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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States Set Columbia River Winter Sturgeon Angling Times, Rules Above Bonneville Dam Based On Recent Stock Assessments
November 3rd, 2023
Oregon and Washington this week set 2024 sturgeon winter retention seasons for recreational anglers in the Columbia River upstream of Bonneville Dam, beginning Jan. 1.
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Alaska 2023 Salmon Harvest Numbers Show Huge Increase In Catch Over Last Year, But Down Over $300 Million In Value
November 3rd, 2023
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has published preliminary harvest and value figures for the 2023 Alaska Commercial Salmon Fishery, which show an increase of 69 million harvested salmon over last year. But the market value was way down.
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Coho Returning To Elwha River In Good Numbers, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Fish First Time Since Dam Removal
October 26th, 2023
For the first time in more than a decade, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is exercising its treaty right to harvest salmon from the Elwha River.
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Group Sues NMFS Over Orcas Being Killed In Bering Sea Trawl Nets, Wants Immediate Mitigation To Reduce Bycatch
October 26th, 2023
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice this week of its intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service for what it says is a failure to protect marine mammals from being killed by the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands groundfish trawl fisheries.
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With Updated Run Forecasts, Salmon Angling Now Open From Columbia River Mouth To Pasco
October 12th, 2023
With an updated and higher fall Chinook run forecast, recreational angling for salmon will continue through the end of the year on the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 to the Oregon/Washington border near Pasco, WA.
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Biden Administration Says BPA To Provide $200 Million Over 20 Years To Advance Salmon Reintroduction In Upper Columbia River Blocked Areas
September 22nd, 2023
The Biden administration this week announced that the Bonneville Power Administration will provide three Upper Columbia River Tribes $200 million over 20 years for ongoing efforts to reintroduce salmon above Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, which have blocked fish migration since 1942. The Tribes have agreed to a twenty-year pause to existing litigation while these actions are pursued.
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With A Continued Strong Fall Chinook Run (Above 10-Year Average), States Extend Recreational Fishing Below Bonneville, Add Gillnetting Days
September 22nd, 2023
With a higher in-season forecast of Chinook salmon tracking above the 5- and 10-year average, Oregon and Washington reopened all the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam to recreational angling for Chinook and hatchery coho as of Sept. 22. The reopening is for the remainder of this year.