NOAA Seeks Comment on Recovery Plan for Middle Columbia River Steelhead

NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the federal agency charged with protecting salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act, is seeking public comment on a proposed recovery plan for steelhead in the middle Columbia River.
Today’s proposed plan, required under the act, is the product of a collaboration begun by NOAA with help from the Middle Columbia Recovery Forum, [...]

Idaho Chukar Numbers Low Again

Chukar numbers in Idaho’s most reliable hot spots are low again this year.
Recent aerial counts at Brownlee Reservoir on the Snake River showed chukar numbers below last year’s and only about one-third of the 10-year average. Observers saw 453 birds, compared with last year’s 506 and the 10-year average of 1,325. This was about 38 [...]

Youth Pheasant Hunting Clinic Scheduled Near Deary, Idaho

Clearwater area hunters between the ages of 12 and 15 will have an opportunity to participate in a youth pheasant hunting clinic on September 27.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Troy-Deary Gun Club and on private land west of Deary.
“This clinic is a great opportunity to introduce new hunters [...]

Idaho White Sturgeon Management Plan Available For Review

Idaho Fish and Game is seeking public comments on a draft management plan for the conservation of Snake River white sturgeon in Idaho.
White sturgeon are the largest freshwater game fish in North America, historically reaching lengths of more than 15 feet and weights of more than 1,000 pounds. They can live to be 100 years [...]

Wolf Pack With Pups Confirmed in Northeastern Oregon

LA GRANDE, Ore.—A wolf pack that includes both adults and pups was confirmed in a forested area of northern Union County on Friday, the first evidence of multiple wolves and wolf reproduction in Oregon since wolves were extirpated from the state back in the mid-1940s.
Wildlife biologists conducting a howling survey heard the howls of both [...]

Salmon Fishing Summary: What’s Open, What’s Closed

Salmon Fishing: Closed
Salmon fishing is closed on these rivers:

Clearwater River mainstem downstream of the South Fork Clearwater River.
Middle Fork Clearwater River from its mouth upstream to the confluence of Lochsa and Selway rivers.
Snake River downstream from Hells Canyon Dam.
Lower Salmon River mainstem downstream from Shorts Creek, about 1.4 miles upstream of the mouth of the [...]

Idaho’s Chinook Salmon Forecast Scaled Back

Idaho fish managers have scaled back their estimates of the numbers of Chinook salmon expected to return this spring and summer, but they still expect enough fish to provide excellent fishing opportunities.
“We’re still going to have a robust season,” Idaho Fish and Game fisheries head Ed Schriever told Fish and Game Commissioners during their meeting [...]

Plan Now To Complete The Cutt-Slam

CHEYENNE– Sometime this year, the number of anglers who have completed Wyoming’s Cutt-Slam program will reach the 500 milestone.  To date, 479 anglers in 39 states and two foreign countries have completed requirements and have been awarded Cutt-Slam certificates.
“That number is significant not only because of the effort fisheries personnel have put into improving cutthroat [...]

Spring Chinook fisheries will close Sunday on sections of Snake, Columbia rivers

OLYMPIA – Chinook salmon fishing will close at the end of the day Sunday (May 11) on sections of the Snake and mid-Columbia rivers originally scheduled to remain open through mid-June, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
With returns of spring chinook salmon falling short of expectations, the early closures are necessary [...]

NOAA’s Fisheries Service Publishes Draft Recovery Plan for Washington’s Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon

NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the federal agency charged with protecting northwest salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act, has published and is seeking public comment on a proposed plan to recover threatened sockeye salmon in Lake Ozette, its shore, tributaries and the Ozette River. The plan took two years to develop with input from local citizens [...]