(CLACKAMAS, OR) - Oregon and Washington fishery managers decided Tuesday to reopen Columbia River
to shad and hatchery steelhead angling effective 12:01 a.m., Sunday, May 22,
because risks to imperiled wild chinook stocks are extremely low.
Daily catch limits and other regulations remain unchanged from those listed
in the 2005 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. The mainstem Columbia River from
Buoy 10 to McNary Dam remains closed to the harvest of spring chinook.
Fishery managers last week postponed the season openings because of the
potential risk to spring chinook listed under the federal Endangered Species Act
from anglers who hook a chinook when targeting other species. The shad fishery
in the mainstem Columbia River was slated to re-open this week from the mouth at
Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam under rules listed in the 2005 Oregon Sport
Fishing Regulations. The steelhead fishery between the Rocky Point-Tongue Point
line and the Interstate 5 Bridge also was slated to open this week.
During a Columbia River Compact teleconference Tuesday morning, Oregon and
Washington fish biologists predicted the number of spring chinook entering the
Columbia River destined for locations above Bonneville Dam to be 82,400, which
is up slightly from last week’s estimate of 78,800. The pre-season forecast was
for 254,100 spring chinook to enter the Columbia.
Fish managers set Columbia River fishing seasons based on the number of fish
expected to return from the ocean and the allowable impact to wild salmon and
steelhead stocks listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. “Impacts”
include direct and unintended mortalities associated with handling and releasing
wild fish. The allowed non-Indian impacts for ESA -listed Snake River
spring/summer chinook and Upper Columbia River spring chinook are 2 percent for
runs greater than 82,000, but drops to 1.5 percent for runs less than 82,000.
Additional information and current regulations on open fisheries can be found
in the 2005 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations and the ODFW Web page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/Regulations/2005_reg_changes.htm.
Additional information about the Columbia River spring chinook season is found
on ODFW’s Web page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/OSCRP/CRM/action_notes.html
.
