The Chehalis Watershed In Peril

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Al Bergstein
A Tale of Floods, Droughts, Forest Practices, and Climate Change
Environmental Speaker Series
Thursday, November 30, 2023  |  4:30-5:20pm PT
In-Person at WWU: Academic Instructional Center West, Room 204
and Online on Zoom
The Chehalis Watershed In Peril : Western Washington University (wwu.edu)

The Chehalis watershed has been in crisis for decades. Additionally, misguided farmers along the river have taken it on their own to “address” the problems, causing even more destruction. This should be an interesting discussion. I talked to Senator Van De Wege years ago about bills to open up gravel mining on the river, thankfully stopped by the Tribes.

About the Event

The Chehalis watershed is the second largest watershed in Washington State. From its headwaters in the Willapa Hills, it runs about 130 miles in a circuitous path to the Chehalis River estuary. It is a rain-fed watershed that has been heavily logged since the 1850s. Tree plantations, both privately and publicly owned, dominate the watershed. Only 14,000 acres of older, structurally complex forests remain in the watershed, where there are no National Parks or other protected areas.

In the summer of 2023, the Chehalis River experienced the lowest water levels in 94 years – since recordkeeping began. Clear-cut logging of old forests has a huge impact on stream and river hydrology, with flows reduced by as much as 50% in summer as water is sucked up by young plantation trees. Clear-cut logging also has a clear connection to the devastating floods that dominate the watershed in the last 30 years.

In this talk, Lee will give a general overview of environmental issues in the Chehalis watershed, as well as highlight the connection between forest practices and water quality. She will highlight the importance of preserving the last of the older, structurally complex and diverse forests that remain in the watershed.

The Environmental Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30pm in Academic Instructional Center West, room 204. Join us at WWU or online on Zoom!
Brought to you by:
College of the Environment
The Foundation for Western Washington University & Alumni
 

Event Speaker

Lee First

Twin Harbors Waterkeeper
Lee First has a BS in Environmental Studies (Western Washington University) and a Professional Certificate in Wetland Science and Management (University of Washington). She has worked in the Waterkeeper movement for almost 20 years. As the Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, she works to advocate for, protect, and prevent pollution in the Chehalis, Willapa watersheds, as well as watersheds on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Her past job experience includes managing environmental controls at a Superfund Cleanup Site, collecting water quality data for cities and counties, delineating wetlands and developing mitigation plans for Tribal governments, and controlling aquatic invasive species. Her passion for canoeing and kayaking (especially exploring new waterways) has led her to completing 17 sea kayak expeditions on the Inside Passage.

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Why 10 billion snow crabs starved to death in the Bering Sea – Phys.org

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Global warming of our seas is now destroying one of the main commercial aquaculture crops of Alaska and Bering Sea. By 2021, more than 90% of snow crab vanished. This year the fishery was closed. Scientists now know why.

If we don’t get a handle on this our food from the oceans is in deep trouble. But of course, many politicians still refuse to even acknowledge there is a problem, since their oil industry funded campaigns demand they do and misguided climate deniers like Cliff Mass continue to wait for enough data before they change their minds. I guess someone needs to be the last one off the sinking ship. Hope they have a life raft. Unfortuately they will help take all of us down with them.

“A team of marine biologists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fishery Science Center has solved the mystery of why approximately 10 billion snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea back in 2018/2019—the water there was too warm for them.”

and this:
“Second snow crab season canceled as researchers pinpoint cause of decline” Anchorage Daily News October 30, 2023.

and

In the aftermath of the Bering Sea Snow Crab collapse, a cultural, social and economic emergency.

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Science, fishing | Comments Off on Why 10 billion snow crabs starved to death in the Bering Sea – Phys.org

EVENT: WWU Lecture on Fossil Fuel Pollution in Puget Sound

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, education, environmental education, Environmental Science, Sea Life, Shellfish | Comments Off on EVENT: WWU Lecture on Fossil Fuel Pollution in Puget Sound

ACTION item: Stopping the industrialization of the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Time after time, citizens have had to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for failing to protect the animals and their habitat as required by law, in areas that the nation has recognized as critical to preserve as habitat and for public recreation. Now USFWS is willing to allow, for private profit, the industrialization of refuge lands for shellfish operations. 

 

>>Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland that the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge lease for industrial aquaculture must be rescinded.

 

In spite of demonstrated harm to birds, salmon, forage fish, and shellfish, and a recommendation by the National Marine Fisheries Service that “an alternative site be identified in a location that results in less potential impacts to wildlife that is more appropriate for aquaculture and meets the goals of the tribe,” USFWS approved a lease for an industrial oyster farm inside the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. This decision, which is in violation of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, must be reversed. 

 

In the words written of an October 2022 USFWS internal memorandum, “Forgoing a compatibility determination in order to facilitate incompatible commercial activities by any entity would be a subversion of the fundamental requirements in the [USFWS] Improvement Act.” 

 

We are targeting the most recent case of the USFWS’s permissiveness in one of the country’s most pristine nature lands, the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in the small rural town of Sequim Washington, just below the Olympic National Park. In this case, the shellfish corporation raises shellfish on other sites. They do not need to operate in a national refuge and deny wildlife their feeding and breeding grounds. 

 

The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was created by Executive Order in 1915 by Woodrow Wilson, directing the area to be set aside as a “refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds and prohibits any disturbance of the birds within the reserve.” The front page of the Refuge website states: “Pets, bicycles, kite flying, Frisbees, ball-playing, camping, and fires are not permitted on the Refuge as they are a disturbance for the many migrating birds and other wildlife taking solitude on the Refuge.” With this level of concern, it is counterintuitive to allow destructive industrial aquaculture.  

 

Industrial shellfish aquaculture is known to reduce or eliminate eelgrass with the use of pesticides. Shellfish aquaculture also involves large-scale use of plastics—PVC tubes and plastic netting—that are hazardous to marine organisms and can trap and entangle wildlife. Commercial shellfish aquaculture is a major industry in Washington state that has significant impacts on the nearshore marine environments, which provide essential habitat for many species, including invertebrates, fish (including herring and salmon), and birds (migratory and shorebirds). 

 

Among the negative impacts of this project are: 50% reduction in bird primary feeding grounds; plastic oyster bags that exclude the probing shorebird flocks from feeding deeply into the substrate, entrap fish and birds, add macro- and micro-plastic bits to the sediment throughout the refuge, and shift the benthic community composition; diminishing of the ecological benefits provided by eelgrass to threatened fish and birds, such as nourishment and cover from predators; and increased algal blooms that will leave a graveyard of dead oysters. These detrimental effects to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge are NOT minimal. Decisionmakers should not place financial benefits to the corporation above the long-term and cumulative impacts to the refuge. Half of the world’s 10,000-odd bird species are in decline. One in eight faces the threat of extinction. 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost from the United States and Canada in only 50 years. 

 

Let’s raise our national voice and try and stop this refuge destruction with public persuasion. This is a public space we pay to protect. For more information, check out the Daily News post from last August, “Groups Sue U.S. Interior Department to Protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge from Industrial Aquaculture.” 

 

This action follows a lawsuit filed by three environmental organizations against the U.S. Department of Interior for failing to protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge from industrial aquaculture. The groups, including Protect the Peninsula’s Future, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, and Beyond Pesticides, filed their complaint in the U.S. Western District Court of Washington State. The complaint states that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Department of Interior, must “take action that is required by the Refuge Improvement Act and conduct a compatibility determination and require a special use permit for a proposed industrial aquaculture use” that will abut and impact the Refuge. The plaintiffs are represented by the Seattle, WA law firm of Bricklin and Newman LLP. 

 

>>Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland that the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge lease for industrial aquaculture must be rescinded.

 

We are focusing this Action against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Secretary of State.  

 

Thank you for your active participation and engagement!

 

Please take this ACTION and circulate it to your family, friends and colleagues.

https://secure.everyaction.com/WMJxQmNjDUqarx4FmLzUrA2

also, to support the lawsuit, you can send checks to:

Send a check to: PPF, POBox 421, Sequim WA 98382 or through PayPal: https://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/donate/

        PPF is a federal recognized 501c3 non-profit.

Filed under: Aquaculture, Clallam County, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula, Sea Life, Shellfish, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: , | Comments Off on ACTION item: Stopping the industrialization of the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

Stormwater Toxics Research Grants Announced

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Al Bergstein

The Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead is excited to announce the initial funding list for Toxics In Fish projects on Research into Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) and Implementing Chemical Action Plans (CAP).

$3.5 million has been awarded to projects to research and reduce the impact of toxic chemicals in waters around Puget Sound. These projects will support important research on pollutants and their effect on salmon and other fish, as well as efforts to reduce toxic products and test new treatment methods to prevent harmful chemicals from reaching our waters. Read the funding list here.

Chemical Action Plan Implementation Funding Opportunity – Reopened through August 15

In addition, $2 million remains available for projects under the CAP Implementation funding opportunity, which is accepting a second round of applications through August 15, 2023. The CAP Request for Proposals targets projects to reduce PFAS, PCBs, and PBDEs in Puget Sound waterways. Projects may involve environmental monitoring, replacing products with safer alternatives, treating contaminated stormwater, or other actions recommended in Chemical Action Plans. Projects that address tribal treaty rights or include an environmental justice component to support historically underserved communities or vulnerable populations are especially encouraged to apply. More information on this RFP is available on our blog.

Access the CAP Request for Proposals (RFP) and apply via the Stormwater SIL RFP webpage.

  • Applications will be accepted between June 1 and August 15, 2023 (closing at 4:00pm).
  • $2 million of FFY2022 and 2023 EPA Puget Sound Geographic funds to award.
  • Proposals up to $1 million will be reviewed.
  • Investment Priority is Toxics in Fish (priority C: Chemical Action Plan Implementation).

Eligible applicants include tribes, local governments, school districts, fire departments, Local Integrating Organizations, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and others.

Resources for applicants

If you have questions about project eligibility or the RFP application, please contact the RFP Coordinator Libby Gier. For technical questions (for example, whether a proposed project is within scope for this RFP), please contact Dustin Bilhimer. A recording of an informational pre-application webinar is available, along with the presentation slides. In addition, the Stormwater SIL team will hold two online office hours to answer applicant questions in July:

Please visit our Stormwater SIL RFP page and blog post for more details on this solicitation, and share widely with your networks.

Sincerely,

Stormwater Strategic Initiative

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How Tree Diversity Can Help Fight Climate Change

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Al Bergstein

While we continue to plunge headlong into creating a monoculture treefarm on the Olympic Peninsula, aided and abetted by DNR, this is a good reminder that the science does not necessarily support this direction.

Ensuring the preservation of forest diversity guarantees their productivity and holds the potential to enhance the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. This, in turn, helps maintain soil fertility and combat global climate change.

That’s the main takeaway from a new study that analyzed data from hundreds of plots in Canada’s National Forest Inventory to investigate the relationship between tree diversity and changes in soil carbon and nitrogen in natural forests.

https://scitechdaily.com/how-tree-diversity-can-help-fight-climate-change/

Filed under: Environmental Science, Forestry, Global Warming, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Watch Live: NOAA Expedition to Explore Deep Ocean off U.S. West Coast

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Amazing live feeds from the research vessel.

NOAA Ocean Exploration Livestream: Camera 1

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New research paper out on nearshore water temps during heatwave

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Al Bergstein

A new research paper out from northwest scientists.

Large and transient positive (not good! positive means increased here) temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave.

Abstract:

The northern portion of Washington’s outer coast—known locally as the Olympic coast—is a dynamic region characterized by seasonal upwelling that predominates during summer interrupted by occasional periods of downwelling. We examined spring-to-fall water temperature records collected along this coast from 2001–2015 from April to October at four nearshore locations (Cape Elizabeth to Makah Bay) that span one degree of latitude and are located within 15 km of the shore. When compared against a long-term climatology created for 2001–2013, seven-day smoothed temperature anomalies of up to 4.5°C at 40 m depth during 2014 and 2015 show short-term warm events lasting 10–20 days. These periods of warming occurred within the well documented marine heatwave in the Northeast Pacific and were about twice the seasonal temperature range in the climatology at that depth. These warm events were strongly correlated with periods of northward long-shore winds and upper ocean currents, consistent with what is expected for the response to downwelling-favorable winds. While our focus a priori was on 2014 and 2015, we also found large positive temperature events in 2013, which were potentially related to the early stage of the marine heatwave, and in 2011, which did not have a documented marine heatwave. This indicates that near-shore short-term warm events occur during periods of large-scale offshore marine heatwave events, but also can occur in the absence of a large-scale marine heatwave event when downwelling-favorable winds occur during the summer/early fall.

Large and transient positive temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave | PLOS ONE

Filed under: Environmental Science, Global Warming, Straits of Juan de Fuca | 3 Comments »

The battle of sea lice and salmon goes on

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Al Bergstein

An update on the battle to remove fish farms from Canada. The industry denies it’s a problem here, 100 miles south…

  • Increased sea lice infestations, scientists say are caused by salmon farms, threaten the already-vulnerable wild Pacific salmon populations in western Canada, worrying conservationists and First Nations.
  • Three First Nations in the region are now deciding on the future of open net pen Atlantic salmon farms dotting the channels and waterways in and around their territories. They hope their decisions will pave the way to protect wild salmon, a culturally important species.
  • So far, ten farms have been closed and the future of seven farms are to be decided this year, in 2023.
  • The impact of the closure of the farms on sea lice and wild salmon populations is still unclear, say scientists, and more time to monitor the data is needed.

As sea lice feast away on dwindling salmon, First Nations decide the fate of salmon farms (mongabay.com)

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, First Nations, fisheries, Government | Comments Off on The battle of sea lice and salmon goes on

Event: Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program on January 25th@7pm

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northern-elephant-seals-in-the-pacific-northwest-tickets-483953085707

Please join the Friends of Fort Flagler to learn more about Northern elephant seal natural history and distribution. We will also discuss common causes of stranding in Northern elephant seals, field assessments and our recent hospital cases.

Presenters:

Casey Mclean has over 12 years’ experience working with marine animals, and is the Executive Director of SR3, Washington’s first dedicated marine animal hospital.  SR3 is a nonprofit organization that focuses on response, rehabilitation and research of local marine wildlife. The hospital opened the summer of 2021 and immediately started helping harbor seals. is fall they will be opening a marine animal hospital in the Des Moines marina, just south of Seattle. To learn more about SR3, visit https://www.sealifer3.org/

Michelle Rivard is the veterinarian for SR3.  Dr. Michelle Rivard is an aquatic animal veterinarian focused on clinical medicine, pathology, and health of free-ranging marine mammals. In her role at SR³, Michelle provides medical management and care of stranded aquatic wildlife, performs postmortem examinations, and participates in ongoing research projects.  Michelle attended veterinary school at Michigan State University. 

Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park. Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization. To learn more, visithttps://friendsoffortflagler.org/.

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How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current

Posted on December 12, 2022 by OlyOpen

Interesting new study out..

A fully sequenced SRKW genome might also give scientists a look at the genetic variations and immune system genes that are important for the whales’ survival, and offer a better understanding of the population’s history and size prior to European colonization, Ford added. The information could also verify current pedigrees and aid scientists in comparing Southern Residents with Northern Residents and other similar populations that are thriving, to determine what factors are setting them apart.

How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current (salish-current.org)

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Science, Orcas | 1 Comment »

Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates

Posted on December 9, 2022 by OlyOpen

This ongoing issue of the environmental community asking for stronger controls over pollution may be reaching the limits of the public’s ability to spend for it. For example, this is very much a cost that will be incurred by both Port Townsend and Port Angeles. That this is being discussed in a journal for bond buyers speaks volumes to the issue alone. This article is behind a paywall but the jist is clear.


An effort to protect Puget Sound’s marine life has ignited a debate over a new environmental mandate that wastewater treatment plants say will cost billions and lacks clear science to back it up. The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a permit, effective in January 2022, that requires municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the Sound — there are 58 of them — to reduce the amount of certain nutrients in their discharge.  Caitlin Devitt reports.

Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates | Bond Buyer




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How we tested Columbia River salmon for contaminants – OPB & ProPublica

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Sobering story today on the issue of pollution in Columbia River salmon. OPB and ProPublica collected 50 salmon caught by tribal fishermen and followed standard methods for fish tissue testing.

Ultimately, this led to the finding that, based on the levels of dioxins in our samples, anything above four 8-ounce servings of these tested fish each month would create an excess cancer risk beyond the EPA’s benchmark of 1 in 100,000. That means of 100,000 people exposed to these levels of contaminants, one of them would develop cancer as a result of the exposure.

How we tested Columbia River salmon for contaminants – OPB

Filed under: Environmental Science, First Nations, fisheries | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change – Seattle Times

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Climate change wreaking havoc on our native crab populations. Scientists are racing to see if there is anything that can be done.

Not too far down the coast, piles of dead Dungeness crab washed ashore on Kalaloch Beach this summer. Meanwhile, fishers have shared stories about hoisting up dead or suffocating crabs in their pots, said Jenny Waddell, research ecologist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change | The Seattle Times

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Researchers, growers face the challenge of acidic ocean water -Salish Current

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Things are getting worse as it relates to ocean acidification. But as the article points out, we are on the leading edge of trying to find a way forward to save our shellfish. This is global warming in your backyard. There is no time to waste.

Salish Sea waters are acidifying faster than ever before, but researchers in Washington are leading the world in addressing the looming disaster. Rena Kingery reports. (Salish Current)

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Around the Sound, Environmental Science, Global Warming, ocean acidification, Shellfish | Comments Off on Researchers, growers face the challenge of acidic ocean water -Salish Current

NOAA funds research into ocean conditions -PDN

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Al Bergstein

The PDN continues its good coverage of environmental issues on the peninsula.

Dangerously low oxygen levels are killing Dungeness crabs off the Pacific Coast and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is awarding $4.2 million over the next four years to research how ocean environments are changing. Peter Segall reports.

NOAA funds research into ocean conditions | Peninsula Daily News

Filed under: Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula, Salish Sea | Comments Off on NOAA funds research into ocean conditions -PDN

Contaminated wells in Yakima, could they be here as well?

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Al Bergstein

New report on the issue of PFAS chemicals in wells next to the Yakima Army Training Center. This blog has documented many articles of concern about the use of these chemicals at Whidby Island Air Base. The Army and Navy have downplayed the issue for decades. But they are no longer able to hide the issue. Hoping that Derek Kilmer, if re-elected, will actually do something about this at the Federal level.

In February two U.S. Army representatives knocked on the Hyatts’ door to deliver cases of bottled water and a carefully worded letter that noted a “potential risk to human health.”

The Hyatts’ well was one of 300 residential drinking water wells tested for contamination from two firefighting foam chemicals that seeped into groundwater flows from the Army’s Yakima Training Center.

Kudos to the Seattle Times for the good reporting they bring to the table.

Heartache, anger in Central Washington over drinking-water wells tainted by ‘forever chemicals’ | The Seattle Times

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West Coast gray whale population continues to decline but scientists remain cautiously optimistic -KNKX

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Al Bergstein

The story points out the possibility of this being part of a natural population swing, but…they aren’t sure.


U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades. According to an assessment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries released Friday, the most recent count put the population at 16,650 whales — down 38% from its peak in 2015-16. Associated Press and Bellamy Pailthorp report. (KNKX)

West Coast gray whale population continues to decline but scientists remain cautiously optimistic | KNKX Public Radio

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New Research Shows Innovative Commercial Fishing Technique Can Aid Wild Salmon Recovery & Support Sustainable Fisheries – Wild Fish Conservancy

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Very good news.

OCTOBER 6, 2022— A new study evaluating alternative commercial fishing techniques further demonstrates the critical role commercial fish traps can play in recovering wild salmon and steelhead, improving fisheries management, and providing new sustainable fishing opportunities for coastal fishing communities. The publication confirms the ability of fish traps (or pound nets) to nearly eliminate unintended mortality of threatened salmon and steelhead encountered in commercial salmon fisheries of the Columbia River.

Researchers at Wild Fish Conservancy, alongside Dr. John Skalski of the University of Washington Columbia Basin Research Lab, published a new open access paper in the international journal of Fisheries Research evaluating survival of wild adult salmon after being released from two commercial fish trap sites in the lower Columbia River. The results demonstrated post-release survival at or near 100% for spring and summer-run Chinook salmon and coho salmon released from passively operated fish traps between 2019 and 2021.

“The new publication provides the most clear-cut and irrefutable evidence to date that fish traps can nearly eliminate unintended mortality of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead during harvest, allowing for sustainable and resilient commercial fisheries that can enjoyed for generations to come,” says Emma Helverson, Executive Director of the Wild Fish Conservancy. “It is rare to find a win-win solution with such widespread benefits for wild fish, orcas, resource managers, and coastal fishing communities.”

In conventional fisheries, a major barrier impeding recovery is the accidental harvest and mortality of threatened and endangered populations by fishers targeting other wild or hatchery fish. Using ancient fish traps as a basic model, Wild Fish Conservancy biologists began evaluating contemporary fish traps in 2016 in efforts to develop a sustainable, alternative fishing practice to conventional gillnetting. The goal was to safely release wild salmon and steelhead in need of recovery, while allowing fishers to selectively harvest those healthier, abundant runs, such as the Columbia River’s hatchery fish. Passively operated traps are engineered to allow fish to remain free-swimming at all times and to eliminate mortality effects commonly associated with conventional fishing methods, including injury from nets, overcrowding, human-handling, and air exposure.

The new publication builds on and validates the results of previous studies evaluating passively operated fish traps on the Columbia River that have consistently shown survival near 100% for adult fall-run Chinook salmon, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, and summer-run steelhead released as bycatch. No other commercial fishing method studied on the Columbia River has demonstrated survival results as encouraging for wild salmon recovery and fish traps are the only gear to be rigorously evaluated through the scientific peer-review process.

The results of this new study also corroborate growing scientific consensus demonstrating that the most sustainable commercial salmon fisheries are those that occur in or near rivers where wild salmon return and use selective fishing techniques like fish traps that are proven to limit or eliminate harm to threatened and endangered bycatch.

“Our research team was completely blown away. When we analyzed the genetic and tag datasets for upriver populations of Chinook salmon heading to spawning grounds or hatcheries above Bonneville Dam, literally every adult Chinook passively captured and released from the fish trap survived the 167 km, 7-day journey to the dam,” said Wild Fish Conservancy biologist Adrian Tuohy. “The study was straightforward and the findings are irrefutable.” 

In comparison to results for the fish trap, the commercial gillnet—the primary tool for harvest on the Columbia River—is known to cause ~49% mortality of threatened wild Chinook salmon encountered in the fishery. The lethal effects of the gillnet are also known to be severe for other fish species that become entangled as fishers target hatchery Chinook salmon, however the true impact of the gillnet to these other threatened salmonid stocks in the Columbia River remains unknown as no post-release mortality data have been collected by state or federal management agencies.

“Few data, if any, have been collected for the gillnet and other alternative salmon fishing methods to understand post-release mortality of bycatch… and hardly any of this work has undergone scientific peer-review,” says Tuohy. “Given the information that is available, it is clear that no other salmon fishing gear has come remotely close to achieving the peer-reviewed results we’ve seen for fish traps when it comes to releasing wild salmon unharmed and allowing for selective harvest of hatchery fish in Columbia River fisheries.”

Findings from this new publication are expected to help guide the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) as the agency establishes rules for the alternative gear commercial fishery that will legalize fish traps at a localized scale on the lower Columbia River. In 2021, both the Governors of Washington and Oregon made policy and funding commitments to advance selective harvest practices like fish traps as alternatives to nontribal gill nets in the Columbia River. Washington state is currently implementing a voluntary gillnet license buyback program with the objective of redirecting those allocation impacts to alternative gears like fish traps or wild fish escapement.

Beyond the Columbia River, this research is also serving as an important working model to inspire other Pacific Northwest communities seeking sustainable harvest solutions. Wild Fish Cosnervancy is currently partnering with First Nations in British Columbia where the Canadian government has implemented unprecedented fishery closures in 2021 and 2022 out of conservation concerns.

“The situation facing the Columbia River is not unique. Throughout the Pacific Northwest coastal communities and resource managers are facing difficult decisions whether to close or further limit commercial fishing opportunities in order to protect our region’s most imperiled wild salmon,” says Helverson. “These new results could not have come at a better time and we are proud to play a role in advancing much needed solutions that we hope will benefit communities and recovery efforts coastwide.”

More at

New Research Shows Innovative Commercial Fishing Technique Can Aid Wild Salmon Recovery & Support Sustainable Fisheries

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New study finds chemical contaminants in Salish Sea seaweed

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Al Bergstein

A new study raises concerns about levels of chemical contaminants in edible seaweed in the Salish Sea. As mentioned in “The Fish Site”

A new study just published by researchers at Western Washington University (WWU) reports concentrations of up to 162 chemical contaminants in three species of edible seaweeds gathered in the Salish Sea.

From the article’s abstract:

Despite growing interest in edible seaweeds, there is limited information on seaweed chemical contaminant levels in the Salish Sea. Without this knowledge, health-based consumption advisories can not be determined for consumers that include Tribes and First Nations, Asian and Pacific Islander community members, and recreational harvesters. We measured contaminant concentrations in edible seaweeds (Fucus distichus, F. spiralis, and Nereocystis luetkeana) from 43 locations in the Salish Sea. Metals were analyzed in all samples, and 94 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (i.e. 40 PCBs, 15 PBDEs, 17 PCDD/Fs, and 22 organochlorine pesticides) and 51 PAHs were analyzed in Fucus spp.

We compared concentrations of contaminants to human health-based screening levels calculated from the USEPA and to international limits. We then worked with six focal contaminants that either exceeded screening levels or international limits (Cd, total Hg, Pb, benzo[a]pyrene [BaP], and PCBs) or are of regional interest (total As). USEPA cancer-based screening levels were exceeded in 30 samples for the PCBs and two samples for BaP. Cadmium concentrations did not exceed the USEPA noncancer-based screening level but did exceed international limits at all sites. Lead exceeded international limits at three sites. While seaweed was the focus, we did not consider contaminant exposure from consuming other foods. Other chemicals, such as contaminants of emerging concern (e.g., PFAS, pharmaceuticals and personal care products), should also be considered.

The whole study can be found here:

Chemical contaminant levels in edible seaweeds of the Salish Sea and implications for their consumption | PLOS ONE

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Science | 1 Comment »

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