Category – Fish and wildlife

BPA and IDFG reported on the success of the project, with plans for ongoing stewardship.

Representatives from BPA, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, the Columbia Land Trust, and the Columbia River Estuary Taskforce presented on habitat restoration projects and ongoing research in the estuary.

Last September, quagga mussel larvae were detected in the Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho during routine monitoring conducted by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the first time they had been found in the basin. Keeping them out of the basin will be a year-round, full-time effort.

Members of the federal negotiating team presented to the Council on the recently released agreement in principle to modernize the Columbia River Treaty.

The Willamette Bi-Op Habitat Restoration Project and John Day Watershed Restoration Project are prime examples of local coordination towards improving fish and wildlife habitat.

The Council approved the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe’s Waterwheel Hatchery Program Step 1 review and a recommendation to Bonneville to fund non-recurring maintenance for fish screens in FY2025.

The Council hosted a discussion on the next phases to study and test the feasibility of reintroducing salmon in the upper Columbia, with tribal members and representatives from several federal agencies presenting.

WDFW briefed the Council on the survival of adult summer steelhead through the Columbia River hydrosystem.

Understanding how ocean conditions affect salmon, especially as the climate warms, is a priority of the Fish and Wildlife Program. NOAA presented findings on 2023 ocean conditions for salmon and steelhead, and explained how actions taken in freshwater can improve ocean survival.

IDFG continues to improve habitat in the Potlatch watershed, the largest spawning area for wild steelhead in the lower Clearwater River.