New proposal to expand killer whale critical habitat
September 18, 2019 —
NOAA Fisheries is proposing to expand critical habitat of endangered orcas based on information about their coastal range and habitat use. The proposal would extend critical habitat for the whales along a roughly 1,000-mile swath of West Coast waters from Cape Flattery, WA to south to Point Sur, California.
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New Marine Heatwave Emerges off West Coast
September 5, 2019 —
About five years ago "the Blob" of warm ocean water disrupted the West Coast marine ecosystem and depressed salmon returns. Now, a new expanse of unusually warm water has quickly grown in much the same way, in the same area, to almost the same size.
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New mapping reveals lost West Coast estuary habitat
August 21, 2019 —
An unprecedented survey has revealed the loss of about 85 percent of historical tidal wetlands in California, Oregon, and Washington. The report, published recently in PLOS ONE, also mentions a silver lining--that the forgotten estuary acreage might now be targeted for restoration.
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Genetic "nets" detect DNA as accurately as real ones
July 30, 2019 —
In a new study, Northwest Fisheries Science Center scientists and partners show that eDNA is just as effective in tracking threatened Chinook populations as casting nets into the water to catch the fish swimming by.
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