Tippets: California Salmon and Storms, Comment on Columbia and Snake River Dams, Medication Pollution, Climate Change Moves Fish North

January 18, 2017 By: Erin Block

  • While the recent storms in California have been good for the snowpack and reservoirs of the drought-stricken state, native salmon are struggling to survive. “We have eggs that were just recently laid in Lagunitas Creek and other tributaries which have gotten washed away,” said Eric Ettlinger, Aquatic Ecologist with the Marin Municipal Water District. “We also have fish prepared to go into the ocean which hatched a year ago, and they are struggling to find refuge from the high flows.” Via SF Gate.
  • Anglers have a rare opportunity to call for actions that will dramatically improve the prospects for wild steelhead and salmon in the Columbia and Snake River basins. Comment on Columbia and Snake River Dam Operations here.
  • New research has shown that anti-anxiety medication has harmful effects on salmon swimming in affected waters. ‘”The researchers found that when fish ingest oxazepam, it makes them migrate faster and farther—potentially recklessly so.” Via Hakai Magazine.
  • Many Atlantic coast fish species are leaving their native range for cooler northern waters. “Studies have found that two-thirds of marine species in the Northeast United States have shifted or extended their range as a result of ocean warming, migrating northward or outward into deeper and cooler water.” Read more via The New York Times.