Salmon have a friend in the federal court system.

Federal District Court Judge James A. Redden ordered Tuesday an agreement between representatives of federal and state agencies and fishing and conservation groups to ensure critical in-river fish passage measures to help endangered salmon survive in the Columbia and Snake River basin will be extended through 2008.

The agreement ensures that additional water will be spilled over dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers during the crucial spring and summer salmon migrations. This spill, which creates more natural river conditions for salmon by releasing water over the dams, is widely... Continued@URL... http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/02/25/daily18.html?ana=from_rss

Dam rules extended as salmon plan written

PORTLAND — To avoid more legal battles until a May 5 deadline for a new salmon-recovery plan for the Northwest, a federal judge has ordered that Columbia River dams be operated under last year's guidelines.... Continued@URL... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004203245_salmondams26m.html?syndication=rss