Needs of farmers, salmon sought with new Columbia River water deal

KATU NewsFebruary 15, 2013The decades-long tug-of-war between farmers and environmentalists in Eastern Oregon's Umatilla Basin eased Friday when they, along with tribal interests and government regulators, agreed to a "declaration of cooperation" on a handful of projects to increase irrigation water without hurting endangered salmon.The deal signed Friday by Gov. John Kitzhaber and members of a Read More…

Wiring the oceans for live feeds of animals

Science BlogFebruary 18, 2013For most people, the sea is a deep, dark mystery. That is changing, though, as scientists find innovative ways to track the movements of ocean-going creatures.Stanford marine sciences professor and Stanford Woods Institute Senior Fellow Barbara Block is using technology to enable live feeds of animal movements relayed by a series of “ocean WiFi hotspots.” This Read More…

Feds see early signs of Pacific fishery recovery

San Francisco ExaminerFebruary 16, 2013After one of the West Coast's most valuable commercial fisheries was declared an economic disaster in 2000, California and other Pacific states saw more boats being sold and more fishermen looking for work.But federal statistics show the first signs of a comeback among these so-called groundfish fishermen — those who ply deep waters for dozens of different Read More…

East Side anglers lobby for higher Snake River chinook quotas

Spokesman-ReviewFebruary 17, 2013Often shorted their share of spring chinook, anglers east of the Cascades want a dialog with Washington, Oregon and Idaho during 2013 leading to a better fishery in the Snake River.And they’re going to get it, with discussions tentatively planned this summer and fall with an eye toward potential changes in time for spring salmon fishing in 2014.Read Read More…

Federal court dismisses suit against Elwha hatchery

The Seattle TimesFebruary 17, 2013A federal judge has thrown out a suit against the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s hatchery plan, and the tribe has backed away from stocking the Elwha River with nonnative steelhead.The Elwha is at the center of the region’s long-running debate on hatcheries and their role in salmon recovery. A $325 million federal recovery project for the river is now under way, Read More…

Traces of anxiety drug may affect behavior in fish

The New York TimesFebruary 14, 2013Traces of a common psychiatric medication that winds up in rivers and streams may affect fish behavior and feeding patterns, according to a study in the journal Science published Thursday.Researchers in Sweden exposed wild European perch to water with different concentrations of Oxazepam, an anti-anxiety medication that can show up in waterways after being Read More…

Snow pack below average

RGJ NewsFebruary 14, 2013A weekend storm that was expected to bring some snowfall to the Sierras turned out to be very mild, providing very little new snow and no affect on the area’s snowpack.For the first time since the series of big storms in December got the water year off to a good start, the Walker River Basin’s snowpack has fallen below yearly average.Read Read More…

Bluefin tuna farms gain popularity, bring conflict

FISFebruary 15, 2013A bluefin tuna reserve in Aso Bay, Nagasaki Prefecture, rears young wild-caught fish for three years until they are ready to be sold in the market. This system supplies tuna in prime condition without fishers having to worry about finding it in the Pacific, as coming across large amounts of adult tuna is no longer a simple feat.“With farming, you don’t have to worry about Read More…

Fish Fight battles on after landmark fisheries reform

The IndependentFebruary 14, 2013Last week the EU seas and the fisheries they sustain faced a critical turning point. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), a regulation that governs everything from what lands on our plate to the nets used to catch it, is currently being reformed. For the first time ever, the European Parliament could vote for the CFP it wanted.Much was at stake. Only a few months Read More…

Fishing for plastic in a peaceful sea

The OregonianFebruary 14, 2013As a marine biologist, and a veteran of some 800 research dives, Thom Young had heard quite a bit about the Pacific Ocean's "garbage patch," the quiet spots in the North Pacific Gyre where plastic accumulates amid rotating currents.On a Plastics at SEA voyage late last year, Young, a 33-year-old from Milwaukie, and 37 other crew members got to experience it Read More…