With the summer Chinook run tracking significantly below pre-season expectations, retention of adult summer Chinook will close on the Columbia River mainstem downstream of Priest Rapids Dam (PRD) as of Saturday, July 1.
Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon made the decision during a Joint State Hearing today.
Retention of sockeye salmon, hatchery steelhead and jack Chinook remains open from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Hwy 395 Bridge (Pasco, Wash.). The daily adult bag limit is two adult salmonids (only one may be a hatchery steelhead) and five hatchery jack salmon. All sockeye are considered adults.
Upper Columbia summer Chinook pass Bonneville Dam from June 16 through July 31 destined for areas in the Columbia River Basin upstream of PRD, and fishery management policy prioritizes summer Chinook fisheries in these areas by allocating them most of the harvestable surplus. With summer Chinook abundance lower than expected, the number of fish available to harvest in lower river recreational fisheries decreased by more than half, making a Chinook closure in areas downstream of PRD necessary.
Chinook fishing will reopen for fall seasons on Aug. 1, see the Recreation Report / Fishing Report for Columbia River Zone and click “Regulation Updates” for details about the fall season.
