salmon

After decades of fighting to protect salmon and steelhead, Northwest tribal leaders signed a historic agreement with state and federal officials – the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative.

After decades of courtroom drama, a document leak and years of negotiation, federal officials agreed with six Northwest tribes to restore salmon, build-up clean energy and begin studying how to replace services the Lower Snake River dams provide.

For Northwest tribes, removing the four lower Snake River dams means more than just saving salmon, more than just saving the orcas that rely on salmon for food. More than 15 tribes joined together this week in Tulalip, Wash., to demand the federal government uphold their treaty obligations.

President Biden today directed federal agencies to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon populations to the Columbia River Basin. The presidential memorandum says tribal treaties need to be honored.

In a historic agreement, the federal government announced Thursday it will fund tribal efforts to bring salmon back to the Upper Columbia River. Two massive dams have blocked salmon from that part of the river for close to a century.

Northern pike have massive, toothy jaws and even bigger appetites. The invasive fish have been known to even chomp down on bats and ducks. So, it’s no wonder biologists are worried about salmon – and the billions of dollars that have been poured into their recovery.

Four congress members listened to testimony about whether the four Lower Snake River dams should stay in place or be removed.

Each Spring, Northwest tribes celebrate the first foods of the season. At a Colville ceremony marking the return of migrating salmon, ecological challenges were top of mind.

Searching where salmon lay eggs is getting a boost from some eyes in the sky. Researchers are testing drones to survey for salmon nests.

The United States and Canada will renegotiate how to handle flood control and hydropower on the Columbia River. However, salmon advocates also want negotiators to consider the health of the Columbia River ecosystem.