Aiding the Chinook salmon recovery

San Francisco ChronicleApril 4, 2013Chinook salmon, those key species of the ocean’s biodiversity and delicious heavyweights of the dinner table, have been victims of a population crash for a century or more for many reasons — including the disappearance of natural flood plains along bends of the Sacramento River, where they used to grow before heading past the Delta and out to sea.Now an Read More…

Researchers laud ‘spectacular’ success of salmon grown in Yolo…

Daily DemocratApril 3, 2013A few miles down a slatted road in the Yolo Bypass, scientists are working on a new way for farmers to grow fish along with their crops. So far, the experiment has been a success."What we're seeing is fish that are growing at absolutely spectacular rates," said Jacob Katz, one of the study's principal researchers.Read Read More…

Mixed numbers for salmon opener

The Stockton RecordApril 3, 2013Ocean sport fishing season for king salmon opens Saturday off the California coast, from Horse Mountain in Humboldt County south to the Mexican border, giving recreational anglers a 26-day head start before commercial fishing season begins May 1.The Pacific Fishery Management Council will finalize other details of king salmon fishing season, including expected Read More…

Foes of governor’s tunnel scheme to hold funeral

CVBTApril 2, 2013Opponents of Gov. Jerry Brown's scheme to build giant tunnels that would drain water from the Sacramento River before it could flow naturally into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta say they hope to give away a coffin on Thursday.The intended recipient is Natural Resources Agency Deputy Director Jerry Meral, the Brown Administration's leader for the twin tunnel project that Read More…

Columbia River coal dust is subject of environmental lawsuit

The OregonianApril 02, 2013At the railroad berm that divides Horsethief Lake from the Columbia River, you can stick your hand between the rocks and come up with fistfuls of crumbly coal-black pebbles and dust. For the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, such spots are Exhibit A in their case against plans to export coal from Northwest ports.Read Read More…

Report: 1 in 5 Californians live in flood zone

The TribuneApril 2, 2013As California endures one of its driest winters, on record, some state water managers are focused on the opposite end of the precipitation spectrum - the one in five residents who live in regions susceptible to catastrophic flooding.More than $575 billion in development and $7 billion in farm output rests on or around floodplains, according to a joint state-federal report Read More…

Detective work uncovers under-reported overfishing

NatureApril 2, 2013It is a whopper of a catch, in more ways than one: China is under-reporting its overseas fishing catch by more than an order of magnitude, according to a study1 published on 23 March. The problem is particularly acute in the rich fisheries of West Africa, where a lack of transparency in reporting is threatening efforts to evaluate the ecological health of the waters.Read Read More…

Reducing bycatch in Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries

The Fish SiteApril 2, 2013 A new plan is being crafted by federal managers for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries that will reduce bycatch by trawlers, and it will very likely result in a catch share plan. Now is the time for fishing residents to make sure the new program protects their access to local resources and sustains, instead of drains, their coastal communities. Read Read More…

States delay commercial fishing for spring chinook

The ColumbianApril 1, 2013Commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River will be delayed until April 9 with the net fleet then likely to be limited to seven to nine fish per vessel.The Columbia River Compact decided on Monday not to have a commercial tangle-net fishery on Tuesday in order to allow more hatchery-origin spring chinook to enter the river. Sport fishing Read More…

Green River has ‘catch and kill’ order for pike, 2 other species

The Salt Lake TribuneApril 1, 2013A new fishing regulation requiring anglers to "catch and kill" three species on the world famous Blue Ribbon Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam appears to have come just in time.Northern pike, a nonnative species that found its way into the Green from the Yampa River system in Colorado where the fish were introduced, have been spotted on the river for decades, Read More…