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    Integrating energy and the environment in the Columbia River Basin

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  • Fish and Wildlife

    The Council works to protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Its Fish & Wildlife Program guides project funding by the Bonneville Power Administration.

    Fish & Wildlife overview

    The Fish and Wildlife Program

    • Fish and Wildlife Program 2018/19 Amendment Process
    • 2014 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program
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    Independent Review Groups

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    Topics

    • Adaptive Management
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  • Energy

    The Council develops a plan, updated every five years, to ensure the region’s power supply and acquire cost-effective energy efficiency.

    Energy overview

    THE NORTHWEST POWER PLAN

    • The 2021 Northwest Power Plan
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    • Planning Process and Past Power Plans

    TECHNICAL TOOLS AND MODELS

    • Regional Portfolio Model
    • Generation Evaluation System Model (GENESYS)

    Energy Advisory Committees

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    Energy Forums and Workgroups

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  • Meetings
    See next Council meeting December 10, 2019 in Portland › See all meetings ›

    View all council meetings View full calendar

    Recent and Upcoming Meetings

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    • Jun 2019 Tue Wed 11 - 12
      Council Meeting
    • Jun 2019 Tue 18
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: June 18, 2019 9:00 am—11:00 am Hatchery Workgroup
    • Jun 2019 Mon 24
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Council Work Session for Fish and Wildlife Program Amendments
    • Jun 2019 Thu 27
      10:30 am—12:00 pm Asset Management Subcommittee
    • Jul 2019 Tue Wed 16 - 17
      Council Meeting
    • Jul 2019 Tue 23
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: July 23, 2019
    • Jul 2019 Thu 25
      9:30 am—3:30 pm Conservation Resources Adv. Committee - 2021 Power Plan
    • Aug 2019 Mon 12
      1:00 pm—5:00 pm Regional Coordination Forum
    • Aug 2019 Tue Wed 13 - 14
      Council Meeting
    • Aug 2019 Tue 13
      5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Aug 2019 Tue 20
      9:00 am—3:00 pm Generating Resources / System Analysis Advisory Committees meeting
    • Aug 2019 Wed 21
      9:30 am—3:45 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee 5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Aug 2019 Thu 22
      5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Aug 2019 Mon 26
      1:30 pm—3:30 pm Resource Adequacy Advisory Committee - Technical Committee
    • Aug 2019 Tue 27
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: August 27, 2019
    • Aug 2019 Fri 30
      10:00 am—11:00 am RAAC Steering Committee WEBINAR
    • Sep 2019 Tue 10
      9:30 am—12:30 pm Demand Forecast Advisory Committee
    • Sep 2019 Wed 11
      9:30 am—12:00 pm RTF Policy Advisory Committee Meeting
    • Sep 2019 Thu 12
      12:00 pm—1:30 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Webinar
    • Sep 2019 Tue Wed 17 - 18
      Council Meeting
    • Sep 2019 Tue 17
      5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Sep 2019 Tue 24
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: September 24, 2019
    • Sep 2019 Wed 25
      9:00 am—3:00 pm Generating Resources Advisory Committee
    • Sep 2019 Mon 30
      5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Oct 2019 Tue 01
      10:00 am—12:00 pm Demand Response Adv. Comm. Webinar - Draft Residential DR Product Assumptions 1:30 pm—4:30 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Workshop #1 5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program 5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Oct 2019 Tue 08
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm Large-group Technical Consultation on the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Oct 2019 Tue Wed 15 - 16
      Council Meeting
    • Oct 2019 Tue 15
      5:00 pm—6:30 pm Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Oct 2019 Tue 22
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: October 22, 2019
    • Oct 2019 Wed 23
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Workshop-Boise
    • Oct 2019 Thu 24
      9:30 am—3:30 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2019 Mon 28
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Workshop - The Dalles 1:00 pm—3:00 pm Informal Hatchery Workgroup
    • Oct 2019 Tue 29
      9:30 am—3:00 pm Generating Resources Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2019 Wed 30
      9:30 am—3:45 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Nov 2019 Wed 06
      9:30 am—2:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Nov 2019 Tue Wed 12 - 13
      Council Meeting
    • Nov 2019 Wed 13
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Workshop - Portland
    • Nov 2019 Thu 14
      9:00 am—11:00 am Proposal Form Webinar - Resident Fish and Sturgeon Review
    • Nov 2019 Mon 18
      12:30 pm—3:30 pm Columbia Basin Habitat RM&E Strategy Workshop - Wenatchee
    • Nov 2019 Tue 19
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: November 19, 2019
    • Dec 2019 Wed 04
      9:00 am—2:30 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2019 Thu 05
      9:00 am—11:00 am Proposal Form Webinar - Resident Fish and Sturgeon Review
    • Dec 2019 Fri 06
      9:30 am—3:00 pm Generating Resources Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2019 Tue 10
      Council Meeting via Webinar
    • Dec 2019 Thu 12
      9:30 am—3:30 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2019 Mon 16
      5:30 pm—7:30 pm Town Hall Meeting on Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty
    • Dec 2019 Tue 17
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: December 17, 2019
    • Dec 2019 Wed 18
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Natural Gas Advisory Comm. Webinar
    • Dec 2019 Thu 19
      1:30 pm—4:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Comm. WEBINAR
    • Jan 2020 Tue 07
      9:00 am—3:00 pm Generating Resource Advisory Committee
    • Jan 2020 Tue Wed 14 - 15
      Council Meeting
    • Jan 2020 Wed 22
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: January 22, 2020
    • Jan 2020 Thu 23
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm System Analysis Advisory Comm. WEBINAR
    • Jan 2020 Wed 29
      9:30 am—3:30 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Feb 2020 Mon 10
      12:00 pm—5:00 pm Regional Coordination Forum
    • Feb 2020 Tue Wed 11 - 12
      Council Meeting
    • Feb 2020 Wed 19
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: February 19, 2020
    • Feb 2020 Thu 20
      9:30 am—3:30 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Mar 2020 Tue Wed 17 - 18
      Council Meeting
    • Mar 2020 Tue 24
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: March 24, 2019
    • Apr 2020 Tue Wed 14 - 15
      Council Meeting
    • Apr 2020 Tue 21
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: April 21, 2020
    • May 2020 Tue Wed 12 - 13
      Council Meeting
    • May 2020 Tue 19
      9:00 am—4:00 pm RTF Meeting: May 19, 2020
    View Council Meetings View all Meetings
  • Reports and Documents

    Browse reports and documents relevant to the Council's work on fish and wildlife and energy planning, as well as administrative reports.

    Browse reports

    Reports by Topic

    • Power Plan
    • Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Subbasin Plans
    • Financial Reports
    • Independent Scientific Advisory Board
    • Independent Scientific Review Panel
    • Independent Economic Analysis Board

    Columbia River History Project

Close

A brief overview of recommendations to amend the fish and wildlife program

October 8, 2013
John Harrison

Share

Ff _01

Here’s a quick overview of the more than 450 recommendations the Council received to amend the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, arranged under the ‘Four Hs” of impacts to fish and wildlife: hydropower, habitat, hatcheries, and harvest:

Hydropower:

  • Continue to recognize the Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinions as the program’s baseline mainstem measures and objectives; others recommend disconnecting the program from the Biological Opinions and pursuing additional flow and passage actions
  • Adjust operations at Libby and Hungry Horse dams to improve conditions for sturgeon and other fish downriver and in reservoirs
  • Increase spill over dams when juvenile salmon and steelhead are migrating to the ocean as an experiment, if state dissolved-gas waivers can be revised
  • Evaluate removal of the four dams in the lower Snake River.

Habitat Protection and improvement

  • Incorporate the estuary, plume, and near-shore ocean more completely in planning
  • Identify and work to reduce toxic water contaminants
  • Prevent establishment of aquatic invasive species
  • Provide passage of anadromous fish into areas blocked by hydropower dams
  • Support existing protected areas and oppose reinstating exemptions (inadvertently dropped from the program in 2000); others recommend expanding protected-area designations to potential transmission corridors and potential wind and solar energy sites, and restoring exemptions

Hatcheries and Harvest

  • Both support for and opposition to incorporating the Columbia River Basin recommendations of the Hatchery Scientific Review Group into the program
  • Add biological objectives to the program for hatchery-specific fish production and adult-return goals, and harvest
  • Support supplementation hatcheries to rebuild naturally spawning populations
  • Support alternative commercial fisheries like the Select Area Fishery Enhancement project in the lower Columbia, which reduce fishing pressure on weak stocks by moving commercial fisheries out of the mainstem river
  • Support for status quo funding, or more, of marking fish with coded wire tags

The Council members and the Council’s Fish and Wildlife Division staff are working through the recommendations and preparing issue-specific summaries for review by the Council. The next step is to write a draft program for public review. Expect the draft program in mid February 2014 for review through mid-May.

Topics: 
Fish and wildlife

Related News

Nov 15, 2019

Fish and Wildlife Program Cost Savings Help Pay For Fish Screen Repairs

Submerged for nearly 30 years, an irrigation canal's fish screens needed major repairs. Cost savings from projects in the Council's program paid for the work.

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Nov 15, 2019

Science Board, Citing Uncertainties, Says Salmon Reintroduction Above Grand Coulee 'Could Be Successful'

Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams block salmon passage to the upper Columbia River. Reintroduction 'could be successful to some extent,' the Council's Independent Scientific Advisory Board said after reviewing a feasibility report by the Upper Columbia United Tribes. The ISAB found the report scientifically credible and urged an early analysis of potential reintroduction costs.

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Nov 13, 2019

Learn About the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program

The Council's new online communication tool will make it easier for users to learn about the fish and wildlife program.

Read full story
Oct 23, 2019

Washington's Orca Task Force Recommends Protections For A Declining Species

The Southern Resident orca population in Puget Sound, part of an iconic species that is as much a symbol of the Pacific Northwest as salmon, is in trouble, and while their problems are simply stated, solutions will be difficult.

Read full story

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