Researchers demonstrate the effectiveness of eDNA in the calculation…

PhysOrg — For almost 20 years, researchers at the Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) site have conducted detailed censuses of the majestic kelp forests off Santa Barbara. By counting fish species and placing them in the context of their environmental conditions, UCSB coastal marine ecologist Robert Miller and his colleagues can look at the effects of human activity Read More…

New SONAR Technology Reveals City-size Schools Of Fish

IEEE Spectrum — Early on a May morning back in 2003, I was on the research vessel Oceanus some 200 kilometers south of Long Island, N.Y., searching for something I had been chasing for years. It wasn't a white whale, but it was just as alive—and a whole lot bigger. My scientific colleagues and I had jokingly referred to the enigmatic thing we were seeking as a UFO—for "unidentified Read More…

Heavy rainfall eases drought effects in Mekong Delta

UCA News — Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on July 29. But it said river levels across all monitoring stations remain lower than their alarm or danger points with the region experiencing the third year of a Read More…

A Major Drought Is Gripping The West. Still, There’s Reason To Be…

KUER — Concerning news about Utah’s extreme drought keeps coming. On Wednesday, Utah’s Department of Natural Resources said the drought continues to have “a stranglehold on the state,” despite wild weather swings that dumped rain in some areas. Washington Post Columnist David Von Drehle recently wrote an opinion piece about the drought gripping the West. He spoke with KUER’s Pamela Read More…

DWR Completes Installation of Emergency Salinity Drought Barrier

California Department of Water Resources — After three weeks of round-the-clock work, the emergency drought salinity barrier (EDSB) was completed in late June. The barrier will help prevent saltwater contamination of water supplies used by millions of Californians who rely on Delta-based federal and state water projects for at least some of their water supplies. “Keeping saltwater from Read More…

$65M in Fed Bill For More Water Storage

Manteca / Ripon Bulletin — Not a drop of new “moon shoot” water storage has been created in California for more than 40 years. It’s a point that isn’t lost on Congressman Josh Harder. Nor is the fact water issues facing the heart of the Northern San Joaquin Valley are interconnected with communities often hundreds of miles away from the 10th District that he represents in Read More…

Beavers aid in climate battle, local experts fight to protect species…

Central Coast Public Radio — Wild beavers play a critical role in the fight against climate change by creating wetlands that combat drought and wildfire. The species is native to California — but unlike beavers in Oregon and Washington, they aren’t protected from being trapped and killed in the state. Beavers have existed in North America for millions of years, with large Read More…

Salmon getting through Fraser River slide zone as officials ponder…

CFJC Today — Officials say thousands of migrating salmon are making their way past an area of British Columbia’s Fraser River where a waterway was restructured following a massive rock slide more than two years ago. Gwil Roberts, the Fisheries Department’s director for the Big Bar landslide response, says 79,000 sockeye and chinook salmon have been counted passing through the site and Read More…

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awards Clover Island $4 million dollars…

KNDO — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District (Corps) on Monday, awarded a $4 million construction contract to TDX Power Services, LLC to restore Clover Island’s aquatic and riparian habitat to benefit endangered salmonids. The Corps and its partner, the Port of Kennewick, have been engaged since 2015 in developing aquatic and riparian habitat along the north shore of Read More…

New legislation supports Oregon fisheries

Newport News Times — The passage of House Bill 3114 is another historic Oregon first in the fight against ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) and shows Oregon leaders’ awareness of the importance of healthy oceans. Oregon is an epicenter for OAH and was one of the first places in the world to observe direct impacts of ocean change when oyster hatchery production collapsed in 2007 from Read More…