Columbia River Springer Update

[House]

According to the States, and despite less than 50 spring chinook over Bonneville Dam, the Columbia River gillnetters landed about 2509 fish for 151 deliveries in their mainstem fishery that occurred on Tuesday.

The numbers are very preliminary but for the year they are at roughly 27% of their catch balancing. There will be a compact call on Monday (4/9/12) to discuss a commercial fishery on Tuesday, April 10th..

NSIA requested that the states split the river on Tuesday with Commercials below I-5 and Sports above so we could not close on Tuesdays, and many anglers and organizations asked to fish through next weekend, but the press release was already written, and no such consideration for the sportfishery was granted.

The sport fishery (see below) has been extended through Friday, April 13th. There will be a call on Thursday the 12th to discuss extending for another period.

Columbia River Fishery Notice

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife April 5, 2012
Joint State Action

In joint Oregon and Washington state action the states discussed the following recreational fishery and took the following actions:
Mainstem Columbia River Spring Chinook Recreational Fishery

Extended the following recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam:
Area:
Buoy 10 upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus bank angling only from Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam deadline.
Legal upstream boundary defined as: “A deadline marker on the Oregon bank (approximately four miles downstream from Bonneville Dam Powerhouse 1) in a straight line through the western tip of Pierce Island to a deadline marker on the Washington bank at Beacon Rock.”
Season:
Saturday April 7 through Friday, April 13, 2012, except closed to salmon and steelhead angling on Tuesday April 10, 2012 (6 days).
Catch Limits:
Two adult adipose fin-clipped salmonids per day, only one of which may be a Chinook.
Additional
Regulations:
Effective through June 15, 2012 for the mainstem Columbia River salmon and steelhead fishery from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to OR/WA border, it is unlawful when fishing from vessels which are less than 30 feet in length (substantiated by Coast Guard documentation or Marine Board registration) to totally remove from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.
Effective through May 15, 2012, the mainstem Columbia River will be open for retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad only during days and seasons open for retention of adipose fin-clipped spring Chinook.
Effective through June 15, 2012, on days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the salmonid daily bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits. On days when the mainstem Columbia River fishery is closed to Chinook retention, permanent salmonid bag limit regulations apply.