Thursday April 16, 2026
Source ONE News —
A unique fish-survival study along the Columbia River will soon take to the skies, as helicopters are set to transport thousands of juvenile salmon and steelhead on a carefully coordinated mission aimed at tracking their journey to the Pacific Ocean.
Beginning in late April and continuing through May, approximately 3,600 young fish—each implanted with tiny acoustic tracking devices—will be flown in a suspended tank and released into the river below key dam locations. The effort is part of a required 10-year study led by Grant PUD to monitor how successfully fish navigate a 58-mile stretch of river past Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams.