Oregon Coast Chinook do not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. So says the National Marine Fisheries Service in a notice published on the Federal Register today. The feds had been petitioned to list two populations – Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal Chinook – but a lengthy analysis by a status review team found it is unnecessary.

Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission is meeting late next week to hear a briefing on Columbia River barbless hook regs and decide on a 2026-long 4-rockfish bag (or a shorter 5-fish season?) and 3-lingcod limit, among other items.

The impact of sea lion and seal predation on listed Northwest salmon and steelhead stocks was the subject of a US House subcommittee hearing, which saw testimony from tribal leaders and the American Sportfishing Association.

It seems like the idea’s been around long enough to just about qualify for old-growth status, but a bill to designate select public woods and waters on the Olympic Peninsula as wilderness or wild and scenic again advanced after a US Senate subcommittee hearing this week.

With as many as 70 percent of Yakima River salmon and steelhead smolts reportedly dying as they migrate down the lower 40 miles of this Eastern Washington stream, federal and tribal officials are teaming up to figure out how to improve their survival.