Tag Archives: Columbia River
Kitzhaber’s original sin yields a disappointment
A state-dictated transition from gillnets to seining gear to harvest Columbia River hatchery salmon continues to fail to meet expectations, according to latest results. And yet fisheries managers continue resisting a formal reassessment of the plan until next year when, supposedly, gillnetting will cease forever on the river’s main stem. The Columbia Basin Bulletin (www.cbbulletin.com) on Sept. 11 reported the latest results from the seine fishery, which was eliminated in Washington in 1935 and in Oregon in 1950, but revived by ex-Gov. John Kitzhaber when he unilaterally,,, Read the rest here 11:13
Tribes, fishermen battle salmon-eating sea lions on the Columbia River
Begay idled the boat and stared downriver, waiting to see if the sea lion would resurface. “We’re seeing a lot of new animals this year,” he said. “It’s like everyone brought a friend.” This year, that task was harder than ever, as unprecedented numbers of sea lions flooded into the. The influx reignited a smoldering debate: What happens when a protected marine mammal clashes with an endangered fish? Some regard sea lions as ravenous pests; others as scapegoats for the more serious problems afflicting salmon. But almost everyone agrees that they’re,,, Read the rest here 08:52
Greater than average returns sets Columbia River Fall salmon seasons with good forecasts
Greater than average forecasts of fall chinook and coho salmon are opening the way for more commercial fishing in the Columbia River. In three meetings in recent weeks, the two-state Columbia River Compact set fishing periods for both treaty Indian and non-Indian commercial gillnetters, select area fisheries, research seine fisheries and recreational fisheries. The compact also set the select area gillnet fisheries (those commercial fisheries not in the main Columbia River channel) at its July 29 hearing. Read the rest here 12:16
Barely half of all the sockeye salmon migrating up the Columbia River have survived to reach their spawning grounds
Unseasonably hot water has killed nearly half of the sockeye salmon migrating up the Columbia River through Oregon and Washington state, a wildlife official said on Monday. Only 272,000 out of the more than 507,000 sockeye salmon that have swum between two dams along a stretch of the lower Columbia River have survived the journey, said Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries manager John North. “We’ve never had mortalities at this scale,” said North. Read the rest here 15:16
Dozens of sturgeon found dead in Columbia River
Washington Fish and Wildlife officials have received repeated reports of dead sturgeon this week on the Columbia River. On Wednesday, Paul Hoffarth, district biologist for Fish and Wildlife, began adding up the sightings. His rough total came to 66 dead sturgeon in the Columbia River from McNary Dam to Boardman. More than 20 were reported upstream, from the Hanford Reach downstream to the McNary Dam. The exact cause of the die-off of the largest freshwater fish in North America is a mystery. Read the rest here 08:25
Sea lions inundate Oregon Coast in historic numbers wreaking havoc on fisheries, causing damage to docks and infuriating fishermen
During a Feb. 11 aerial survey, WDFW also counted more than 1,200 California sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin, along with nearly 600 Steller and California sea lions on the South Jetty. On Friday, spokeswoman Jessica Sall of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said, her agency counted 2,340 California sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin. Increasing numbers of pinnipeds, driven by starvation in California to the healthy smelt and salmon runs in the Columbia River, have put a strain,,, Read the rest here 19:59
Agencies weighing next steps in gillnet-replacement fisheries on the Columbia River
Purse and beach seine gear could be a part of the regular Columbia River commercial salmon fishery this year, drawing from the same pool as the rest of the fleet — even when it comes to the number of fish they can keep or handle before everyone has to stop fishing. Whether or not the new seine fishery will exist has come down to a question of numbers. Specifically, which numbers.After testing seine gear on the river following a mandate from Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to phase out the use of commercial gillnets on the mainstem of the Columbia,,, Read the rest here 14:27
Sea lions take a big bite out of returning salmon runs
“When the region is directing more than half a billion dollars a year to fish and wildlife recovery and nearly half of the spring run is being consumed by seals and sea lions, then we definitely have a problem,” a member of the Northwest Power and Planning Council said. Read the rest here 14:40
5 Fishermen Rescued by the Coast Guard when vessel runs aground on the Columbia River – Video
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a distress call at 2:16 a.m. from the fishing vessel Titan 
crew stating that they had grounded and were taking on water in their engine room. The watchstanders directed the launch of the MLB crew from Cape Disappointment and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Oregon. Read the rest here 14:44 Video here
New system eases lamprey passage
Pacific lamprey will now be able to more easily swim past the McNary Lock and Dam on the Columbia River. Dam managers have installed a new lamprey passage system — the first of its kind for the toothy, eel-like fish. Read more here columbian.com 12:06
Knitting with Stainless Steel Wire! (get ready to bleed) Grant’s Getaways-Winter Crab – Video
When you’re lucky enough to go fishing with a good friend who knows the water well, you’re sure to learn something new. That’s especially true when the Columbia River is under your keel to carry you toward new adventure. Steve Fick first explored the Columbia River estuary as a kid, so he knows his way around the vast waterway where the river meets the sea. Read [email protected] 09:05
Seines may need sport-fishing closures in Columbia River
Commercial salmon fishing with purse seines and beach seines — for profit not just testing — is coming to the lower Columbia River in the fall of 2014. [email protected] 12:18:48
More Salmon May Survive The Ocean Than Previously Thought
When Columbia River salmon reach the ocean, they may swim off in different directions than previously thought. that could require new thinking on how many fish are surviving their journey to the sea. [email protected] 13:48
Tangle net experiment: Columbia River fishermen try out gillnet alternative
Even with a chance at late returning coho salmon, few commercial gillnet fishermen will be out with tangle nets on the Columbia River in the next two weeks. more@dailyastorian 22:26
Wild salmon: Are their best days all behind them?
Chinook salmon returns are setting records on the Columbia this year. But 80 percent are hatchery fish. Thirteen wild salmon populations in the region are listed as endangered and 11 are threatened. The latest threat, warming waters, comes on top of the longstanding dangers of hydropower for salmon. more@crosscut 20:29
Rocky Barker: A quick guide to the salmon-dam debate
The proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, tribal, state and other biologists to test higher spill — water that doesn’t go through power-generating turbines — at the eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers is a continuation of a long debate among scientists. So what are the biologists proposing? more@idahostatesman 07:38
The fall Chinook salmon run on the Columbia River is the largest ever, and could hit 1 million fish by the time it is done.
The fish count at Bonneville Dam went over 613,700 on Friday, the largest number since the dam was completed in 1938. At the peak of the run, nearly 64,000 fish passed the viewing windows in a single day. more@registerguard 13:43
Protecting salmon from sea lions: Progress is elusive
Although there’s been considerable effort over the years to remove predatory sea lions feasting on endangered fish in the Columbia River, the large mammals continue to flock to the area each spring. Fish management officials say the process required to lethally eliminate sea lions is too lengthy, and subsequently little — if any — impact has been made on the problem. @yakimaherald
The Army Corps of Engineers created a “pollution crisis” on the Columbia River – Greens Call Bonneville Dam Cancerous Polluter
“The Columbia River is one of the West’s great river systems. This river supports rich fishing traditions, provides water for communities and agriculture, recreation opportunities, and power for hydroelectric dams. The river is also severely degraded by pollution. Toxic pollution threatens the health of people that eat local fish and jeopardizes the public’s right to eat fish caught locally. Rising water temperatures also threaten the health of salmon and other aquatic life that relies on cool water for survival,” the complaint states. @courthousenews
Tribal fishing season begins on Columbia River
PORTLAND, Ore. — Tribal fisheries have begun their commercial summer fish sales today along the banks of the Columbia River. continued@Yakima Herald-Republic
Commercial fishermen challenge new Ore. gillnet rules; ask Wash. to delay decision
ASTORIA, Oregon — Commercial fishermen turned to the Oregon Court of Appeals on Friday to challenge a recent change in the state’s gillnet fishing rules.
On Dec. 7, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to ban the use of gillnets to catch fish on the main stem of the Columbia River, relegating the primary commercial-fishing tool to side channels and tributaries.
Washington’s fish commission is expected to decide next week on similar rules. That could eliminate the centuries-old practice from both sides of the river. Read More
