Columbia River To Close To Salmon And Steelhead Retention

With fall Chinook salmon returns to the Columbia River tracking well below preseason predictions, fishery managers announced Tuesday the Columbia River from the mouth at Buoy 10 to the Highway 395 Bridge near Pasco will close for angling and retention of all salmon and steelhead at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.  As of Monday only 75 percent of the expected adult fall Chinook have passed Bonneville Dam based on pre-season forecasts.  The upriver bright Chinook return, which includes ESA-listed Snake River fish, are currently projected to return at 69 percent of expectations which means if left open fisheries could exceed the allowable harvest rate.  ODFW Columbia River program manager Tucker Jones says if the return continues on its current pace, this could be the lowest fall Chinook return to the mouth of the Columbia since 2007.  Except for upper Columbia sockeye most runs will come in at 30 percent or less of pre-season forecast.

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