Chinook

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council is concerned about fall Chinook populations affected by drought in the Klamath and Sacramento rivers.

A request to list several populations of Chinook salmon as endangered was approved for review by the National Marine Fisheries Service this week. One population lives along the Oregon Coast and the other farther south along the Oregon-California border.

Members of the Chinook Indian Nation rallied on Monday on the steps of a federal building in Seattle to raise awareness for their long fight to get federal recognition. Chairman Tony Johnson, whose tribal name is Naschio, said his great-great-grandfather and other leaders first hired lawyers to sue for their lands back in the 1890s.

Tribes across the Northwest are calling for immediate action to remove the four Lower Snake River dams. During a two-day Salmon and Orca summit in Western Washington, the group called on President Biden and congressional members to “take bold action, now.”

The news is a step toward full reintroduction of the migratory fish and another watershed cultural moment for the region’s tribes.

With fishery limits now set, attention turns to rebuilding "overfished" salmon runs and protecting Southern Resident orcas.

Chinook carver Greg Robinson carries on traditional Columbia River design.

After a decades-long struggle for federal recognition, Tribal Chairman Tony Johnson is requesting executive action to clarify the Chinook Indian Nation's legal status.

The public is getting its first glimpse of the government’s killing of thousands of sea birds near Astoria.