[ODFW-News] Columbia River opens for salmon, steelhead and shad angling

[ODFW News]

For Immediate Release Tuesday, May 16, 2006
 
Columbia River opens for salmon, steelhead and shad angling
 
SALEM - State fishery officials late yesterday moved to re-open the
mainstem Columbia river this week for sport and commercial fishing,
responding to the late but robust return of spring chinook salmon in the
river. 
 
State fishery managers from Oregon and Washington, meeting as the
Columbia River Compact, agreed to open recreational salmon angling on
the Columbia River, from Tongue Point to Bonneville Dam, from May 17 to
June 15, every day until the harvest impact guideline is reached. 
 
Oregon anglers may keep two adipose fin-clipped adult spring chinook or
steelhead. Steelhead angling opens today, from Tongue Point to the
bridge at I-5, under permanent state regulations. Steelhead angling from
I-5 to Bonneville opens May 17. Shad angling on the mainstem Columbia
River opens today, from Buoy 10 to Bonneville Dam.

While this spring's salmon are the latest returning run on record,
recent fish counts at Bonneville Hatchery indicate the run size will
exceed the pre-season forecast of 88,400 returning adult fish. The
projection was amended to 100,000 earlier this week. 

Rules in effect for spring chinook fisheries on the Columbia River
require anglers and commercial fishers to release any wild salmon.
Mortality rates for released wild chinook - also known as "allowable
impacts" - cannot exceed 2 percent of the wild run, under federal
Endangered Species Act guidelines. 

The Compact also established a commercial fishery from the river mouth
to Kelley Point. Commercial fishers today have a 10-hour fishery, from 2
p.m. to midnight for salmon, sturgeon and shad.   

The Columbia River Compact will meet again Thursday at 9 a.m. to review
catch estimates and run size estimates. 
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