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Columbia River Spring Chinook Seasons Set by Staff The Bend Bulletin, January 31, 2005

Area immediately downstream of Bonneville Dam open three days a week

(VANCOUVER, WASH.) -- Sport anglers are likely to fish in the Columbia River through April for a healthy run of 413,400 spring chinook under rules adopted Friday by the states of Oregon and Washington.

Biologists expect spring fishing opportunities to resemble those of 2004 because the 2005 run size is expected to be very similar. The extremely popular fishery will be monitored in-season and will close to sport angling when the allowable impacts to wild fish are reached.

With the intent of keeping the rest of the river open to spring chinook fishing through April and into May, fishery managers decided to limit anglers to fishing three days a week and keeping one hatchery-bred fish a day in the area immediately below Bonneville Dam. In 2004, a large portion of spring chinook harvested from the Columbia were caught in the five miles immediately downstream of Bonneville Dam. The 2004 recreational fishery closed between the I-5 Bridge and Bonneville Dam before the end of April because the allowable impacts to wild salmon had been met.

The recreational seasons adopted Friday will allow angling for hatchery-bred spring chinook everyday from the mouth of the Columbia River at Buoy 10 upstream to Rooster Rock and from Bonneville Dam upstream to McNary Dam.

Fishery managers also adopted a rule for the second year that prohibits Columbia River anglers from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released. This rule will be in effect for all vessels less than 30 feet in length from Feb. 15 – May 15, 2005 upstream of the Rocky Point-Tongue Point line.

Of the total run, about 70 percent are expected to be marked by a missing adipose fin which designates them as “keepers.” Biologists estimate a total mainstem harvest of about 35,000 hatchery-bred spring chinook, split between sport anglers and the commercial fishing industry.

Fish managers set the Columbia River spring chinook fishery 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” are the unintended mortalities associated with handling and releasing wild fish. The allowed non-Indian impacts are 2 percent of the total runs of ESA-listed Snake River spring/summer chinook and Upper Columbia River spring chinook.

Spring chinook provide tremendous economic benefit to both the commercial and sport-fishing industries because the meat is prized for its flavor and it is the first fresh non-farmed salmon of the season to reach barbecues and specialty markets.

The rules adopted Friday for sport anglers include:

For the mainstem Columbia River from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to the Interstate 5 Bridge, the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad is open seven days a week now until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain two adult spring chinook or steelhead in Oregon. In Washington, anglers may retain two adult spring chinook and two steelhead.

From the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line in the Columbia River estuary upstream to I-5, anglers fishing from a boat less than 30 feet are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released from Feb. 15 through the end of the fishery.

For the mainstem Columbia River from the Interstate 5 Bridge upstream to Rooster Rock, the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad is open seven days a week March 16 until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain two adult spring chinook or steelhead in Oregon. In Washington, anglers may retain two adult spring chinook and two steelhead.

All anglers fishing from a boat shorter than 30 feet are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.

In the mainstem Columbia River, from Rooster Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam, the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad is open Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from March 16 until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain one adult spring chinook or steelhead per day.

All anglers fishing from a boat shorter than 30 feet are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.

For the mainstem Columbia River from the Tower Island power lines upstream to McNary Dam and the Oregon bank between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines (about 6 miles below The Dalles Dam), the season for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad is open seven days a week March 16 until the allowable impacts are reached or May 15, which ever occurs first. Anglers may retain two adult spring chinook or steelhead in Oregon. In Washington, anglers may retain two adult spring chinook and two steelhead.

All anglers fishing from a boat shorter than 30 feet are prohibited from totally removing from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.

Biologists will analyze the sport harvest and the impacts to wild fish one or two days per week April 5 – May 15 to make in-season adjustments. If modifications are necessary to keep within the allowable impacts, they will be made in the following order: 1) Eliminate the fishery between Rooster Rock and Bonneville Dam; 2) Reduce the fishery below the Rooster Rock boundary to less than seven days a week 3) Eliminate the fishery below Rooster Rock. In addition, the fishery above Bonneville Dam will be managed to provide similar fishing opportunities as in the lower Columbia.

Commercial fishing regulations were adopted Friday for fisheries that target hatchery-bred spring chinook returning to the Willamette River and may include a combination of tangle net and large mesh net fisheries. Commercial fishing boats must have recovery boxes on board for any wild fish caught. In addition, on-board observers will determine the number of wild fish caught and released. The commercial regulations adopted Friday will apply to fisheries that start in late February or early March. Commercial season dates will be adopted at future Columbia River Compact hearings and will be based on test fishing results.

The states also adopted commercial shad seasons, spring chinook ‘select area’ fisheries, and anchovy and herring bait fisheries.

The commercial and sport seasons adopted Friday were based on an allowable impact rate of 2 percent for wild steelhead. NOAA Fisheries recently announced that an impact rate of up to 6 percent could be used. However, the Oregon and Washington fish and wildlife commissions have not yet decided whether to use the amended impact rate. Both commissions will discuss the steelhead impact rate at their February meetings. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will held Feb. 5 and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will be held Feb. 11 in Troutdale.