The Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife have published their initial 2026 fall Chinook outlook for the shared Columbia, as well as how well 2025’s fall runs up the big river performed compared to forecasts issued at this time last year.
To wit:
Columbia River Fall Chinook
- 2025 Returns
o Adult fall Chinook return was predicted to be 736,200 fish.
o Preliminary adult return is about 91% of the forecast.
o Tule stocks appear to have lower jack returns than the 2024 returns.
o Upriver Bright (URB) and Pool Upriver Bright (PUB) stocks appear to have similar
jack returns to the 2024 returns.
o All stocks appear to have similar adult returns to the 2024 returns with the
exception of Bonneville Pool Hatchery (BPH) and Select Area Bright (SAB) which
were lower than 2024 adult returns. - 2026 Outlook
o Most fall Chinook bright stocks returned within forecast expectations, with jack
returns comparable to 2024. Bright stock fall Chinook returns in 2026 are
expected to be near 2025 levels.
o Lower River Hatchery (LRH) tule fall Chinook returns appear to be consistent
with the forecast, but with fewer jacks returning in 2025 than in 2024. BPH tule
fall Chinook jack returns were below recent years and near the 10-year average.
Tule stock fall Chinook returns in 2026 are expected to be less than 2025 levels.
Stock Definitions
Tule
LRH – Lower River Hatchery
BPH – Bonneville Pool Hatchery
Bright
URB – Upriver Bright
PUB – Pool Upriver Bright
LRB – Lower River Bright
LRW – Lower River Wild
SAB – Select Area Bright
*Returns and forecasts are to the Columbia River mouth.
