States Set Early, Cautious Dates For Spring Chinook Angling On Columbia River; Impacts To Struggling Wild Snake River Fish Limiting Factor

February 23rd, 2024

Oregon and Washington fisheries managers approved 36 days of recreational angling in the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 near the river’s mouth to Bonneville Dam to kick off the 2024 spring Chinook salmon season. Fishing begins March 1 and ends April 5, which is more than a month before the spring Chinook season officially ends on June 15.

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Harvest Managers Predict 2024 Upriver Spring Chinook Return To Columbia River 15 percent Smaller Than 2023; Expect Drop In Wild Fish To Snake River

February 9th, 2024

Fisheries biologists are predicting that a smaller run of upriver spring Chinook salmon will return this year to the Columbia River than had returned last year, and that fewer of those fish will be of natural origin, continuing a years’ long trend, according to a report released last week by Oregon and Washington fish and wildlife agencies.

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Harvest Managers Approve Commercial Research Gillnetting for ESA-Listed Columbia River Smelt; If Numbers Good, Recreational Dip-Netting To Follow

February 2nd, 2024

With another good run of ESA-listed smelt expected this year into the Columbia River and a few lower river tributaries, the two-state Columbia River Compact approved this week commercial research gillnetting for the small fish through mid-March.

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Washington Says $14 Million Columbia River Commercial Gillnet Buyback Program Successful, Purchased 70 Percent Of Licenses; No Oregon Buybacks

December 13th, 2023

The state of Washington has successfully reduced the number of commercial Columbia River gillnet licenses in the state from 240 to 67. The reduction is the result of a $14.4 million commercial license reduction program approved by the state’s legislature in 2021, and a part of a plan to move gillnet boats off the mainstem of the river and to give more of the salmon harvest to recreational anglers.

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Columbia/Snake Salmon Recovery Lawsuit On Hold Again As Parties Seek Buy-In On ‘Actions And Commitments’ Not Yet Made Public

November 3rd, 2023

Parties to the lawsuit challenging the federal government’s 2020 environmental impact statement and biological opinion for imperiled salmon and steelhead traversing Columbia/Snake River federal dams have developed a package of “actions and commitments” that they will present to regional partners to get buy-in over the next 45 days.

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