04-29-2004, 12:03 AM
[size 2][size 2]Columbia River closes to spring chinook angling Friday night below I-5
SALEM - The states of Oregon and Washington today decided to close the sport fishery for hatchery spring chinook effective Friday night between the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to the Interstate 5 Bridge because the fishery is approaching the allowable impacts to wild salmon allocated for this area.
Angling for adipose fin-clipped salmon, adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad may continue seven days a week in the upper river above Bonneville Dam under previously adopted temporary rules. However, managers will be assessing the catch rate in that area next week and could close the fishery on short notice.
The Columbia River salmon fishing rules that will be in effect starting 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 30 are as follows:
· For the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam, the season for salmon, steelhead and shad is closed.
· For the mainstem Columbia River from Tower Island power lines upstream to McNary Dam and the Oregon bank between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines (about 6 miles below The Dalles Dam), the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad is open seven days a week until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain two adipose fin-clipped adult spring chinook or steelhead. Anglers are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.
Catch rates for spring chinook have been excellent in the Columbia in April, with individual boat anglers averaging 0.31 chinook per trip. Since the fishery began in February, there have been 154,009 angler trips in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam with 30,946 chinook landed. Of those, 23,737 were taken home.
Spring chinook provide tremendous economic benefit to both the commercial and sport-fishing industries because the meat is prized for its flavor and it is the first fresh non-farmed salmon of the season to reach barbecues and specialty markets.
The Columbia River spring chinook fishery is managed to allow the harvest of hatchery fish while protecting salmon runs that are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The sport fishery for the Columbia River is limited to a 1.2 percent "impact" to spring chinook listed as threatened under the federal ESA. "Impacts" are the unintended mortalities associated with handling and releasing wild fish. The fishery in the area below I-5 was expected to exceed its portion of the allowable impact if it remained open through the weekend. The area from I-5 upstream to Bonneville Dam closed to chinook angling last week for the same reason.
For 2004, biologists estimated that 360,700 "upriver" spring chinook and 109,400 Willamette spring chinook would enter the Columbia. Biologists tracking the run believe the run entered the Columbia River late this year and that the upriver portion could be smaller than originally predicted.
Fishery managers, meeting as the Columbia River Compact, today also decided not to make any changes to the ongoing "select area" commercial fisheries in the Columbia River bays outside of the main channel. However, a decision to close these commercial gill net fisheries could occur on short notice.
The Columbia River Compact will meet Thursday at 1 p.m. to consider opening a tribal commercial salmon fishery above Bonneville Dam under harvest guidelines adopted earlier this year. In addition, Oregon and Washington fishery managers will meet Tuesday, May 4, at 10 a.m. to review run size estimates and assess the non-Indian sport fishery above Bonneville. [/size][/size]
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SALEM - The states of Oregon and Washington today decided to close the sport fishery for hatchery spring chinook effective Friday night between the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to the Interstate 5 Bridge because the fishery is approaching the allowable impacts to wild salmon allocated for this area.
Angling for adipose fin-clipped salmon, adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad may continue seven days a week in the upper river above Bonneville Dam under previously adopted temporary rules. However, managers will be assessing the catch rate in that area next week and could close the fishery on short notice.
The Columbia River salmon fishing rules that will be in effect starting 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 30 are as follows:
· For the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam, the season for salmon, steelhead and shad is closed.
· For the mainstem Columbia River from Tower Island power lines upstream to McNary Dam and the Oregon bank between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines (about 6 miles below The Dalles Dam), the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad is open seven days a week until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain two adipose fin-clipped adult spring chinook or steelhead. Anglers are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.
Catch rates for spring chinook have been excellent in the Columbia in April, with individual boat anglers averaging 0.31 chinook per trip. Since the fishery began in February, there have been 154,009 angler trips in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam with 30,946 chinook landed. Of those, 23,737 were taken home.
Spring chinook provide tremendous economic benefit to both the commercial and sport-fishing industries because the meat is prized for its flavor and it is the first fresh non-farmed salmon of the season to reach barbecues and specialty markets.
The Columbia River spring chinook fishery is managed to allow the harvest of hatchery fish while protecting salmon runs that are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The sport fishery for the Columbia River is limited to a 1.2 percent "impact" to spring chinook listed as threatened under the federal ESA. "Impacts" are the unintended mortalities associated with handling and releasing wild fish. The fishery in the area below I-5 was expected to exceed its portion of the allowable impact if it remained open through the weekend. The area from I-5 upstream to Bonneville Dam closed to chinook angling last week for the same reason.
For 2004, biologists estimated that 360,700 "upriver" spring chinook and 109,400 Willamette spring chinook would enter the Columbia. Biologists tracking the run believe the run entered the Columbia River late this year and that the upriver portion could be smaller than originally predicted.
Fishery managers, meeting as the Columbia River Compact, today also decided not to make any changes to the ongoing "select area" commercial fisheries in the Columbia River bays outside of the main channel. However, a decision to close these commercial gill net fisheries could occur on short notice.
The Columbia River Compact will meet Thursday at 1 p.m. to consider opening a tribal commercial salmon fishery above Bonneville Dam under harvest guidelines adopted earlier this year. In addition, Oregon and Washington fishery managers will meet Tuesday, May 4, at 10 a.m. to review run size estimates and assess the non-Indian sport fishery above Bonneville. [/size][/size]
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TheAngler BFT Moderator
TheAngler BFT Moderator