Anglers will be allowed to keep two spring chinook salmon per day beginning Wednesday in the Columbia River.
Washington and Oregon officials on Monday liberalized the daily bag limit to two adult salmon or steelhead, which can be two adult chinook, or one chinook and one steelhead.
State, federal and tribal biologists on Monday upgraded the forecast for upper Columbia-Snake River spring chinook to 271,000. The initial forecast was for 232,500 chinook.
With the larger forecast, almost 1,700 spring chinook remain available for sport fishermen.
Fishing already is open through June 15 with a one-chinook limit. The two-fish limit will apply from Tongue Point, east of Astoria, to the Washington-Oregon state line, east of Umatilla, Ore.
The Columbia River Compact met Monday to adopt 10 hours of gillnetting in the river from Beacon Rock to the ocean on Tuesday night.
Harry Barber of Washougal, a member of the Columbia River Recreational Advisor Group, asked state officials if such a large number of chinook remain on the sport allocation, why wasn’t the bag limit being increased to two chinook daily or more salmon catch allowed along the lower Snake River in Eastern Washington.
Chinook catch rates are not particularly high in early June, as the run is transitioning between spring and summer stocks.
Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the 1,700 chinook are plenty to cover the additional catch of a two-fish limit.
Gillnet fishery — The compact adopted 10 hours of gillnetting for spring chinook Tuesday night from Beacon Rock to the coast.
Jeff Whisler of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the commercials are projected to harvest 650 hatchery-origin chinook. Netting with 8-inch-mesh will be allowed from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday.
The 8-inch-mesh is a deviation from the spring norm of 4.25-inch-mesh. The larger mesh will be allowed due to the high number of shad in the lower Columbia.
Whisler said the commercials have taken 72 percent of their current allocation. After Tuesday night, they are projected to be at 85 percent. Another commercial fishing period might occur on Monday.
Tribal fishing — Treaty Indian fishermen will net from 6 a.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Friday in the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools in the Columbia River Gorge.
Biologist Roger Dick Jr. of the Yakama tribe said the tribal fishermen are projected to catch 3,600 spring chinook, along with fewer than 40 steelhead and a few sockeye.
The tribes have more than 6,000 spring chinook available under their allocation, Dick said.
