Dams powered Tacoma but killed off salmon runs. 92 years later the…

KIRO 7 – Tacoma Power is now in the fish business. After a 92-year absence, spring chinook salmon are once again moving up and down the North Fork of the Skokomish River, thanks to a lot of human intervention and $62 million worth of state-of-the art facilities. Two new hatcheries, collection facilities and extensive monitoring of fish habitat have been put in place. In August, some of Read More…

Rare Columbia River salmon fishing closure mix of bad ocean, bad…

The Spokesman Review – This week’s rare closure of most of the Columbia River to salmon fishing is largely the result of a double whammy of bad weather and bad ocean conditions in 2015. “I can tell you, yes, our phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Bill Tweit of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department’s Columbia River Policy office. “But not a lot of irate Read More…

WWF expresses satisfaction at electronic catch reporting

FIS – Fisheries New Zealand Minister Stuart Nash has announced that electronic catch and position reporting will be implemented across the entire fishing fleet, which was welcomed by Environmental group WWF-New Zealand. The decision stems from the fact that electronic reporting enables more accurate and timely information to be gathered on commercial fish catches. “Electronic catch Read More…

Is Mass Surveillance the Future of Conservation?

Slate – The high seas are probably the most lawless place left on Earth. They’re a portal back in time to the way the world looked for most of our history: fierce and open competition for resources and contested territories. Pirating continues to be a way to make a living. It’s not a complete free-for-all—most countries require registration of fishing vessels and enforce Read More…

Farmers thought they had 20 years to use groundwater as they wished…

The Sacramento Bee – California farmers are laboring under a daunting edict: They must stop over-pumping groundwater from beneath their ranches. The saving grace is that state law gives them more than 20 years to do it. Now, however, a landmark court ruling could force many farmers to curb their groundwater consumption much sooner than that, landing like a bombshell in the contentious Read More…

SJ River Flood Protection

Manteca Bulletin – The House of Representatives Thursday unanimously passed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. It includes provisions authored by Congressman Jeff Denham that authorizes long-delayed flood control protection measures needed to enhance the safety of more than 50,000 residents in San Joaquin County. Denham also was successful at inserting language that requires Read More…

The Future of Fish Farming May Be Indoors

Scientific American – On a projection screen in front of a packed room in a coastal Maine town, computer-animated salmon swim energetically through a massive oval tank. A narrator’s voice soothingly points out water currents that promote fish exercise and ideal meat texture, along with vertical mesh screens that “optimize fish densities and tank volume.” The screens also make dead fish Read More…

Salmon standard sets new benchmark

The Fish Site – The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Salmon Standard requires producers to demonstrate responsible aquaculture to minimise both environmental and social impacts, and requires an unprecedented level of transparency and traceability. The salmon certification programme has grown steadily since its launch in 2012, with 240 salmon farms now certified. The GSSI benchmark is Read More…

Humans devastated California’s chinook salmon. Now they want to…

CS Monitor – Dave Vogel already knew that levees and dams had devastated the coastal salmon population in California’s longest river. The surprise for the fisheries scientist arrived when he saw the video footage of young salmon clustered beneath bridges in the watery depths. City and county agencies in Northern California hired Mr. Vogel to provide research on several Read More…

NOAA National Survey Details Money Spent On Ocean, Coastal…

The Columbia Basin Bulletin – A new report by social scientists at NOAA Fisheries reveals that viewing or photographing the ocean was the top activity for ocean lovers in the U.S. in number of participants, days spent, and how much people paid to do it, with the Pacific Region having the largest number of participants. The recently released report provides results from the National Ocean Read More…