|
Salmon, steelhead numbers low |
|
October 26, 2016 |
With another drop in the fall Chinook forecast
and a continuing poor run of steelhead and Coho
salmon this fall, the two-state Columbia River
Compact and the state of Washington shut down
angling for salmon and steelhead from the mouth
of the Columbia River to the Highway 395 Bridge
near Pasco as of Saturday, October 22.
For the sixth straight week, the U.S. v Oregon
Technical Advisory Committee, which forecasts
fish runs that are used to determine allowed
harvest in the Columbia River, downgraded its
estimate of adult fall run Chinook salmon to
701,100 fish or about 73 percent of the
preseason forecast of 960,000 fish. The new
forecast includes 412,700 upriver bright Chinook
(71 percent of the preseason forecast) and
45,200 Bonneville Pool Hatchery Tule Chinook (45
percent of the preseason forecast).
TAC, which met October 17, also downgraded the
late stock of Coho salmon from the preseason
forecast of 37,100 adults to 15,000 expected to
pass Bonneville. The early stock of Coho – those
passing the dam prior to October 1 – totaled
29,208 fish, far less than the preseason
forecast of 47,200 fish.
It did not adjust its forecast for steelhead,
retaining a run size estimate of upriver summer
steelhead of 171,200 fish, again far less than
the preseason forecast of 256,200 fish. The
in-season forecast includes 129,200 Group A
stock (31,900 wild) and 42,000 Group B stock
(6,400 wild).
Robin Ehlke, Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife fisheries biologist and Compact staff
member, said that the preseason forecast for the
wild A upriver steelhead was 89,100 fish and the
current forecast of 31,900 is just 36 percent of
the preseason. The wild B run preseason forecast
was 7,400 and is now 6,400, 86 percent of the
original forecast.
Although the Compact staff had recommended just
prohibiting the retention of fall Chinook for
recreational anglers from Buoy 10 to the Hwy 395
Bridge at the Oregon/Washington border, the
states unanimously decided to prohibit all
fishing for salmon and steelhead on the long
stretch of river and Washington said it would
follow suit for the upper Columbia River
mainstem.
Much of the decision to cease angling altogether
had to do with the adjusted harvest numbers of
upriver bright Chinook. With a downgraded
forecast, the number of protected upriver bright
chinook harvested to date by the combined
non-treaty commercial and recreational fisheries
already exceeds the allowed Endangered Species
Act impact of 15 percent of upriver brights.
But the Compact’s decision also had to do with
the declining forecast for late Coho salmon and
the small number of wild steelhead forecasted to
move beyond Bonneville Dam.
“The thing that strikes me is that we are
constraining harvest of upriver brights, which
are 71 percent of the preseason forecast, while
steelhead are lower at 67 percent of the
forecast and wild steelhead are 22 percent of
that run,” said David Moscowitz of the
Conservation Angler, arguing to completely shut
down fishing on the river. “We’re allowing
direct fishing on steelhead when the numbers are
even less than upriver brights.”
With the run of steelhead at just 33 percent of
the 10-year average into the upper Columbia
River, Washington already had closed the
Columbia River from its border with Oregon to
Pasco on October 18. A forecast of just 6,300
summer steelhead at the dam is falling far short
of the minimum 9,550 fish required by NOAA
Fisheries to allow a fishing season, WDFW said.
"Every fish will count to make sure enough reach
the spawning grounds," said Jeff Korth, WDFW
northcentral regional fish program manager. "All
wild fish and those produced from wild parents
in the hatchery are already being allowed on the
spawning grounds. All steelhead produced from
hatchery parents as a backup will probably be
needed to reach escapement goals, too."
The last time upper Columbia River steelhead
runs were this low was in the 1990s, resulting
in a federal "endangered" species listing in
1997. The run was later classified as
"threatened" as returns improved, according to
WDFW.
Korth said the overall run timing appears to be
tracking the 10-year average, so it is not
likely that the missing fish are just late.
Normally, the steelhead fishery is used to
remove these "back-up" fish when they are not
needed for escapement.
Korth said the weakest component in 2016 upper
Columbia River steelhead run is "one-salt" fish
that stay in the ocean one year. This year's
one-salt fish are expected to make up 36.5
percent of the run at Priest River Dam, compared
to an average of 50-60 percent, he said.
Limits for lower river fisheries, from the mouth
to Highway 395 south of the Tri-Cities, had
already been reduced to one hatchery steelhead.
The only steelhead fishery remaining in the
Columbia River above Highway 395 will be at
Ringold, a "bubble" fishery held on hatchery
steelhead specially marked with both a clipped
adipose and left ventral fin.
"Those steelhead are not federally listed, but
that run, too, will be a shadow of the usual
number of fish," Korth said.
Also on the Compact’s docket this week was to
set three seasons for Treaty Indian fall
commercial setline fisheries for sturgeon in the
Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools.
Those seasons are:
October 24 to November 5 in the John Day pool
only. Tribal fishers are allowed 1,000 fish this
year in the John Day pool. In previous periods,
they have caught 738 sturgeon: 262 remain in
their allotment.
November 7 to 12 in The Dalles pool only.
Fishers are allowed 325 fish, 268 have been
caught, leaving 57 allotted.
November 14 to 26 in the Bonneville pool only.
Fishers are allowed 325 fish, 131 have been
caught, leaving 194 allotted.
The Tribes chose not to extend their fall
Chinook gillnet fishery at this time.
Passage of fall Chinook at Bonneville Dam since
August 1 is 436,382 adult fall Chinook through
Wednesday, October 19, below the 10-year average
of 498,110. Some 53,707 jacks have passed the
dam, also below the 10-year average of 82,274.
Last year on that date, 936,305 adult and 80,682
jack fall Chinook had passed the dam.
Passage of fall Chinook at Lower Granite Dam
Wednesday was 33,814 adults and 11,465 jacks.
Last year at this time 57,370 adults and 10,478
jacks had passed the dam. The 10-year average is
31,730 adults and 16,733 jacks.
Some 185,575 upriver summer steelhead had passed
Bonneville as of October 19, 51,419 of which are
wild. That’s far below the 10-year average of
343,231 steelhead overall, with 112,761 wild
fish. Last year, 262,807 steelhead had passed on
this date, with 95,465 wild.
Passage at Lower Granite dam for summer
steelhead on Thursday, October 20, was 85,956
with 19,761 wild. Last year on this date 118,504
had passed the dam, with 32,435 wild. The
10-year average is 149,516, with 38,880 wild.
Steelhead to Priest Rapids Dam by Tuesday,
October 18, was 6,298, with no wild fish
recorded. Last year on this date 13,924 had
reached the dam. The 10-year average is 19,061.
Some 39,226 adult and 5,249 jack coho had passed
Bonneville as of October 19. The 10-year average
is 112,772 adults and 6,984 jack coho. Last year
on the same date, 31,226 adults and 4,389 jacks
had passed.
Lamprey are having a good year with 52,319 over
Bonneville Dam, compared to the 10-year average
of 22,887. Last year on October 19 the count was
38,519. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
