(AP) -- A federal judge ruled Friday that California's water systems threaten to push native, wild salmon into extinction but stopped short of ordering any immediate water cutbacks farmers said would have cost them millions in lost crops.
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A Great Lakes mystery: The case of the disappearing species
Throughout the overlooked depths of Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes, a small but important animal is rapidly disappearing. Until recently, the animal - a shrimplike, energy-dense creature called Diporeia - was a major food source for commercially important species like lake whitefish and many prey fish upon which salmon, trout and walleye rely.
Hatchery fish outnumber wild chinook salmon in troubled fall run
A recent study indicates that wild salmon may account for just 10 percent of California's fall-run chinook salmon population, while the vast majority of the fish come from hatcheries. The findings are especially troubling in light of the disastrous decline in the population this year, which will probably force the closure of the 2008 season for commercial and recreational salmon fishing.
Fish farms drive wild salmon populations toward extinction
A study appearing in the December 14 issue of the journal
Science shows, for the first time, that parasitic sea lice infestations caused by salmon farms are driving nearby populations of wild salmon toward extinction. The results show that the affected pink salmon populations have been rapidly declining for four years. The scientists expect a 99% collapse in another four years, or two salmon generations, if the infestations continue.
A window on the environment from Tahoe to the ocean
If there is a big idea in environmental science, it is interconnectedness. Air, water, land and the living things on or in them are connected in ways obvious and subtle. But actually seeing and understanding all those connections in context is very hard. That is why environmental and computer scientists at UC Davis are working together to get a "God's-eye view" of a chunk of California, from the ocean off Bodega Bay to Lake Tahoe.
Fight over water allocation in Oregon
The federal government is being asked to hold a summit to address how to allocate contested water supplies in the Klamath River Basin in Oregon and California.
Maine salmon may be facing extinction
Maine salmon might be facing extinction despite a $20 million, five-year rescue effort and inclusion on the federal government's list of endangered species.
Comcast's new bandwidth limit irks some users
Comcast's plan to place a cap on consumer Internet use worries some customers who have come to take unfettered Web surfing for granted, even though most users aren't affected by the move.
Border Patrol also guards against foreign bugs
(AP) -- Alishia Beckham is on the front lines defending the United States from foreign invaders - armed with weapons that include a hand mirror and a flashlight.