Smelt dipping on Saturday in Oregon’s Sandy River turned out to be a bust, with state samplers checking very few fish.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, smelt entered the Sandy on Sunday, March 1, but started dying during the middle of the week. A new pulse of fish failed to follow the initial wave so little was left by the time dipping was allowed on Saturday.
A second dipping period is scheduled for 6 a.m. to noon on Sunday, although little harvest is anticipated.
Although smelt returns have been fair this year and were excellent in 2014, the silvery fish are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act and only minimal harvest is allowed.
