at 194 percent of normal, a huge gain in one month with a 75-percentage point rise.

Water Supply information is here: https://public.crohms.org/tmt/documents/WSF/WSF_WY25_02.pdf

For background, see:

— CBB, January 20, 2025, Columbia River Basin snowpack a mixed bag so far, water supply forecast at Dalles Dam (April-August) now 89 percent of normal, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-river-basin-snowpack-a-mixed-bag-so-far-water-supply-forecast-at-dalles-dam-april-august-now-89-percent-of-normal/

— CBB, June 21, 2024, Basin summer water supply? Record low snowpacks in the north, above normal Southern Idaho, Dalles Dam runoff 77 percent of average, https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/basin-summer-water-supply-record-low-snowpacks-in-the-north-above-normal-southern-idaho-dalles-dam-runoff-77-percent-of-average/

Conservation Groups File Lawsuit Calling For NOAA Fisheries To Speed Up ESA Listing Of Olympic Peninsula Summer, Winter Steelhead

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Western Washington’s Olympic Peninsula summer and winter steelhead were found by NOAA Fisheries in November 2024 to be at moderate risk of extinction, but the federal agency has yet to list the fish as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, according to a new complaint filed Jan. 17 in federal court by The Conservation Angler and the Wild Fish Conservancy.

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4-Month Survey Offers Most Thorough Data Ever Of Marine Mammals, Seabirds Off West Coast, Some Species Shifting North

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Above photo: A school of northern right whale dolphins observed off Oregon on the recent Southwest Fisheries Science Center marine mammal survey. Image collected under NOAA Fisheries research permit #22306. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Cory Hom-Weaver.

NOAA Fisheries scientists have completed a 4-month, roughly 4,500-nautical-mile, survey of marine mammals and seabirds off the U.S. West Coast. They collected a trove of some of the most thorough data and biological samples ever on West Coast whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals.

Researchers also saw immense schools of dolphins, an unusual number of sei whales, and rare seabirds. Scientists said several marine mammal species appear to have shifted north along the coast compared to earlier surveys. That change may reflect their response to marine heatwaves and other ecosystem changes that have become common off the West Coast in the last decade.

“We’re definitely seeing things farther north,” said Jeff Moore, chief scientist of the marine mammal survey led by NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. He said the survey spotted striped dolphins off the Oregon and Washington coasts, beyond their more typical range in California’s warmer waters. The species may be following their preferred water temperatures and prey.

Details from the survey help inform marine mammal stock assessments required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and decisions on fishing seasons and areas. NOAA also uses the data collected by surveys to help assess the risk fisheries and other activities may pose to the protected species. Expanding the number and types of platforms these observations are taken from will ultimately lead to greater efficiencies in how the agency conducts these surveys.

The survey recorded more than 1,354 groups of cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) representing at least 24 species off the West Coast. It also recorded more than 30,000 birds from 91 species. The abundance and diversity of species reflect the high productivity of the California Current Ecosystem fed by the wind-driven upwelling of nutrients from the deep ocean along the coast.

The number and diversity of cetaceans follow the continuing rebound of many species from near-extinction in the whaling era. Humpback, blue, and fin whale populations have been trending upwards in recent decades. These species are reclaiming their prominence as some of the largest predators in the marine food web.

The Science Center conducts a marine mammal survey roughly every 5 years; the last survey occurred 6 years ago in 2018. For this most recent survey, NOAA Fisheries contracted with the research ship R/V Bold Horizon. It follows patterns known as transects off the West Coast to detect trends in the number and distribution of species compared to prior surveys.

“That long-term record makes the results much more powerful because we get a high-resolution snapshot of what is happening now; at the same time, we can see how things are changing,” Moore said.

The last leg of the survey included the first authorization within NOAA Fisheries to fly a drone beyond sight of the pilot from a research vessel. This allowed the documentation of cetacean groups up to 2 miles from the ship. “In addition to capturing spectacular images and video of cetaceans and other marine wildlife, this effort provided verified information on the size and composition of marine mammal groups to help calibrate group size estimates made by the visual observer team,” said Trevor Joyce, lead investigator and pilot.

Frames extracted from aerial videos helped measure the body condition and health status of large whales including blue, fin, Sei, and sperm whales. Additionally, the drone helped the research vessel track whales while underwater between surfacings. This improved the success rate for collecting skin and blubber samples used in genomics and tissue culture.

While a visual team surveyed marine mammals during daylight hours, drifting recorders listened for marine mammals passing by around the clock. Scientists deployed 27 drifting acoustic recorders in the California Current over the course of the survey. The recorders are suspended 100 meters below a surface buoy that relays its location by GPS.

The 27 buoys traveled nearly 2,000 nautical miles, exceeding the length of the entire West Coast. They recorded marine mammal calls, echolocation, and other underwater sounds. The passive acoustic method helps estimate the density of deep-diving beaked whales the survey might otherwise miss because they remain underwater for long periods, surfacing only rarely.

“These animals are often shy and don’t spend much time at the surface,” said Cory Hom-Weaver, who led the acoustic research during the survey. “But as they are diving and foraging, they use sound to echolocate, which makes passive acoustics a perfect platform for understanding their ecology.”

Scientists also collected 139 water samples for environmental DNA, which is the genetic traces of different species swimming through offshore waters. eDNA offers an increasingly powerful method of assessing the range of species in different waters at different times.

“Several of these samples were taken in the absence of a visual sighting of a marine mammal to see if the samples could help us characterize the diversity of whales and dolphins in the California Current even if we couldn’t actually see the animals,” said Brittany Hancock-Hanser, who co-led the eDNA research during the survey.

Scientists can also go back to archived water samples later to answer future questions about as-yet-undiscovered species that may be represented in the eDNA evidence.

The science team will now return to the lab to process their extensive sighting and other data to pin down numbers, trends, and distributions of species across the California Current Ecosystem. “We have a lot of work to do to fully understand everything this data has to tell us and that is what we will be focused on in the coming months,” Moore said.

The survey is funded by NOAA Fisheries with support from the Inflation Reduction Act and in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Columbia River Basin Snowpack A Mixed Bag So Far, Water Supply Forecast At Dalles Dam (April-August) Now 89 Percent Of Normal

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Although the snowpack in the western and southern portions of the Columbia River basin are higher than normal, other areas to the north and to the east are near- to lower-than-normal, and, as a result, January water supplies at key dams are being reported as below or slightly below normal.

That may partially be because the 2025 water year got off to a slow start due to a below normal April to September 2024 runoff in the northern portions of the basin, according to a NOAA water supply briefing late last week. The water year begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.

“The lower-than-normal runoff is likely driven by groundwater deficits” from last year, said Amy Burke, senior hydrologist with NOAA’s Northwest River Forecast Center, at her monthly water supply briefing, Friday, Jan. 10.

Adding to runoff woes is that temperatures through December and early January across the region have been mostly above normal, she said, and the current 10-day forecast likely won’t improve the water supply situation, either, as it calls for colder temperatures, but lower than normal precipitation.

However, on the positive side, a three-month forecast by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting increased chances of cold and wet conditions through March.

In addition, the Climate Prediction Center is also saying that the long-awaited La Niña conditions are here (it showed up in December 2024) and is expected to persist through February-April 2025 (59% chance), with a transition to ENSO-neutral likely during March-May 2025 (60% chance). The Center is not just predicting a short La Niña, it is also predicting a weak one, which will have a weaker influence over temperature and precipitation patterns, a Climate Prediction Center blog says (https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/january-2025-update-la-nina-here).

Burke said in her briefing that the snow water equivalent of the Northwest snowpack this water year is a mix of above and below normal values. Precipitation – Oct. 1, 2024 and ending Jan. 8, 2025 – is above 130 percent of normal through a significant swath of the Columbia River basin, including the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, a SWE high in the John Day watershed of a whopping 241 percent of normal, and southern Washington (high of 157 percent of normal), but tapers off to mostly 70 to 90 percent in the eastern areas of the basin. The basin north of the Canada-U.S. border in British Columbia is near normal to below normal (as low as 59 percent of normal to the east).

Burke’s Water Supply Briefing is here: https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/presentations/html/wy2025_ws/WS_Briefing_Page_20250110.pdf

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA) describes the current situation monthly for each state. It wrote in its January Water Supply Outlook Report for Washington that the “while much of the state did receive impacts from several active storm patterns, there were generally less favorable impacts in the central Washington Cascades west of the crest and in parts of the eastern North Cascades. Water year-to-date precipitation in these regions is generally slightly below normal, while snowpack is well-below to near normal.”

The NRCS for Oregon said that “Winter is off to a positive start, with statewide snowpack and water year-to-date precipitation above normal. The fall and early winter so far were marked by nearly 18 atmospheric river events and 2 cyclones that have impacted Oregon. Impacts from several of these storms were more favorable to southern, central, and much of eastern Oregon, evident by more moderate to well-above normal snowpack and WYTD (Water Year to Date) precipitation in those basins as of Jan. 1. At several SNOTEL stations in these regions, the onset of snow accumulation was in the top 5 earliest on record, with snowpack levels in November at many stations within the top 5 on record. Other parts of the state did receive significant impacts from storms, with net snow accumulation from Nov. to Dec. at SNOTEL stations in the northern and central Cascades reaching up to 6.4 ft and up to 6.9 ft in northeastern Oregon. WYTD precipitation in these regions vary from near to above normal.”

Idaho snowpack gained depth through December and early January and is now near normal to above normal, but with most of the snowpack in the southern areas of the state, the NRCS report said. “The snowpack across Idaho saw impressive gains around the holidays with an atmospheric river event bringing ample moisture to the region. Snowpack improved from 70% to approximately 90% of normal in the Snake River headwaters and Henrys Fork-Teton by January 1. Eastern and southern Idaho experienced 110 to 131% of normal precipitation during December. While the snowpack is looking good, especially compared to this time last year, total water year precipitation remains lower than the snowpack percentages due to the abnormally dry, hot October.”

Following a slow start, snowy weather during the last week of December and first week of January drastically improved snowpack conditions in Montana, according to the NRCS report. “The largest snowfall accumulations occurred in western and northwest Montana, while northern Wyoming basins benefited less from the late-December storms. Despite recent improvements, snowpack percentages remain slightly below normal across most of Montana. The exceptions are northwest Montana and the Bears Paw Mountains which have a slightly above normal snowpack. For the rest of the state, the lack of snowfall during October and November created a deficit that will require sustained snowfall to overcome.”

The 2025 water supply runoff measured at the Columbia basin’s storage dams for the first part of this water year (Oct. 1 to Jan. 9) is a mix, according to Burke. Runoff at Libby Dam in Northwest Montana on the Kootenai River is 89 percent of normal, but runoff is just 61 percent of normal at Hungry Horse Dam on the South Fork of the Flathead River, also in Montana.

However, the first of the year water supply forecasts are nearer to normal, Burke said. The forecast for Libby Dam is 5.871-million-acre feet, April through August, 97 percent of the 30-year average (1991-2020), and the forecast for Hungry Horse is 1.908-million-acre feet, April through August, 93 percent of the 30-year average.

According to Burke, runoff and water supply are largely the same, but with a timing difference. Runoff measures what has been observed during the water year Oct. 1 and ending Jan. 9, in this case. It is not a forecast since it has already happened. Water supply is a forecast for a supply of water the region can expect in the future.

British Columbia runoff for the water year is 130 percent of normal at Mica and Duncan dams. The water supply forecasts for Duncan is 1.451 MAF, 85 percent of normal, April through July, and Mica water supply is 85 percent of normal.

At Grand Coulee Dam in the northern part of the Columbia River basin, runoff is 98 percent of normal. In the mid- to upper-Columbia are the Okanogan River at Malott with runoff at 70 percent of normal and the Methow River near Pateros with a runoff of just 63 percent of normal.

Water supply at Coulee is forecasted, April through August, to be 49.638 MAF, 85 percent of the 30-year average. Water supply at the Okanogan River at Malott is 71 percent of normal and the Methow River near Pateros water supply is 60 percent of normal.

Runoff for the water year at Lower Granite Dam, the most upstream of the four lower Snake River dams, is 82 percent of normal, whereas runoff upstream on the Grande Ronde at Troy is 92 percent and at the Owyhee Dam runoff is 125 percent of normal.

Water supply for Lower Granite is 18.007 MAF, April through July, 90 percent of the 30-year average. On the Grande Ronde at Troy, water supply is 111 percent of normal and at the Owyhee Dam it is 87 percent of normal. Further upstream on the Snake River at the American Falls Dam the water supply forecast is just 73 percent of normal.

At Dworshak Dam on the North Fork of the Clearwater River, runoff is 80 percent of normal, whereas the water supply for Dworshak is forecasted to be 2.154 MAF, April through July, 87 percent of normal.

The culmination of all water available upstream in the Columbia and Snake rivers is measured at The Dalles Dam where the water year is 88 percent of normal, and the water supply forecast is 79.356 MAF, April through August, 89 percent of the 30-year average.

Water Supply information is here: https://pweb.crohms.org/tmt/documents/WSF/WSF_WY25_01.pdf

National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center statement on La Niña is here: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml

For background, see:

— CBB, June 21, 2024, BASIN SUMMER WATER SUPPLY? RECORD LOW SNOWPACKS IN THE NORTH, ABOVE NORMAL SOUTHERN IDAHO, DALLES DAM RUNOFF 77 PERCENT OF AVERAGE, HTTPS://COLUMBIABASINBULLETIN.ORG/BASIN-SUMMER-WATER-SUPPLY-RECORD-LOW-SNOWPACKS-IN-THE-NORTH-ABOVE-NORMAL-SOUTHERN-IDAHO-DALLES-DAM-RUNOFF-77-PERCENT-OF-AVERAGE/

— CBB, May 17, 2024, DROPPING WATER SUPPLY FORECAST SIGNALS DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF COLUMBIA BASIN; GRAND COULEE SIXTH LOWEST ON RECORD, HTTPS://CBBULLETIN.COM/DROPPING-WATER-SUPPLY-FORECAST-SIGNALS-DROUGHT-CONDITIONS-OVER-MUCH-OF-COLUMBIA-BASIN-GRAND-COULEE-SIXTH-LOWEST-ON-RECORD/

This Year’s Ocean Indicators Show Low Prey Numbers For Pacific Juvenile Salmon, Suggest Moderate-To-Poor Conditions For Young Salmon

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How did climate change impact ocean waters off the U.S. West Coast this past year? What does that tell us about the growth and survival of juvenile salmon for the years to come?

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NOAA Status Review Of Four Northern California/Southern Oregon Salmon/Steelhead Species Says All Should Remain ESA-Listed

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Above photo: New fish ladders on Alameda Creek in the Bay Area opened the upper reaches of the watershed to steelhead for the first time in nearly 50 years. Photo by Brian Meux/NOAA Fisheries.

NOAA Fisheries has completed 5-year status reviews of the recovery progress and prospects of four salmon and steelhead species in Northern California and Southern Oregon and found that all four should remain threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

They are the latest reviews completed for the 28 Pacific salmon and steelhead species listed under the ESA https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/endangered-species-conservation/report-card-recovery-reviews-assess-28-salmon-and. NOAA Fisheries is required to assess their status every 5 years.

The habitat of the species begins in the dense metropolis of the San Francisco Bay Area and the redwood forests of Northern California and Southern Oregon. It ranges north to the vast agricultural lands of the Central Valley and the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. The four species are:

  • Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon
  • California Coastal Chinook salmon
  • Central California Coast steelhead
  • California Central Valley steelhead

Habitat restoration has addressed major factors limiting all four species and helped prevent local extinction, says NOAA. Many challenges still stand in the path of species recovery. All four species suffer from historical habitat loss and degradation and the effects of climate change—drought, warming water temperatures, and increasing frequency and intensity of wildfire.

Each 5-year review describes recommended actions to address each factor limiting recovery. They include detailed lists of habitat restoration actions to pursue in each watershed.

“These reviews help us understand where we are making progress and where we need to focus more attention,” said Robert Markle, Branch Supervisor for Protected Resources in NOAA Fisheries Portland office. “While we have a lot more work to do to recover these species, this close look helps identify those actions that can make the biggest difference for the fish.”

Recent funding allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Law has supported the restoration of salmon and steelhead habitat across the West Coast. Many of these projects have been at a larger scale than has otherwise been possible. They are expected to improve the resilience of listed stocks to ongoing threats and advance their progress towards recovery and delisting, says the agency.

Following are summaries of the 5-year reviews of the four species.

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon

Status: Remains Threatened

Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon range from California’s Mattole River in the south to Oregon’s Elk River in the north. Their range includes the entirety of the Eel, Klamath, and Rogue River basins. It includes some of the most ecologically diverse landscapes of the West Coast. The new 5-year review of the species recommends that the stock remain listed as threatened under the ESA.

Overall, the most important action to safeguard these coho salmon against extinction is to ensure sufficient instream flows, including by:

  • Calculating how much instream flow coho salmon need for recovery in each independent population
  • Using existing state authorities to regulate, monitor, and enforce water rights, water diversions, and groundwater extractions
  • Increasing voluntary water conservation measures and incentives such as storage and forbearance

NOAA says it has incomplete information about the abundance and distribution of this coho salmon species across its range. This makes it difficult to assess the stock status and to target recovery efforts in the right places.

“We have no current estimates of adult coho salmon abundance for 73 percent of the independent populations that make up this stock,” said Julie Weeder, NOAA Fisheries Recovery Coordinator and lead author of the 5-year review. “To address this knowledge gap, our 5-year review recommends completion of rapid juvenile surveys in every independent population where adult monitoring is not planned in a given year.”

Juvenile coho salmon take refuge in cool water pools in shaded riparian habitat during hot summer months. “Trained observers can accurately assess juvenile distribution by using a scuba mask and snorkel to visually survey these pools each summer,” Weeder said.

Juvenile dive surveys can be implemented more quickly and cheaply than spawning ground surveys. They offer other benefits, including a greater chance of detecting fish present and providing a real-time signal of the extent of distribution across the landscape. Knowing where juveniles are (and are not) also gives insight into where habitat restoration projects should be targeted.

In September 2024, the Klamath River Renewal Project completed the removal of four dams on the mainstem Klamath River. This reopened what was once the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast to migratory fish. The next major dam removal project on the West Coast is underway in the Eel River—the third largest river in California.The only two dams on the mainstem Eel River are slated for removal as part of the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project. Removal of these dams as soon as 10 years from now will restore access to 300 miles of salmon and steelhead habitat in the Upper Eel River. It would create a free-flowing river from the headwaters to the ocean.

California Coastal Chinook Salmon

Status: Remains Threatened

The removal of the two major dams on the Eel River would also be a boon for California Coastal Chinook salmon.

“We are confident that removing these dams will be a crucial step toward salmonid recovery by expanding access to resilient and diverse habitats, especially as we continue to confront the challenges of climate change,” said Joshua Fuller, North Coast Branch Supervisor in NOAA Fisheries’ California Coastal Office.

That is a high point of the 5-year review for California Coastal Chinook salmon. The review recognizes some improvements in the outlook for the species while noting there is a lot more work still to do. Recent research has improved biologists’ understanding of how Coastal Chinook are faring, especially in the northern reaches of its range. New sonar monitoring has revealed that some populations are doing better than expected.

The review says, “the Mad River population [is] currently at levels above recovery targets.” Likewise, sonar-based estimates for Redwood Creek suggest that the Redwood Creek population, while somewhat variable, is approaching its recovery target in favorable years. However, some southern populations are small and more challenging to monitor. Surveys of rivers along the Mendocino Coast detected no fish at all in many of the last 12 years. The Russian River at the southern end of the range of coastal Chinook salmon holds the largest population of the species.

While some signs are looking up, most are mixed, with some watersheds trending below their average (e.g. Russian River). Many populations continue to contend with habitat loss as development and other threats compromise spawning and rearing habitat. These areas are particularly important in preparing young salmon for a life at sea. The review found that the risk of extinction of the species remains about the same as the last review in 2016. While the threat of some activities such as logging has lessened, climate change is already increasing temperatures and compounding droughts. The review recommends maintaining the current listing status of threatened.

“Even though the status of the species may remain the same, we get important and useful information from these reviews,” Markle said. “It’s a chance for us to gather the details, get input from many others, and hold a measuring stick up against where we hoped to be.”

The review recommends focusing efforts in the next 5 years on providing accessibility to new high-value habitats via:

  • Improving fish passage
  • Improving water quality associated with reservoir operations
  • Protecting instream flows that provide quality conditions for spawning and rearing

Besides removing the dams of the Potter Valley Project, the review calls for addressing turbidity impacts related to Lake Mendocino and developing reservoir management measures that protect water quality and volume to support releases that help the fish downstream.

Central California Coast Steelhead

Status: Remains Threatened

The habitat of Central California Coast steelhead includes the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. Their range spans from the Upper Russian River in Mendocino County south to Aptos Creek in Santa Cruz County. It spans inland to the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The urban core of this range is flanked by redwood forests, open space, vineyards, and agricultural land.

“When you have an urban environment, it comes with the hardening of riverbanks, the removal of floodplains, and a lot of concrete where there was once important habitat,” said Darren Howe, the San Francisco Bay Branch Supervisor for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. “This is especially true for old and aging infrastructure.”

Improved fish passage would allow Central California Coast steelhead to reach more high-quality habitat, with more spawning and rearing opportunities. This is especially important when climate change brings more extreme conditions that compound the impact of unforgiving infrastructure. “It makes everything more challenging—wetter when wet and drier when dry,” Howe said. For example, heavier rains in confined, urbanized streams can create strong flows that disrupt spawning habitat.

However, those challenges also lead to opportunities, especially given new funding for salmon recovery, says the agency. Replacing aging infrastructure—such as culverts that have long blocked steelhead—can open the door to more habitat restoration that benefits fish in the long term. The removal of derelict dams and other barriers can reopen habitat to steelhead, Howe said.

For example, at Alameda Creek in East San Francisco Bay, crews replaced a dam, increasing water releases that improved habitat quality in 2019. That same year, two new fish ladders gave steelhead access to the upper Alameda Creek watershed for the first time in more than 50 years. Then in 2020, several partners removed York Dam from York Creek, a tributary of the Napa River in North San Francisco Bay. The dam was originally constructed in 1900 to provide water for the city of St. Helena. It had reduced flows and obstructed sediment needed for floodplain habitat downstream, and blocked steelhead from swimming upstream to valuable spawning and rearing habitat.

“These projects were successful through stakeholder engagement, where NOAA Fisheries often played a supportive role,” Howe said. “Passage projects, both large and small, are important to steelhead recovery.”

The 5-year review calls for continuing to pursue such projects, while monitoring the way fish benefit from completed restoration. Such actions will help focus future funding where it is needed most.

California Central Valley Steelhead

Status: Remains Threatened

Dams block 80 percent of the historical habitat of Central Valley steelhead. This confines them to the lower reaches of rivers, which are more exposed to the impacts of climate change such as higher water temperatures. Some steelhead remain in the few creeks that still flow cold and free. The viability of Central Valley steelhead is limited by a lack of natural production. The majority of fish leaving the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta each year are the product of hatcheries.

Yet as ocean-going rainbow trout, steelhead are unique. A generation can stay in freshwater habitat before a combination of environmental and genetic factors can trigger anadromous migrations to the ocean in their offspring. Some steelhead offspring may never realize an anadromous life history and remain in freshwater as rainbow trout.

“Of the three ESA-listed salmonids we have in the Central Valley, steelhead are doing the best,” said Brian Ellrott, the Central Valley Salmonid Recovery Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. The 2018 Camp Fire caused significant habitat damage in the Butte Creek watershed by consuming riparian habitat. It also prompted increased landslides that released sediment into waterways and buried spawning habitat. The Park Fire this summer in the Mill Creek watershed will likely have devastating impacts on steelhead in that creek.

The review recommends high-priority restoration actions including reintroducing steelhead above dams that block prime upstream habitat in the McCloud, Yuba, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced rivers. It further advises completing collaborative restoration in Battle Creek, which supports multiple runs of Chinook salmon and steelhead. The review also recommends further research on whether steelhead, as they decline, may lose the genetic code that leads them to migrate to and from the ocean. This would put them at greater risk of extinction. Managers and scientists are trying to better understand how the management of California’s water may affect the expression and persistence of the genes that lead steelhead to go to the ocean and back.

“Understanding the drivers of anadromy is critical to understanding the adaptive capacity of the species and how they may fare under different water management scenarios and decisions,” Ellrott said.

New NOAA Status Review Shows Olympic Peninsula Wild Steelhead Numbers In Steep Decline, Now At Moderate Risk Of Extinction

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A NOAA Fisheries biological status review team has determined that the summer and winter Olympic Peninsula steelhead are at moderate risk of extinction, a reversal of the previous status review in the 1990s that had determined the fish were not at risk of becoming threatened or endangered then or in the future.

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Count Of Mother-Calf Gray Whale Pairs Off West Coast One Of Lowest On Record Due To Reduced Food Availability In Arctic

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The number of gray whale calves migrating with their mothers along the California Coast this year was one of the lowest on record. The population is still regaining ground after an Unusual Mortality Event that resulted in a sharp decline in overall population numbers.

While the eastern North Pacific gray whale population that migrates annually along the West Coast has rebounded in overall abundance, the production of calves has remained low. A team from NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center found that this year’s count was close to the record low reported in 2022 with an estimated number of 221 mother-calf pairs.

Most of the gray whale population feeds in the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska during the summer. Gray whale calf production has been tied to ice cover and food availability in the region. Females must find enough food there to successfully produce and sustain calves.

“While we are no longer seeing the high number of gray whale strandings that the population experienced during the Unusual Mortality Event, calf production has remained low—likely reflecting that some females have yet to regain the energetic resources needed to sustain pregnancy and lactation,” said Aimée Lang, lead author of the new NOAA Fisheries Technical Memorandum reporting the annual calf count.

Researchers have seen other declines in calf production since they started tracking the number of mother-calf pairs in 1994. One of the declines coincided with an earlier Unusual Mortality Event that ran from 1999 to 2000. Estimated calf production remained low in 2001 and then gradually rose in succeeding years.

Another decline from 2007 to 2010 was not tied to an Unusual Mortality Event but coincided with reduced food availability in the Arctic. The reduced food supply appeared to affect reproduction without depressing overall numbers of whales or resulting in increased observed strandings.

Scientists count the northbound pairs of female gray whales with calves from Piedras Blancas, site of a historic light station on the Central California Coast. “We have been tracking calf production in this population since 1994,” Lang said. “The data we’ve collected over the last 30 years have increased our understanding of the links between food availability, body condition, and reproduction in gray whales. They suggest that it may take time for the population to recover its reproductive capacity following events like this past Unusual Mortality Event.”

The science center will continue tracking gray whale numbers and reproduction to help understand changes in the population, including recovery from the recent die-off and its the relationship to climate driven changes in the environment.

Researchers Find They Can Use E-DNA To Estimate Biomass Of Multiple Alaska Fish Species Simultaneously

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In a new study, NOAA Fisheries scientists, in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, show that it is possible to estimate fish biomass for more than one species at the same time, using environmental DNA (eDNA).

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NOAA Awards $9.2 Million To Academic Cooperative Institutes For Pacific Salmon Recovery Science

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NOAA Fisheries has awarded more than $9.2 million in grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to academic partners that will help recover threatened and endangered Pacific salmon.

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Nov.-April Operations At Bonneville Dam For ESA-Listed Chum Salmon To Begin; La Nina Coming, Bringing Wet Weather, Possible ‘Drought Removal’

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Threatened Chum salmon are arriving at spawning grounds downstream of Bonneville Dam, prompting the interagency Technical Management Team to begin operations at the dam designed to maintain a certain level of water over the fish as they spawn now and through emergence in April.

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For First Time Scientists Find Japanese Sardines In California Current, Marine Heatwaves May Have Opened Corridor Across North Pacific

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When research scientist Gary Longo first saw the results of his genomic analysis of sardines, he thought he must have mixed up his samples.

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NOAA Releases ‘West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan’ To Guide Research On Impacts To Marine Life

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Offshore wind energy may represent the most significant new commercial use of the ocean seen in many decades. As new offshore wind technology emerges off the U.S. West Coast, NOAA Fisheries has developed a strategic science plan identifying both opportunities and challenges for advancing the agency’s research and understanding of offshore wind in the region.

The West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/west-coast-offshore-wind-energy-strategic-science-plan outlines research needs for NOAA Fisheries to gauge the effects of wind turbines that could one day float off the West Coast, where current leases exist and future lease sales are planned. Ocean depths off the West Coast require developers to pioneer wind technology using floating platforms that have not yet been employed on a large commercial scale. The industry envisions new port facilities in Long Beach and Humboldt Bay to construct the large turbines, and new transmission lines to feed the new power into the region’s electric grid.

“Offshore wind is an important tool and technology to help reduce greenhouse emissions,” said Jennifer Quan, Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. “And we need to be prepared with sound science to help inform decisions affecting the marine species and the commercial and recreational fisheries that we manage as well as other important uses of the marine ecosystem.”

NOAA Fisheries works in support of the Biden Administration’s goal of responsibly deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 while protecting biodiversity and other uses of the ocean, and specifically deploying 15 gigawatts of floating offshore by 2035. Standing up this new energy sector represents investments of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure and jobs. All offshore wind energy development in the United States so far has occurred off the East Coast.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) awarded 5 lease sales off California in 2022 and had a lease sale planned for areas off Oregon in October 2024. But BOEM announced that it is delaying the offshore wind energy auction planned for potential lease areas offshore Oregon due to insufficient bidder interest at this time.

While BOEM leads federal leasing and development of offshore wind, NOAA Fisheries manages the nation’s sustainable fisheries, provides conservation measures for species such as marine mammals and sea turtles, and studies, and monitors the marine ecosystem. Powerful wind-driven upwelling of deep, nutrient-rich waters along the West Coast makes the California Current Ecosystem one of the most productive in the world.

While the agency has already begun some offshore wind research activities on the West Coast, the new Science Plan outlines six research areas for NOAA Fisheries to pursue to better understand how offshore wind development on the West Coast will affect living marine resources. It also highlights how we fulfill our stewardship mandates for fisheries and protected species through investigating important questions:

  • Habitat Impacts: How will wind energy development affect species’ habitats and the oceanographic features they depend on, such as upwelling?
  • Physiological and Physical Effects: What new physical phenomena, such as electromagnetic fields and noise, will wind farm infrastructure and related marine traffic create that could impact marine life?
  • Species Abundance and Distribution: How will floating wind farms, including their mooring and transmission lines, affect marine life populations and their movements?
  • Socioeconomic Impacts to Fisheries and Fishing Communities: How will wind development affect cultural resources and economic drivers of West Coast fishing communities?
  • Ecosystem and Climate Interactions: How will the effects of wind energy development cascade through the marine ecosystem, including any potential cumulative effects of multiple wind farms, and how will these effects manifest in a changing climate?
  • Impacts to NOAA Fisheries’ Scientific Surveys: How can NOAA Fisheries ensure continued integrity of data collections the agency relies on to determine the numbers of fish available to fisheries, assess marine mammal populations, and monitor ocean conditions and climate change?

The agency says it will need additional resources to fill research gaps, building on long-term data and programs in studying and managing marine species and their habitats to make the most of our existing capacity. For example, NOAA Fisheries has decades of ocean survey and monitoring data collected, including with collaborators such as the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations, called CalCOFI. The priorities in the Plan are also informed by NOAA Fisheries’ East Coast experience, where offshore wind development has been underway for several years and already has multiple projects undergoing environmental review and some in construction and operation. To address the impacts to our Northeast surveys, we collaborated with BOEM on a survey mitigation strategy, and this is a model for the West Coast.

The plan will guide scientific activities, investments, and directions with partners related to this new energy sector. The Science Plan combines the work of the Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers, and West Coast Regional Office that uses the Centers’ research to inform management and protection of marine species.

“We want to study this new ocean use at the ecosystem scale because so many elements of offshore wind energy will interact with so many parts of the California Current Ecosystem,” said Kristen Koch, Director of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. “The more information we have earlier in the process, the better prepared we are to make choices that maximize both the benefits from wind energy and protections for the ecosystem.”

Innovation and technology will be cornerstones of NOAA Fisheries’ continuing work in this space. For instance, the Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s Ecosystem Science Division will extend its use of autonomous undersea gliders, originally deployed to study commercial fishing impacts in Antarctica, to the California Current Ecosystem off the West Coast. The Division’s scientists have begun testing the remotely operated gliders off California, where they can help monitor ocean conditions at lower cost than large research ships. These gliders may also more safely pass through the future wind farms where ships cannot.

“We have learned a lot about how to make the most of the gliders from our Antarctic experience,” said George Watters, Director of the Center’s new Ecosystem Sciences Division. “Now we have a chance to apply that track record to gather good baseline information in advance of wind construction and operations and understand how it may impact the California Current Ecosystem.”

The agency will also look for opportunities to work with offshore wind developers and other partners to integrate monitoring systems into offshore wind energy infrastructure as it is developed, adding to the long-term record of ocean data.

Success of the Science Plan will depend on both robust partnerships and identifying multiple funding streams. The Science Plan is intended to also help foster collaboration on research priorities and opportunities with our partners. The agency says it is committed to working with West Coast tribes, many of which depend on fisheries that could be affected by wind energy development, on the science to fulfill our trust responsibilities and considering indigenous knowledge in our decisions.

“This is a chance to build on our existing partnerships and create new relationships to bring in information from different sources,” said Kevin Werner, Director of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. “We all want to understand the implications of wind energy development, and by working together we can make the most of our collective expertise and experience to provide a clearer view of how wind development may affect the ecosystem.”

Tribal, Federal, State Leaders Celebrate $240 Million In Federal Funding For Maintenance, Upgrades To Tribal Salmon, Steelhead Hatcheries

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Tribal, federal, and state leaders gathered at the Tulalip Reservation earlier this month to celebrate $240 million in federal funding for tribal hatcheries. The Inflation Reduction Act investment will help 27 tribes from Northern California to Southeast Alaska meet maintenance and modernization needs of tribal Pacific salmon and steelhead hatcheries.

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NOAA Issues New EIS, BiOp To Allow Summer, Winter SE Alaska Chinook Troll Fishery Halted By Federal Judge In May

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Commercial troll fishermen in Southeast Alaska may soon be able to again legally fish for Chinook salmon in waters off the Alaskan shore. The SE Alaska troll fleet was facing a near shutdown of fishing after a District Court judge in May remanded NOAA Fisheries’ 2019 biological opinion and incidental take statement for the fishery.

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EIS Out For Public Comment On Hatchery Program To Increase Chinook Salmon For Southern Resident Killer Whales

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NOAA Fisheries is asking the public to weigh in on alternatives on how to fund a controversial hatchery-driven prey increase program that it says would provide 4- to 5-percent more Chinook salmon in Puget Sound for endangered Orcas.

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All Four Lower Klamath River Dams Removed, Several Years Work Ahead To Restore Formerly Submerged Lands

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All four lower Klamath River hydropower dams have been removed. Kiewit, the dam removal contractor hired by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation to complete the construction elements of the project, finished all work this month in the river.

Following the cofferdam breaches last month, a portion of the Iron Gate cofferdam and a temporary river crossing at Copco No. 1 were left in place to provide access to the far side of the river in order to remove diversion infrastructure. With all the diversion infrastructure, temporary bridges, and dam materials now fully removed from the river, the dam removal portion of the Klamath River Renewal Project is now complete.

Restoration and recovery of the river will continue for the coming years.

Together, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, J.C. Boyle, and Iron Gate Dams had blocked fish passage and impaired water quality for more than a century. All four were hydroelectric dams that did not provide irrigation or drinking water and were not operated for flood control.

Following decades of advocacy, led by area tribes and supported by conservation advocates, commercial fishing organizations, and the States of California and Oregon, federal regulators approved the removal of the dams in November 2022. Ownership of the project was then transferred to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the organization that was created to oversee the removal of the dams and related restoration of the previously submerged lands.

Copco No. 2, the smallest dam, was removed in the summer of 2023. In January of 2024 the Copco No. 1, JC Boyle, and Iron Gate reservoirs were drained, and deconstruction began in the spring. Massive amounts of concrete, earth, rocks and clay was removed from the river channel as part of the dam removal process.

With these obstructions now cleared from the mainstem river, fish once again have access to more than 400 stream miles, including in tributary creeks and streams, of habitat in the upper Klamath Basin.

While the dam removal portion of the project is now complete, work will continue for several years restoring the 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands. As the reservoirs drained in January, native seed mix was applied to the reservoir footprints. This initial round of seeding was intended to stabilize sediments and improve soil composition.

This fall, restoration crews will turn their attention to amending soil conditions and will then perform another round of seeding and planting. Restoration crews will be onsite until vegetation success meets predetermined performance metrics. Restoration work is likely to continue for at least the next several years.

To learn more about the project, see klamathrenewal.org.

https://klamathrenewal.org/klamath-dam-removal-comes-to-a-close/

“These final dam removal steps set the stage for salmon to return to reclaimed habitat and expand their population recovery,” said Jim Simondet, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Klamath Branch Supervisor.

NOAA Fisheries analyzed the impacts of dam removal on Endangered Species Act-listed species in a biological opinion. That analysis found that the short-term impacts, such as the potential effects of sediment in the water on salmon, would be outweighed by the much greater long-term benefits as river ecosystem processes return at a landscape scale.

Before the final removal steps, NOAA Fisheries convened a forum called the Fisheries Coordination Team to discuss how to best protect fish and water quality. It included experts from tribes, states, and other federal agencies. The team provided technical recommendations to manage water quality impacts, such as those observed earlier in the year when the reservoirs were initially drained. Crews used a strategy of releasing sediment and organic material that muddied the river but avoided a decline in dissolved oxygen that could have otherwise harmed fish.

“The network of water quality monitoring sites managed by the tribes are providing real-time data to the Fisheries Coordination Team, allowing them to manage sediment inputs and adaptively manage fisheries needs during the final removal process,” said Toz Soto, Fisheries Program Manager for the Karuk Tribe.

The KRRC followed the recommendation to remove sediment and organic material from behind the cofferdam before the dam was fully removed. That resulted in a slower release of the material. The Fisheries Coordination Team will hold weekly check-ins to track extensive water quality monitoring up and down the river.

“Our goal was to provide a forum that allowed for transparent sharing of information, collection of observations, and recommendations from experts who live and work on the river,” said Shari Witmore, a fisheries biologist in NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region’s Klamath Branch. “Leaning on the advice of our partners, we were able to minimize impacts to fish in the Klamath River during the final step of dam removal.”

“Given all the complexities and details necessary to remove the four dams, the work has gone pretty smoothly and commensurate with our expectations,” Simondet said. “That is a testament to the hard work and expertise of the KRRC and its contractors and the planning we all contributed to ahead of time to get this right.”

Also see:

–CBB, Sept. 13, 2024, With Klamath Dams Breached, California Issues ‘Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Restoration Monitoring Plan’ https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/with-klamath-dams-breached-california-issues-klamath-river-anadromous-fishery-reintroduction-and-restoration-monitoring-plan/

–CBB, August 9, 2024, Klamath River Dam Removal: Salmon Scientists Design Monitoring Program To Track Fish Returns, When And Where They Go https://staging.columbiabasinbulletin.org/klamath-river-dam-removal-salmon-scientists-design-monitoring-program-to-track-fish-returns-when-and-where-they-go/

2024 Draft Annual Salmon Survival Report: Smolt-To-Adult Return Rates Won’t Meet Regional Goals Under Non-Breach Alternatives

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The latest draft annual survival study by the Fish Passage Center confirms what the organization has found each year since 2019, that recovery of salmon and steelhead in the Snake River will not occur without breaching the four lower Snake River dams.

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Conservation Groups Settle Lawsuit With WDFW Over Lower Columbia River Hatcheries, Litigation Continues With NOAA, ODFW

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A lawsuit contending that lower Columbia River hatcheries downstream of Bonneville Dam are a threat to wild salmon and steelhead listed under the federal Endangered Species Act was settled in part last week.

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