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Public is asked to weigh in on Makah whaling
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/10/2008
The federal government is asking for feedback on a proposal to allow the Makah Indian Nation to hunt Pacific gray whales off the Washington coast.
The National Marine Fisheries Service released an analysis Friday of the environmental and social effects of five different hunting scenarios, plus an option of not allowing a hunt. The agency is considering permitting the killing of up 20 whales over five years.
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New Squid Species Spotted Off Washington Coast
KUOW
05/12/2008
Marine scientists in Washington state will be on the lookout this summer for a new type of invasive species. It's a kind of squid that has recently appeared in local waters. They worry it may pose a threat to local fish populations.
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Jumbo squid swims north, imperilling B.C. hake
Toronto Globe and Mail
05/12/2008
When British Columbia's hake fleet sets off to trawl the deep ocean off the West Coast later this month, crews will be on alert for a strange, voracious squid that is invading the north Pacific.
The Humboldt, or jumbo, squid is usually found off the coast of Mexico, but there is a heightened alert on the B.C. fishing grounds this year because the species has been making its way up the coast of North America, devastating hake stocks as it goes.
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Area closed: At-risk wildlife
Bend Bulletin
05/12/2008
in places where an overlap between people and wildlife can’t be avoided, the agency turns to seasonal wildlife closures to help protect animals — including deer, elk, pronghorn and sage grouse — at the times when they’re most vulnerable.
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Murrelet Populations Trend Down
Eureka Times-Standard
05/09/2008
Studies started in 2000 appear to show a decline in the population of federally protect marbled murrelets on the West Coast -- but not at the high end of earlier estimates, said a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife biologist.
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Montana Biologists Use Trout to Study Dam Removal
Missoula Missoulian
05/09/2008
State fisheries biologists implanted telemetry devices into seven more trout Thursday, the latest batch to be followed in a decade-long study of the biological impact of the removal of the Milltown Dam and the toxic mining wastes that accumulated behind it over the past century.
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Sea lion cages were outside Bonneville Dam surveillance
Portland Oregonian
05/09/2008
No security cameras were pointed at the floating cages where six sea lions were mysteriously found dead at Bonneville Dam over the weekend, federal authorities said Thursday.
State officials responsible for the trapping of sea lions at the dam also acknowledged there were no measures to monitor activities around the cages or prevent foul play when state crews were not present.
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Apparently Sea Lions Not Shot
AP
05/07/2008
Federal officials did an about-face Wednesday in an investigation of the deaths of six sea lions at Bonneville Dam, saying their initial assumption that the animals had been shot to death was wrong.
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Flame Retardant Found in Falcon Eggs
San Francisco Chronicle
05/08/2008
The eggs of peregrine falcons living in California's big cities contain some of the highest levels ever found in wildlife of a flame retardant used in consumer products, a new study has found.
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Eagle Survivor of Valdez Spill Dies
Anchorage Daily News
05/08/2008
The bald eagle known as One Wing, the Exxon Valdez oil spill survivor that became a mascot and symbol of hope for the Bird Treatment and Learning Center, has died. One Wing, who lived nearly 20 years longer than anyone would have imagined, was found dead in his mew at the center.
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Endangered Owl Symbolizes Interior B.C. Park
Victoria Times Colonist
05/08/2008
Beaker, a five-year-old burrowing owl, an endangered species, is the poster bird for the proposed national park reserve and was in Victoria yesterday as environmental groups presented copies of a 19,000-signature pro-park petition to the province.
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Sea Lion Agreement Reached
AP
05/06/2008
The Humane Society of the United States has reached agreement with state and federal governments that blocks killing or permanent removal of sea lions in the Columbia River until early 2009.
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Blackfoot Valley Lauded for Open Space Efforts
Missoula Missoulian
05/07/2008
Federal wildlife managers, politicians and policymakers praised the Blackfoot Valley's ranchers Tuesday, saying they are national leaders in cooperating to preserve America's open spaces and a rural way of life.
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Push for Crack Down on Illegal Fishing in Alaska
Alaska Public Radio Network
05/07/2008
At a U.S. Senate hearing today, Ted Stevens prodded the head of NOAA to put more effort into curbing illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing on the high seas.
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Longfin Smelt Considered for Endangered Status
Sacramento Bee
05/07/2008
Another Delta fish will be considered for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, following a sharp population decline last year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it will conduct a status review of the longfin smelt to determine whether it warrants protection as a threatened or endangered species.
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Idaho, Montana To Court To Keep Wolf Control
Great Falls Tribune
05/07/2008
Three states have asked to intervene in federal court against a lawsuit seeking to return gray wolves in the Northern Rockies to the endangered species list.
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Gray Whale Dies On Washington Beach
Aberdeen Daily World
05/05/2008
A whale that beached near Copalis Spit Saturday died. Now researchers will try to find out why.
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Sea Lion Shooting Appears To Be Inside Job
Oregon Public Broadcasting
05/05/2008
Federal officials say only one of the six sea lions illegally shot on the Columbia River over the weekend was on a “wanted” list.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports investigators have quickly come to the conclusion that the shooter must have had some insider knowledge.
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Sea Lion Deaths Prompt Security Review
Portland Oregonian
05/06/2008
Federal officials on Monday pledged a review of security at Bonneville Dam after six protected sea lions were found dead Sunday, apparently shot and killed by someone who entered a restricted area at the federal dam complex on the Columbia River.
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Trumpeter Swans Released in Montana
Missoula Missoulian
05/06/2008
Six more trumpeter swans were released in the Blackfoot Valley on Monday, the latest batch of the imperiled waterfowl to be reintroduced here by a coalition of government agencies, nonprofit groups and landowners.
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North Idaho Wolf Plan Sets Hunting Limits
Boise Idaho Statesman
05/06/2008
State officials are recommending that a quota of 25 wolf deaths annually be allowed in Idaho's Panhandle region, with hunting stopped once that limit is met.
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Views: Connect the dots to save orcas, salmon
Seattle Times
05/04/2008
Most people realize that saving Puget Sound's beloved resident orca whales depends on saving the Sound itself, removing the toxic chemicals that are killing the whales, preventing oil spills, and restoring the orcas' essential food, salmon.
But it may be news that our local orcas also depend on restoring salmon runs in the Columbia River Basin. Recent reports of the dramatic declines in West Coast salmon populations make this connection between the mighty Columbia and Snake rivers and our endangered orcas all the more crucial to examine.
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Air Pollution Impedes Bees' Ability to Find Flowers
Washington Post
05/05/2008
Air pollution interferes with the ability of bees and other insects to follow the scent of flowers to their source, undermining the essential process of pollination, a study by three University of Virginia researchers suggests.
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Sea lions apparently shot while in traps
Portland Oregonian
05/05/2008
A controversial sea-lion trapping program along the Columbia River was suspended Sunday after authorities discovered six federally protected animals in floating traps dead, apparently from gunshot wounds.
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Sea lions get homes at SeaWorld parks
Portland Oregonian
05/05/2008
Six sea lions trapped at Bonneville Dam last month headed to SeaWorld parks this weekend, officials said.
Three of the sea lions arrived late Friday at SeaWorld Orlando, said Diane Centeno, a SeaWorld spokeswoman. The sea lions will be quarantined for 30 days, then will join other marine mammals, she said.
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