Columbia River spring Chinook fishing days added following run size assessment
Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington approved additional spring Chinook fishing days in the mainstem Columbia River, both upstream and downstream of Bonneville Dam, during a joint state hearing May 7. The decision follows confirmation this week by the U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that the upriver spring Chinook run is on track to meet the preseason forecast of 122,500 adult fish returning to the mouth of the Columbia River.
“We start the season with a conservation buffer built into the harvest allocations, as required in the U.S. v. Oregon Management Agreement, to account for the possibility that the forecast is higher than the actual return,” said Ryan Lothrop, Columbia River fisheries manager with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “With the run tracking as expected and room still available within the allocations, we can lift that buffer and responsibly add fishing days without compromising protections for upriver stocks.”
Fishing will be open downstream of Bonneville Dam, from Rocky Point/Tongue Point upstream to Beacon Rock, plus bank angling with hand-cast lines only from Beacon Rock to Bonneville Dam, May 9–22. Fishing will be open upstream of Bonneville Dam, from the Tower Island powerlines upstream to the Oregon/Washington border, plus bank angling with hand-cast lines only from Bonneville Dam to the Tower Island powerlines, May 10 and May 13 only.
When the fisheries are open, the daily limit is six fish, including no more than two hatchery adults (Chinook or steelhead), but only one may be a hatchery Chinook. An adult Chinook is defined as 24 inches or longer; an adult steelhead is 20 inches or longer. Anglers must stop fishing once the adult daily limit is reached. All wild steelhead and salmon other than hatchery Chinook must be released. Salmon must be at least 12 inches to keep. Shad may be kept with no size or daily limit. All other permanent regulations remain in effect.
As of May 7, 70,254 adult spring Chinook have passed Bonneville Dam, exceeding the 10-year average for this date of 55,144 fish. The current forecast allows for a total recreational harvest of 5,884 upriver-origin spring Chinook downstream of the Bonneville Dam and 841 fish upstream.
Commission guidance from both Oregon and Washington sets the allocations, or harvest limits, for spring Chinook in three recreational fishing areas: the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam, Bonneville Dam to the Oregon/Washington border, and the Snake River. While the fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam has room within its harvest allocation to support 14 additional fishing days, only 521 upriver-origin fish remain available for harvest upstream of Bonneville Dam, limiting that fishery to just one weekend and one weekday opportunity.
“When structuring the season, we also factored in how angler effort might shift between open areas,” said Lothrop. “This helped us shape a season that made the most of the limited harvest available. As the season progresses, we’ll continue to look for additional opportunities.”
To date, anglers have harvested an estimated 3,389 adult spring Chinook, including 2,596 upriver-origin fish, in the fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam, which was open Jan. 1 to April 6, April 11–13, and April 15–17. An additional 318 upriver-origin fish were harvested April 1–26 in the fishery upstream of Bonneville Dam.
Fishery managers will continue to monitor fisheries, dam counts, and other in-season return data. Because run sizes and conditions can change quickly, adjustments may be made as needed to stay within Endangered Species Act limits or catch-balancing requirements as outlined in the Management Agreement.
Anglers should review the Washington Sport Fishing rules pamphlet or Fish Washington® mobile app for all permanent rules, as well as check for any emergency rule changes before fishing. Fishing regulations may be modified in-season as returns materialize.
For more information about Columbia River fisheries management, refer to WDFW’s Columbia River Compact webpage. To receive regulation updates and fishery notices via email, subscribe to WDFW’s mailing lists.
WDFW, along with our co-managers, is committed to managing Columbia River fisheries in a way that protects fish stocks and ecosystems — and provides sustainable fishing opportunities. Learn more about Columbia River fisheries management in our blog or video series.
