Following another run upgrade, fishery managers from Oregon and Washington adopted additional fishing opportunity for spring Chinook salmon in the mainstem Columbia River from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line to the Oregon/Washington state line upstream of McNary Dam and increased the bag limit for Chinook to up to two adults per day.
Adult Chinook passage at Bonneville Dam through June 1 totals 149,031 fish, which is 129 percent of the 10-year (2012-21) average cumulative count and 210 percent of the 5-year (2017-21) average for this date. The forecast was recently upgraded to 192,900 adults at the Columbia River mouth compared to the pre-season forecast of 122,900 adults and up from 180,000 forecast in mid-May.
The following seasons and bag limits were adopted Thursday:
Below Bonneville DamBeginning today, June 3, the bag limit remains two adult hatchery salmonids of which only one may be a Chinook, and the boat fishing deadline is Beacon Rock.
Beginning Saturday, June 4, the daily bag limit increases to include up to two adult hatchery Chinook and the boat angling deadline expands to the permanent boat angling boundary below Bonneville Dam. Fishery managers had previously extended the recreational fishery through the end of the spring management period during a meeting held May 18. Below is a summary of the upcoming season with new bag limit and open area.
- Season: June 4-15
- Bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day
- Open area: Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline
Above Bonneville Dam (12 retention days added)
- Season: Saturday, June 4 through Wednesday, June 15
- Bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day
- Open Area: Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam) upstream to Oregon/Washington border, plus the Oregon and Washington banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines
Columbia River spring Chinook salmon seasons are driven by balancing opportunity with Endangered Species Act limitations, provisions in the management agreement between the states and Columbia River Treaty Tribes that specify the total harvest guideline of upriver-origin spring Chinook, and guidance from the Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissions regarding the allocation of spring Chinook among the non-treaty fisheries.
Fishery managers will monitor these fisheries and may consider further hearings to assess the latest information on catch rates to determine if additional fishery management actions are needed.
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife recently redesigned its page for in-season regulation changes. Anglers should always visit the Recreation Fishing Report for their zone and then click on the Regulation Updates tab for the latest regulations.
