Latest news with #ChinookSalmon
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Construction bids delayed until July for replacing Porter bridge
The bid opening for a new North Mineral Springs Road Bridge in Porter has been delayed until July, and the challenges might include how construction crews will have to work around the presence of the Coho and Chinook Salmon in the Little Calumet River's East Branch. The bridge just south of U.S. 20 suddenly closed on Dec. 1, 2023, when an inspection discovered deteriorating steel beams that made the structure unsafe. Porter County had originally planned to replace the bridge in 2026 or 2027. There was no money available to do an emergency replacement of the span. To expedite the project, the county had to finance the project on its own because requirements connected with federal funds could delay the project even more. The bid opening had to be pushed back from May to July 15, because right-of-way had to be purchased from three property owners near the bridge, said Mike Jabo, director of the Porter County Department of Development and Stormwater Management. The bridge's design will be different with the deck set at a higher level over the river. Jabo said the new bridge will cost 'a significant amount of money.' He didn't want to release an estimate before the bids were submitted. If all goes well, the bridge is projected to open around Memorial Day next year — May 29, 2026. Meanwhile, the closure will continue to have the biggest impact on the Spring House Inn complex, which is south of the bridge on North Mineral Springs Road. The complex includes an inn, Uno Pizzeria & Grill restaurant, a bar and banquet facilities. Vishal Patel, the owner, has said the restaurant has lost 25% of its revenue because of the closure. 'We have (detour) signs up everywhere, but it doesn't seem to do enough,' said Michael Barry, Porter's development director/building superintendent. The Spring House Inn complex can be accessed from Beam Street off U.S. 20 to N. Mineral Springs Road. Patel has said he believes that although there are detour signs on U.S. 20, visitors to the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks speed past because they are unfamiliar with the local roads. Another replacement issue could be the presence and movement of the Coho and Chinook Salmon in the Little Calumet River's East Branch. Porter County has to obtain permission from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for an exception to work in the river where the salmon are present from July 15 to Nov. 30. Jabo said they will have to abide by the rules. Barry said the bridge construction could still proceed above the water. The construction will start with the demolition of the old bridge and then building a retaining wall.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CDFW adjusts salmon releases in Sacramento River
In a significant shift of California's salmon strategy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon from CDFW-operated hatcheries into the main stem of the Sacramento River for the first time. The release of approximately 3.5 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts into the main stem of the Sacramento River occurred in mid-April near Redding and Butte City. The fish originated from increased production at CDFW's hatchery operations at the Feather River Fish Hatchery and the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery. CDFW-operated salmon hatcheries historically have supported populations on their home rivers elsewhere in the Central Valley. '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. 'With Sacramento fall-run Chinook returns at crisis levels, and fishing families and businesses having been impacted since 2023, this innovative move is exactly the kind of action we need. We applaud the tireless hatchery staff who made this possible and stand with them in the effort to rebuild our salmon runs and revive California's commercial and recreational fisheries.' 'The naturally spawning Sacramento River salmon populations have been the primary driver of California's commercial and recreational salmon fisheries for decades,' said Jay Rowan, CDFW Fisheries branch chief. 'Poor spawning and migration conditions for fall-run Chinook during the past two droughts have resulted in low returning adult numbers the last three years. These low adult returns not only affected fishing seasons but also reduced the number of spawning adults and, consequently, the number of juvenile salmon available to take advantage of the good river conditions to rebound this part of the run. The extra effort by our hatchery staff to maximize production has allowed us to take measures this year to speed up the rebuilding of these critical Sacramento River natural spawning areas. This significant shift in strategy speaks to CDFW's long-term commitment to boosting these important salmon populations.' The 3.5 million fish being released into the main stem of the Sacramento River are part of an additional 9.7 million salmon produced in 2025 above normal production goals, funded in partnership with ocean and inland fishing groups. CDFW's hatchery operations, in coordination with the state Department of Water Resources, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation, will raise and release more than 28 million fall-run Chinook salmon in total in 2025. CDFW's Sacramento River salmon releases are being timed with increases in water flows that have been shown to improve survival in their journey to the Pacific Ocean and also with salmon releases from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Shasta County to overwhelm predators with a massive volume of released fish. Additionally, CDFW has provided the Coleman National Fish Hatchery with 10 million salmon eggs to help meet its production goals and offset low adult salmon returns to the federal fish hatchery located on Battle Creek about 3 miles east of the Sacramento River in Anderson. The juvenile salmon released into the Sacramento River are expected to imprint on the main stem during their migration to the ocean, which in three years upon their return to freshwater is expected to increase the number of adults utilizing important natural spawning areas within the main stem.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
WA researchers awaiting test results for mysterious deaths of beavers along Salish Sea
The Brief Researchers in San Juan County are calling on the public for help after multiple beavers showed up dead along the shores of the Salish Sea. It's currently unclear if the creatures died from toxins, disease, human influence, or climate-related stress. FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. - Researchers need the public's help solving a mystery in San Juan County. Beavers are showing up dead along the shores of the Salish Sea. It's an unusual sighting for the creatures that are so vital to Washington's marine environment. What they're saying "Beavers are critical to the environment here and in the climate resiliency, especially in these tidal areas like the estuaries along the Salish Sea," said Erin Casellas, field operations coordinator for The Whale Museum. "The Chinook Salmon smolt depend on the habitats that the beavers create. They're building their dams, and in turn these Chinook salmon are what many other species, like the endangered Southern Resident killer whales are also depending on." Experts with the museum, located in Friday Harbor, are currently waiting for test results on what killed the beavers. Researchers said their team isn't sure if the creatures died from toxins, disease, human influence, or climate-related stress. Casellas said, whatever it is, they're hoping to learn answers soon to take preventative measures to better protect them and the entire Salish Sea. "A lot of us think of them as just freshwater rodents that are hanging out and building dams and creating these awesome wetland habitats. But they are really critical parts of the marine environment," said Casellas. The San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network is a program of the museum in collaboration with Seadoc Society. Casellas said the network doesn't usually focus on beavers. However, in October 2024, the health and safety of the creatures got the network's attention. "A very large, about 60-pound male was found on a beach on Orcas Island. Seadoc Society got that report, and they collected the beaver and froze it," said Casellas. In March, the researchers received three calls for dead beavers found on San Juan beaches. "In three weeks, we picked up three different ones. None of them presented any significant external lesions. So, from the outside we didn't see any big cuts or scratches on them," said Casellas. According to one comment on the network's Facebook post, a person wrote they saw a dead beaver in a freshwater wetland in Snohomish County. What's next Unsure what was killing the beavers, Casellas said their team of experts sent frozen tissue samples on Wednesday to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory for answers. "This testing is so important," said Casellas. "By testing different tissues from test beavers, we're able to see if it's bacteria, a virus, a fungal infection, something else. And then from there we know who we need to involve to hopefully prevent this from happening more." While their team waits for the test results of the mysterious deaths, Casellas said the researchers are also asking the public for help. She said this can be done by staying a safe distance away from the dead animal and filing an online report to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. "If people are finding dead beavers in other areas, we want to know these reports. The more dead animals that we can respond to and test, hopefully the more answers we can find," said Casellas. To learn more about beavers along the Salish Sea, the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network is posting educational segments on its Facebook page this week. The Source Information in this story is from the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, The Whale Museum and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. ICE arrests 37 people at Bellingham, WA roofing company 7 million pounds of WA food at risk as federal cuts loom 1 juvenile dead, 2 in critical condition in Skyway, WA New study reveals you need $169K to be financially happy in Seattle 12 WA residents made Forbes's list of 2025 billionaires Everything to know about the Washington State Spring Fair Seattle Restaurant Week 2025 by neighborhood To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Meet ‘Ocean Sun', the nearly 100-year-old Southern Resident Orca crowned oldest in the world
Experts say one of our Southern Resident Orcas will soon turn 100 years old! 'Ocean Sun', also known as L25, is considered the oldest orca in the world. However, she hasn't had an easy life. Howard Garrett with the Orca Network details a life full of tragedy and hardship. In fact, Garrett says Ocean Sun should've died years ago, but she persevered. Ocean Sun was tentatively born in 1928, making her 97 years old. Researchers say this is an estimated age as records before 1950 aren't great, but they are confident in their estimation. She has distinctive white markings, including a 'hook shape' white mark near her dorsal fin. 'When she comes up next you know it, she's a big whale,' Garrett said. She is part of the Southern Resident L Pod. She has survived polluted water, famine, and even capture. In August 1970, Ocean Sun's pod was herded into Penn Cove off Whidbey Island. 'That's where the captures took place,' Garrett said. 'Where the net pens were set up, where they pushed mothers away to net babies, and haul them away.' Around 100 orcas were ripped from the Puget Sound during those captures. 'It's believed that Tokitae, later renamed Lolita by her captors, was her daughter. She was hauled away,' Garrett said. Lolita was sold to the Miami Seaquarium, never seeing Ocean Sun again. She spent the rest of her life in that tank, dying in 2023. Garrett tells us Ocean Sun's entire known bloodline was killed or sold to the highest bidder over time. 'It was a horrendous day, kind of the scene of a massacre from their point of view,' Garrett said. The echoes of distress still linger off Penn Cove's docks today. Whidbey Island resident Susan Lin said she often comes to the pier near the cove, saying she can't help but think about what happened. 'It's shocking to think there are individuals who view this as theirs for the taking,' Lin said. 'To do that type of mass roundup is horrifying.' That isn't the only threat she's faced in her lifetime. 'Even more than the captures, has been the lack of Chinook Salmon,' Garrett said. Researchers say there's been a major food shortage for more than 30 years, but Ocean Sun always adapts. 'She's a survivor, I don't know how she does it,' mused Garrett. In November, the L pod returned to the 1970 capture sites for the first time. Garrett said this shows orcas forgive, but don't forget. 'She shared those stories, she described somehow what happened because they behaved very strangely right over the capture sites,' Garrett said. Garrett says the orcas paced and did tricks for hours, which could be seen as a cleansing of some sort. Ocean Sun may not be related to the L Pod by blood, but she is a leader. Garrett said those orcas treat her like the mother she should've had a chance to be. He tells us Ocean Sun appears to be in great health, against all odds. The Orca Network is looking forward to celebrating her 100 years spent in the Puget Sound in 2028.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Orca advocates beg for solutions as salmon shortage threatens whale population
Orca advocates are begging federal leaders to help keep the Puget Sound's Southern Residents alive. Advocates say the Federal government is keeping a fish supply behind dams during a major salmon shortage. The salmon need to be able to swim upstream to reproduce, but can't naturally due to the dams. Experts say if drastic measures aren't taken soon, the Southern Resident Orcas may go extinct from starvation. The Orca Network, founded by Howard Garrett, is at the forefront of this mission. Garrett tells us he has been trying to fight for the whales since 1976 and will continue to do so. The Orca Network is a tracking and research group based on Whidbey Island. 'It's the longest continuous study of any population of whales anywhere in the world,' Howard said. They have studied the impacts of the 1970 Penn Cove Captures, the loss of Chinook Salmon, and environmental effects for decades. He tells us the captures wiped out an entire generation of Puget Sound Orcas. It took decades for the population to increase their numbers. Now, the salmon shortage is at the forefront of the decreasing Orca population. 'Those Chinook have become incredibly scarce due to many factors,' Garrett said. 'Overfishing, habitat destruction, we've hardened the shorelines and hurt the estuaries, even dammed the rivers.' The dams are operated by the federal government, meaning the orca's fate is in the hands of Washington D.C. To increase the population, NOAA studies show the remaining Chinook Salmon need to swim upstream to lay eggs and reproduce, but the dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers prevent that from happening naturally. 'The only way to restore those salmon is to remove those dams, it's universal in the scientific community, that needs to be done,' Garrett said. If that doesn't happen, Garrett tells us the Southern Residents will eventually starve to death, going from endangered to extinct. 'It's absolutely the lack of nutrition that's often killing the calves before they are even born,' Garrett said. The Orca Network is trying to convince lawmakers to take up their cause. They tell us the group has sent over many petitions and studies along with Orca Network representatives to state offices. They say they never got a response about removing the dams. Advocates say they spend each day fighting for the 73 remaining residents so that future generations can experience the orca's magic, too. 'It's completely universal, it's non-denominational, nonpartisan, every person has that response to whales when they see them,' Garrett said. We reached out to Washington lawmakers to see if they are considering options to save the Southern Resident Orca population, but we have not received a reply.
