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Columbia River Spring Chinook Fishery Updates by Mark Yuasa Seattle Times, June 9, 2011

Here is the Washington and Oregon State Fish and Wildlife joint staff report on the Columbia River spring chinook fishery and run-size through June 9.

The Bonneville Dam passage of adult upriver spring chinook through June 8 totals 185,125 fish. The spring counting period continues through June 15. Daily counts have averaged 2,200 since June 1.

On Wednesday June 8, Technical Advisory Committee updated the Columbia River return of adult upriver spring chinook to 214,000 fish. This is an upgrade from the previous inseason estimate of 204,000 fish and a preseason forecast of 198,400.

Treaty Fishery Update

At the current projected run size of 214,000 fish, tribal fisheries are limited to a 9.1-percent harvest rate under the U.S. v. Oregon Management Agreement (19,474 upriver spring chinook).

Treaty Indian Spring Chinook Fisheries -- Ceremonial Permits, 8,947; Zone 6 Platform/H&L, 6,100; downstream of Bonneville Dam hook and line fishery, 2,300. The actual catch through June 4 is 17,347. The projected catch (June 5-15) from ongoing fisheries is 1,200.

The actual and projected season total is 18,547, and the allowed based on current run size is 19,474 with a balance if 927.

The ceremonial permit fishery is complete. The platform and hook -- and-line fishing and Yakama Nation tributary fisheries in Zone 6 are ongoing. The hook-and-line fishery downstream of Bonneville is also ongoing (one pole per fishermen through June 15). No commercial gill net fisheries occurred in 2011 for spring chinook.

Given the current run size estimate, and the catch estimates of upriver spring chinook, the treaty Indian fisheries impact rate is expected to be 8.7 compared to the 9.1-percent treaty limit.

Non-Indian Sport and Commercial Fishery Update

Preliminary summary of non-Indian upriver chinook catch -- Mainstem commercial catch is 3,467; select area commercial catch (projected to June 15) is 272; Lower Columbia River sport (projected to June 15) is 8,700; Zone 6 sport (projected to June 15) is 2,657; Snake River/Ringold sport is 1,964.

The actual and projected season total is 17,060, and allowed based on current run size is 19,474 with a balance of 2,414.

Non-Indian fisheries are allowed 19,474 upriver spring chinook mortalities and are restricted to an ESA impact limit of 1.9-percent based on the current run size estimate.

Under the same assumptions, ESA impact allocations are expected to be around 1.5-percent compared to the 1.9-percent allowed for non-Indian fisheries.