Feb 27, 2018

Largest Chinook salmon disappearing from West Coast

Chinook salmon, shorter in length than in earlier years, swim in Oregon’s McKenzie River.

The largest and oldest Chinook salmon — fish also known as “kings” and prized for their exceptional size — have mostly disappeared along the West Coast. That’s the main finding of a new University of Washington-led study published Feb. 27 in the journal Fish and Fisheries. The researchers analyzed nearly 40 years of data from hatchery and wild Chinook populations from California to Alaska, looking broadly at patterns that emerged over the course of four decades and across thousands of miles of coastline.

Friday Harbor Labs’ Megan Dethier receives Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award

Each year, the Seattle Aquarium recognizes individuals who are leaders in marine research, especially in the Pacific Northwest. This year that honor goes to Megan Dethier, a longtime researcher at the College of the Environment’s Friday Harbor Laboratories. She was recognized alongside George Willoughby from Friday Habor Labs’ Advancement Board, who received the Scott S. Patrick Award for his volunteer service.

A week in the wild at Yellowstone National Park

A photo of a University of Washington undergrad stands on a tall boulder. She watches other students hike through patchy snow in Yellowstone National Park.

Students and professors from the College of the Environment make a classroom out of one of the world’s most closely monitored ecosystems: Yellowstone National Park.

Fish to benefit if large dams adopt new operating approach

The San Juan River’s Navajo Dam and reservoir above.

Thousands of dams built along U.S. rivers and streams over the last century now provide electricity for homes, store water for agriculture and support recreation for people. But they also have downstream impacts: They reduce the amount and change the timing of flowing water that fish rely on for spawning, feeding and migration. Recognizing that many large dams are here to stay, a UW team is investigating an emerging solution to help achieve freshwater conservation goals by re-envisioning the ways in which water is released by dams.

Interdisciplinary UW project seeks sustainable blueprint for hydropower dams

A young boy sits in a boat on top of brackish waters, another boat in the background.

In Southeast Asia along the Mekong River, the debate is over when and how — not whether — dams will be built. The river and its tributaries support what’s likely the largest inland fishery in the world, worth more than $2 billion annually. Every day, 60 million people or more rely on the Mekong for food and their livelihoods. In the coming years, nearly 100 hydropower dams are slated to be built along the main stem of the river’s 2,700-mile stretch and its connected tributaries.