Tippets: Reef Restoration, Alaska Salmon Stocks, EPA Guilty of Animas Spill, Fighting Toxic Runoff, Chasing Coldwater

October 28, 2015 By: Erin Block

  • Restoring reefs in Lake Michigan will help restore native fish such as lake trout and lake herring. “This change brings Lake Michigan closer to being a healthy ecosystem and one that also benefits both commercial and sport fisheries,” writes Matt Miller Via Cool Green Science, The Nature Conservancy.
  • An interactive website and video from Fusion explain the current state of Alaska’s wild salmon stocks, what threats they face, and what progress has been made.
  • A recent report from the Interior Department faults the EPA for the toxic mine wastewater spill into the Animas River in August, and states the EPA “lacks the technical skills to handle such tricky projects.” Via The New York Times.
  • New research shows west coast salmon, particularly coho, are suffering from toxic runoff from highways, parking lots and other surfaces. The study, published by the Journal of Applied Ecology, also found that inexpensive filtration systems can stave off impact on coho, which are currently listed under the Endangered Species Act. Via The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  • In Montana, fisheries scientists are planning for a future of warming waters, and are relocating bull trout upstream within their native watersheds, where cold water is more likely to be found and persist. Ben Kryzinski writes more about “Chasing the Cold” via Hatch Magazine.