New Unlimited Salmon Steelhead news

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NOAA Staffing Cuts Threaten Years of Salmon Harvests
In Washington, where salmon is a multibillion dollar industry, government staff terminations and budget freezes may put salmon production at risk.

In Washington State, April is when millions of young Chinook salmon are released from hatcheries, where they started as tiny, pink globes, to swim downstream and rebuild the salmon population. They are part of an ecosystem that affects tribal, commercial, and recreational fishing and are a main source of food for endangered killer whales.

But this year, almost a dozen hatcheries in the Puget Sound region are in limbo because a single employee from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was terminated in February, a casualty of cuts made by billionaire Elon Musk's advisory group known as the Department of Government Efficiency.

That employee was Krista Finlay and her job at NOAA was to ensure hatcheries complied with the Endangered Species Act before the fish were released into Puget Sound. She was among tens of thousands of federal employees with probationary status who lost their jobs in February. Ms. Finlay, who had worked at NOAA since March 2024 after more than two years as an intern and then fellow, said she feared for the salmon run.

"If I don't release millions and millions of salmon, there's less this year and years going forward," Ms. Finlay said. "If we don't have salmon returning in 2027 and 2028, we don't have offspring to release the following year, so it will take many, many years to repair this, if it's even possible."

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/climate/noaa-doge-cuts-salmon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-U4.Ku4M.4_ZlCRnv6xpw&smid=url-share

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Federal judge hits the brakes on Trump's plan to fast-track industrial fish farming
Advocates for marine health say aquaculture "has no place in U.S. ocean waters."


President Donald Trump's first-term push to open the Gulf of Mexico and other federal waters to fish farming has come to a halt in the early days of his second term. Last month, a federal judge in Washington state ruled against a nationwide aquaculture permit the Trump administration sought in 2020. The wide-ranging permit would have allowed the first offshore farms in the Gulf and the likely expansion of the aquaculture industry into federally managed waters on the East and West coasts.

The ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly K. Evanson on March 17, was applauded by several environmental groups. "A nationwide permit isn't at all appropriate because our federal waters are so different," said Marianne Cufone, executive director of the New Orleans-based Recirculating Farms Coalition, a group opposed to offshore aquaculture. "Florida is not Maine. California is not Texas. And in just the Gulf of Mexico, there are significantly different habitats [and] different fish species that could be affected."

Offshore aquaculture, which involves raising large quantities of fish in floating net pens, has been blamed for increased marine pollution and escapes that can harm wild fish populations. In the Gulf, there's particular concern about the "dead zone," a New Jersey-size area of low oxygen fueled by rising temperatures and nutrient-rich pollution from fertilizers, urban runoff, and sewer plants. Adding millions of caged fish would generate even more waste and worsen the dead zone, Cufone said.


https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/federal-judge-hits-brakes-trumps-plan-fast-track-industrial/7716097

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Atlantic salmon in the River Itchen on the brink of extinction

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The Atlantic salmon in the River Itchen is rapidly disappearing.

Leading environmental organisations have united to address this issue, forming the Itchen Salmon Delivery Plan (ISDP).

This initiative, launched on Earth Day, aims to reverse the decline of this species and safeguard one of England's most significant chalk streams.

The River Itchen is one of only six English chalk streams that support the Atlantic salmon.


https://uk.news.yahoo.com/atlantic-salmon-river-itchen-brink-023000819.html

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Washington State River Restoration Project to Revive Salmon Habitat, Support Local Jobs
May 06, 2025

With NOAA support, partners are restoring salmon habitat on the East Fork Lewis River—improving fish passage, reducing flood and erosion risks, and generating economic benefits for the local community.

This spring, NOAA partner the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership broke ground on a large-scale salmon habitat restoration project on the lower East Fork Lewis River in Washington State. This project will support the recovery of threatened steelhead and salmon on one of the few undammed rivers in the Lower Columbia River watershed. It will also inject millions into the local economy and generate hundreds local jobs in construction, heavy equipment operations, trucking, engineering, forestry, and other industries.

In addition, the work will help maintain fishing opportunities that further contribute to the local economy.


https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/washington-state-river-restoration-project-revive-salmon-habitat-support-local-jobs

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Amid 'complete disaster,' California pulls plug on vital hatchery

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing the Mad River Hatchery, it announced Friday, ending decades of efforts to boost Humboldt County's threatened steelhead trout population. The hatchery releases 150,000 fish into the river annually and is preparing to send off its final batch this June. State officials cited mounting federal regulations, crumbling infrastructure and necessary expensive upgrades as reasons for the closure, leaving the Mad River's steelhead trout to survive without human intervention for the first time in decades.


The decision has prompted swift backlash. Tyler Blevin, a local fishing guide who started a Change.org petition to save the hatchery, told SFGATE the closure is "crazy" and warned that it will "cut off the life support" that steelhead have relied on amid widespread decline. The petition garnered nearly 2,000 signatures since it was created.


https://www.sfgate.com/northcoast/article/california-shuts-down-mad-river-hatchery-fishermen-20311544.php

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California Releases 3.5M Salmon into Sacramento River Amid Population Crisis

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"We strongly support the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's bold decision to release salmon smolts directly into the main stem of the Sacramento River – a historic first that gives juvenile fish a fighting chance at survival," said Scott Artis, executive director at Golden State Salmon Association.



https://fox40.com/news/local-news/california-releases-3-5-million-salmon-into-sacramento-river-amid-population-crisis/

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Columbia River salmon restoration hit hard by $1.5B cut to Army Corps of Engineers


The Trump administration has cut tens of millions of dollars from a key Columbia Basin salmon-restoration program run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a move experts say puts the treasured Northwest fish in further jeopardy.


The Columbia River Fish Mitigation program attempts to balance out significant harm inflicted by the Columbia River hydropower dam system on endangered salmon and steelhead runs.

The 46 percent cut to the program's yearly budget comes amid tens of billions of dollars in cuts to the federal government that have hit scientific and regulatory agencies in Southwest Washington hard. It also follows months of speculation about what President Donald Trump's Columbia Basin fish policy would be.

"It is outrageous that President Trump is ripping away critical funding to protect our fish populations in the Columbia River, which are so important to our economy, culture and tribes in Washington state," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray wrote in a statement emailed to The Columbian.

The Corps did not directly respond to The Columbian's request for comment on the cuts. In a brief statement, a spokesman instead highlighted the importance of the salmon recovery program moving into the future.


https://missoulacurrent.com/columbia-river-salmon-5/

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Trump pulls out of Pacific Northwest salmon restoration agreement

President Trump pulled the U.S. out of a Biden-era agreement with several tribes that aimed to restore salmon in the Pacific Northwest.

Trump, in a late Thursday memo, described the Biden administration's agreement as an example of "radical environmentalism" and said his administration would instead prioritize power generation from hydroelectric dams in the region.

The Biden-era agreement came after decades of litigation related to the federal government's use of hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin. It included funding to help restore salmon populations as well as support for renewables to replace power from the dams if they are removed.

Environmentalists have said four dams in Washington state, in particular, have blocked off salmon from important habitats where they lay and fertilize eggs. Tribes in the region have historically relied on these fish.

The Biden administration had said its agreement would "prioritize" restoring native salmon, steelhead and other fish. It added that the fish are being "severely depleted" and that they are "essential to the culture, economy, religion, and way of life" of Indigenous people.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5349400-trump-reverses-biden-salmon-agreement/

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Oregon Vows To Continue Columbia Basin Salmon, Steelhead Restoration Efforts

Yesterday, the federal government backed out of a "landmark" deal aimed at restoring salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia Basin. But the work is far from dead.

So vowed Tucker Jones, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's ocean and Columbia River fishery manager as he briefed his state Fish and Wildlife Commission this morning on both the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement – which was torpedoed by the White House Thursday – and the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, the states' and tribes' efforts.


https://nwsportsmanmag.com/oregon-vows-to-continue-columbia-basin-salmon-steelhead-restoration-efforts/

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Habitat loss and over-exploitation are leading to a decline in salmon populations

One-quarter of freshwater animals are now threatened with extinction, and population declines in fresh waters outpace those in marine and terrestrial systems. Reports of salmonid fish decline are stark, with many populations and species listed as threatened or endangered.

Salmonids are a large family of ray-finned fish. In North America, it includes Pacific salmon on the west coast, Atlantic salmon on the east, and trout and char species such as brook trout and the introduced brown trout.

Salmonid fish are extremely important. Ecologically, they provide food and nutrients for other animals and are indicators of ecosystem health. Culturally, they hold places in stories and worldviews, provide sustenance for humans and foster a deep connection to our rivers, lakes and oceans.

https://theconversation.com/habitat-loss-and-over-exploitation-are-leading-to-a-decline-in-salmon-populations-257782

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Salmon and forests are telling us we are about out of time

From a Pacific Northwest writer who has tracked the relationship of wild salmon and forest trees from Oregon's Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest to the Penobscot River in Maine has come a warning.

"The salmon and the forests are speaking," writes Lynda Mapes, an environmental journalist with The Seattle Times, "and what they are telling us is we are about out of time."

"The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches From The Salmon Forests," published by the University of Washington Press, documents massive misuse and destruction of the nation's old-growth forests, including the corrosive impact on wild salmon, but is also a message of hope, even in the face of climate change.

https://www.nationalfisherman.com/salmon-and-forests-are-telling-us-we-are-about-out-of-time

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Salmon 'at risk of extinction' as study launched


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The head of an environmental charity fears Atlantic salmon are at risk of extinction if their young cannot reach the sea.

The Environment Agency has launched a study to look for ways to help the species travel from the River Itchen in Hampshire, to the ocean.

The agency says juvenile salmon in Southampton, known as smolts, are struggling to get past barriers in the river, which is contributing to population decline.

CEO of Wessex Rivers Trust, Dr Dave Rumble, said the salmon's future looked "pretty bleak" unless things changed.


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjd22ek0ynxo

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The long slow death of Norway's wild salmon
Hegra (Norway) (AFP) – Waist-deep in a rain-swollen river, Christer Kristoffersen cast his line, landed it gently on the water, and caught ... nothing. Norway's iconic wild salmon is in dramatic decline, a victim of fish farming and climate change.

"As a kid, in the early 1980s, there was so much fish in the river, you have no idea. It was packed with sea trout and salmon. We could catch 10-15 fish in one evening," said the fly fishing enthusiast as he stood in the Stjordal river.

Despite decades of experience, the 52-year-old left the river empty-handed 10 days straight.

Wild salmon is now so rare that Norway in 2021 placed it on its red list of near-endangered species.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250709-the-long-slow-death-of-norway-s-wild-salmon

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Weak steelhead returns prompts Lower Deschutes angling restrictions


The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has implemented angling regulations to protect summer steelhead on the Lower Deschutes River. The restriction comes amid a poor forecast for Columbia River summer steelhead runs this year.  Through July 14, the daily adult salmon and steelhead bag limit may not include more than one hatchery steelhead from the Lower Deschutes River from the markers at the lower end of Moody Rapids downstream to the mouth at the I-84 Bridge.  Restrictions on steelhead fishing have become common in the Lower Deschutes in recent years due to low returns, largely caused by warming ocean conditions that have disrupted food chains.

Read more at: https://bendbulletin.com/2025/07/08/weak-steelhead-returns-prompts-lower-deschutes-angling-restrictions/

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Whether it's through fish stocking, habitat restoration or research, the University of Maine-led Maine Sea Grant is helping the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) conserve Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine — the last wild populations of the species in the U.S.

Through a program offered by Maine Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries that is now in its sixth year, paid summer interns have been working with the department on Atlantic salmon research and conservation for 13 weeks each summer — from Downeast Maine to the Kennebec and Penobscot River watersheds. They conduct field and lab work to support this endangered species and other sea-run fishes.

Maine Sea Grant helping state conserve Atlantic salmon

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"The Maine Sea Grant internship program not only supports the restoration of sea-run fish like Atlantic salmon but also fosters a two-way exchange of knowledge with the department," said Sean Ledwin, the director of DMR's Bureau of Sea-Run Fisheries and Habitat. "The interns learn firsthand from experienced professionals in the field, while bringing fresh energy, new ideas and capacity to vital restoration efforts. This collaboration strengthens conservation outcomes and builds the next generation of marine scientists and stewards."

"This program emphasizes collaborations and partnerships that expose students to different career paths to help conserve vital species and support Maine ecosystems, economies and cultures," said Julia Hiltonsmith, a UMaine Sea Grant graduate assistant who mentors sea-run fish interns. "Guiding these interns through their fieldwork has not only deepened my appreciation for the dedication they've brought to conservation but also reinforced the importance of fostering collaboration and professional growth in the next generation of marine scientists."


https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2025/07/11/maine-sea-grant-helping-state-conserve-atlantic-salmon/