Members of the monitoring show off adult salmon captured at a monitoring station. From left to right, Kevin Vandenack holds a steelhead, Katherine Stonecypher holds a coho salmon, and Bryan Crouch holds a Chinook salmon. Credit: Katherine Stonecypher/Cal Poly Humboldt

Can Habitat Restoration Help Salmon Recover? Prairie Creek Offers Clues

8/18/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. This story is part 2 of a 2-part series. Read part 1. When any habitat restoration project finishes, a critical question remains: Will the project help threatened fish and other species recover? Answering that question requires rigorous long-term monitoring. At the Prairie Creek salmon habitat restoration project in Northern California,… SEE MORE
Prairie Creek project partners gather at the restoration site before construction begins. Credit: Michael Weir/CalTrout

Restoring California’s Prairie Creek Supports Salmon Recovery and Local Community

8/17/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. This story is part 1 of a 2-part series. Read part 1. For more than a decade, NOAA Fisheries and a broad coalition of partners worked to transform degraded fish habitat on California's Prairie Creek into a thriving floodplain ecosystem for juvenile salmon and steelhead. Located in California's redwood… SEE MORE
Spring Chinook Salmon. Credit: Michael Humling, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

NOAA Fisheries Finds Listing Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon Under the Endangered Species Act “Not Warranted”

5/28/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries’ 12-month review shows a low risk of extinction. NOAA Fisheries has completed a status review and 12-month finding for Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon in response to a January 2024 petition. The Wild Fish Conservancy petitioned to delineate and list one or more evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon… SEE MORE
A humpback whale feeds on schooling forage fish in Prince William Sound Alaska. Photo taken under NOAA Fisheries Permit #24378 Credit: NOAA Fisheries/John Moran

Capelin: a “Sea Canary” for Marine Ecosystem Change in Response to Heatwaves

5/27/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Capelin are a major forage fish species in high-latitude marine ecosystems. Recent heatwaves in Alaska led to a dramatic decline in capelin abundance, which can have major impacts on predators, including marine mammals, seabirds, and fish. Twenty years ago, Dr. George Rose with Memorial University of Newfoundland called capelin… SEE MORE
View of Ford Cove where shoreline restoration is underway. Credit: InSite Design Studios, Inc.

Restoring Habitat for Great Lakes Fish at the Historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford Estate

5/14/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. With $7 million in funding from NOAA Fisheries, the Ford House estate on Lake St. Clair in Michigan is rebuilding shoreline habitat for fish and other wildlife while expanding access and educational opportunities for visitors. NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation has established a unique partnership with Ford House, the… SEE MORE
The aftermath of the Morrill Fire as seen from aircraft on March 14, 2026. [Image credit: Watch Duty/InciWeb]

NOAA’s Wildfire Detection System a “Game Changer” for Nebraska’s Record-Breaking Morrill Fire

4/29/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. When the Morrill Fire ignited on March 12, 2026, it quickly grew into the largest wildfire in Nebraska history. As the fire rapidly burned across the state, NOAA’s Next Generation Fire System (NGFS) provided the critical eye-in-the-sky perspective for the massive response to the record-breaking fire. The up-to-the-minute guidance… SEE MORE
Silent Yachts 62 solar electric cruser

Solar Electric Yachts Extend Range

2/4/2026 - By YCC Team, Yaleclimateconnections.org. As solar-powered yachts become more prevalent, harbor and marina operators face new infrastructure considerations including electrical capacity for battery charging, appropriate dock assignments for vessels with rooftop solar arrays, and understanding the operational patterns of these emerging zero-emission vessels. The technology represents a shift that could… SEE MORE
North Atlantic right whale #2503 (Boomerang) and her fifth calf swimming approximately 9 miles east of the St. Mary’s River entrance in Florida. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Aerial survey funded by NOAA Fisheries and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Season 2026

1/10/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. The right whale calving season begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April. Researchers have identified 15 calves so far this calving season. Every single female North Atlantic right whale and calf are vital to this endangered species’ recovery. Since 2017, the whales have been experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event, which… SEE MORE