CLACKAMAS – Oregon and Washington fishery managers decided Tuesday to postpone the upcoming shad and steelhead angling seasons in the Columbia River in an effort to reduce risks to spring chinook listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Officials emphasized, however, that abundant fishing opportunities remain for sturgeon in the Columbia and for spring chinook, steelhead and shad in Columbia River tributaries. The Columbia River Compact will meet again next Tuesday and could reopen the shad fishery then.
The shad fishery in the mainstem Columbia River was slated to re-open May 16, from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam. The steelhead fishery between the Rocky Point-Tongue Point line and the Interstate 5 Bridge also was slated to open Monday.
The mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 to McNary Dam remains closed to the harvest of spring chinook.
During a Columbia River Compact teleconference Tuesday morning, Oregon and Washington fish biologists predicted the number of spring chinook entering the Columbia River destined for locations above Bonneville Dam to be 78,800. The pre-season forecast was for 254,100 spring chinook to enter the Columbia.
“With a run this short of predicted numbers, it is important we do everything we can to protect these listed salmon stocks,” said ODFW Fisheries Division Assistant Administrator Steve Williams.
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 for ESA -listed Snake River spring/summer chinook and Upper Columbia River spring chinook are 2 percent for funs greater than 82,000, but drops to 1.5 percent for runs less than 82,000. While the potential to harm a listed spring chinook is small during the shad and steelhead seasons, fish managers did not want to take any chances.
The following fisheries provide other angling opportunities:
Columbia River and lower Willamette River sturgeon : The area between the Buoy 10 and Wauna Powerlines reopens May 14 for the retention of sturgeon seven days a week. Between Wauna Powerlines and Beacon Rock, including the lower Willamette River , anglers may retain sturgeon Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Catch-and-release sturgeon angling is allowed Sunday – Wednesday.
Columbia River select area and tributary spring chinook: Tributaries to the Columbia River including Big Creek, Youngs River and Sandy River remain open for spring chinook angling under permanent regulations listed in the 2005 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. In addition, Youngs Bay and Blind/Knappa Slough also remain open.
Willamette River salmon, steelhead and shad : Open for adipose fin-clipped chinook and adipose fin-clipped steelhead all year with a two salmon or steelhead daily catch limit under permanent regulations. Shad fishing also is open all year with no daily catch limits.
In other action, the Columbia River Compact members decided to approve three commercial fishing periods for spring chinook in the select areas of Blind/Knappa Slough, Deep River and Youngs Bay beginning tonight at 7 p.m. The remaining two fishing periods will go forward if no upriver spring chinook are landed tonight.
“Because these fisheries are located outside the mainstem Columbia River, we expect they will have no impact on salmon bound for upriver,” Williams said.
Additional information current regulations on open fisheries can be found in the 2005 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations and the ODFW Web page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/Regulations/2005_reg_changes.htm. Additional information about the Columbia River spring chinook season is found on ODFW’s Web page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/OSCRP/CRM/action_notes.html .
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