Over 30 Yangtze porpoises found dead in China as population nears…

MongabayBy Jeremy HanceMay 1, 2012Six years after the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), or baiji, was declared "functionally extinct" by scientists, another marine mammal appears on the edge of extinction in China's hugely degraded Yangtze River. In less than two months, 32 Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), a subspecies of the finless porpoise, Read More…

Plans for dams on Mekong River could spell disaster for area fisheries

News at PrincetonBy John SullivanApril 30, 2012A massive expansion of hydropower planned for the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia could have a catastrophic impact on the river's fishery and millions of people who depend on it, according to a new study by researchers including scientists from Princeton University.The researchers analyzed a number of scenarios for dam construction along the Read More…

Hundreds of submissions on King Salmon’s expansion plans

FISBy Natalia RealApril 30, 2012Roughly 200 submissions were made on New Zealand King Salmon's (NZKS) application to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) by the end of last week.A board of inquiry will consider an application from the aquaculture company to construct nine new salmon farms: three in Queen Charlotte Sound and six in Pelorus Sound. NZKS has planned several farms -- in an area Read More…

Columbia spring chinook: Just late or not coming?

The ColumbianBy Allen Thomas April 30, 2012State, tribal and federal fish biologists agreed Monday the spring chinook run headed for the upper Columbia River is unlikely to reach the hefty expectations.Or is it just way behind schedule due to a very high Columbia that's also cold and dirty? The Columbia River Technical Advisory Committee, made up of a variety of biologists, said the run is not Read More…

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announces new grants for…

The Sacramento BeeApril 30, 2012The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced the second round of grant awards from its Fisheries Innovation Fund, a program launched in 2010 to support sustainable fisheries in the U.S. With the goal of sustaining fishermen while rebuilding fish stocks, the new grants will aid the design and implementation of projects that provide technical and Read More…

Elwha sediment not just mud, it’s nourishment

The Seattle TimesBy Lynda V. Mapes April 30, 2012The sediment loads in the Elwha River are spiking because the reservoir behind former Elwha Dam is now completely gone. That means the settling of fines that used to occur in the lake is no longer happening so all that material is pouring into the river, and heading on down to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's a dramatic sight.The distinct line is Read More…

Where Have All the Salmon Gone?

Modesto Bee February 10, 2008 Most people don't think about salmon until it arrives on their plates properly prepared, having been delivered by truck. Few realize that life starts in Stanislaus County for many salmon; that hundreds of thousands of them swim through Modesto and Ceres on their way to the ocean. And until the price of that salmon on their plates goes through the roof, they won't Read More…

Salmon run in big trouble, fish counts show

Modesto Bee January 30, 2008 By Mike Mooney A dramatic decline in the number of chinook salmon returning to spawn in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, and elsewhere in California, could lead to severe fishing restrictions. As of Tuesday, only 1,100 chinook, also known as king salmon, had been counted on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. That's about an 80 percent drop from the Read More…

Fewer salmon seen in San Joaquin rivers; predators one factor

The Modesto Bee November 4, 2007 By Michael Mooney The fish are jumping, but in apparently dwindling numbers, as the spawning season for salmon nears prime time in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Traditionally, most spawning activity on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers occurs during the second and third weeks of November. "So far, the numbers are very low," said Tim Ford, an Read More…