Warning on trout hatcheries could force changes (San Francisco Chronicle)
Hatchery-raised steelhead trout pass on genetic defects that hamper survival of even their wild-born offspring, according to a study that biologists say could lead to a radical shift in the way salmon breeding programs operate on the West Coast. The recent Oregon State University study found that even hatchery fish whose parents were wild develop and pass on genetic defects severe enough to hamper the reproductive ability of their offspring.
China mulling new air quality regulations (Reuters)
China is considering new air quality regulations as it looks to build on its success clearing Beijing's skies during the Olympics, environmental officials from the capital said on Friday. U.S. scientists who came to Beijing to measure air quality during the Games said particulate pollution was about 30 percent higher than reported by Chinese environmental experts. It was far worse than other recent Olympics and two to four times that of Los Angeles on an average day, according to research done before, during and after the Games by a team from Oregon State University. (See also The Independent and The Guardian)
$2 million devoted to spud pests (Capital Press)
A $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund a four-year study aimed at improving pest management in Northwest potato fields. The research will be conducted by scientists at Washington State University, Oregon State University, the University of Idaho and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
Microchips in cattle? Ranchers not so sure (Bend Bulletin)
"It's meant to help track animals that have disease - should there be some sort of outbreak," said Barbi Riggs, a livestock agent with the Crook County office of Oregon State University's Extension Service. "There is still controversy and confusion. If it should become mandatory, who would pay for the costs and who has access to the information. ... Most people in the West are reluctant to buy into it. We already have established some identification inspections."
Small Business Centers get funding cut (Oregonian)
"It gave me a pathway and helped me to get to where I am," said Karrie Birrer, owner of Florio Bakery in Northeast Portland. Birrer opened her businesses, which sells frozen pastry doughs, after taking a course offered jointly by PCC's SBDC and Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center.
A feast of fish: Researchers assessing impact of avian predators (News Tribune)
A short walk through brush and Russian olive trees reveals a blind where Correll, an avian ecologist from Oregon State University who is the team leader, and other observers come often during the summer to watch Caspian terns catch and feed juvenile chinook salmon and steelhead to their young.
Eating healthy: Fresh vegetables and new skills (Oregonian)
Vancouver Vineyard minister, Steve Fish, who once spent two years at the Oregon State University School of Agriculture, designed a system of covering the crops with Visqueen black plastic and fish emulsion, which might not qualify as a revelation to farmers but has had a considerable impact on the ground here.
Biologists hope to give Columbia River predator birds other nesting options (Daily News)
Dan Roby, associate professor of fisheries and wildlife at Oregon State University, said in a 2003 research paper the increase of fish-eating birds in recent years "might be sufficient to inhibit recovery of some Columbia River Basin salmonid stocks in serious decline."
