Columbia Spring Chinook Managers Propose Lower River, Pool Reopeners

Columbia spring Chinook managers are proposing to reopen the big river below Bonneville Dam for 14 days and mainstem gorge pools above there for two days.

If approved as is during a joint ODFW-WDFW meeting that begins at 1 p.m. today, salmon anglers could be back on the big river as early as May 9. Fishing would run May 9-22 in the Lower Columbia, May 10 and May 13 in the pools.

With this week’s expectation that the upriver run forecast of 122,500 will now at least be met, a fact sheet out ahead of the Columbia River Compact call says that there is a balance of 3,264 mortalities available below Bonneville and 521 above the dam.

“Given the balances of upriver-origin spring Chinook available to mainstem Columbia River recreational fisheries, staff modeled additional fishing opportunities that allows for in-season adjustments as needed to remain within the allowable ESA-impacts and catch-sharing guidelines. Modeling included recent-year observed May effort and catch rates. Chinook abundance, passage expectations, and current river conditions were also incorporated,” the fact sheet states.

“Staff considered the following when developing the fishery structures: Angler interest to begin fishing soon after an in-season upriver spring Chinook abundance expectation was available from TAC; Reserve sufficient upriver-origin spring Chinook ESA-impacts to prosecute hatchery summer steelhead-directed fisheries scheduled to occur May 16 – June 15 downstream of the I-5 Bridge,” it adds.

DFW staffers are modeling total mortalities of 3,936 adult springers in the Lower Columbia, including 3,228 above-Bonneville fish, and 500 above the dam.

A final decision will be made by Oregon and Washington Columbia salmon managers acting as representatives of ODFW Director Debbie Colbert and WDFW Director Kelly Susewind after they take input from fellow management agencies, sportfishing advisors and general public.

The fact sheet also shows that recreational fishermen kept 3,389 total spring Chinook during the initial season below Bonneville, including April’s two three-day extensions, during 42,700 angler trips. Last month’s fishery in the mainstem gorge pools saw a catch of 339, including 318 kept.