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Spring Chinook Run Downgraded, Though Fishing Continues as Planned for Now by Eric Barker Moscow-Pullman Daily News, May 14, 2026

Forecast trimmed by more than 20,000 to an expected 126,200

The return of spring chinook to the Columbia and Snake rivers is unlikely to reach a preseason forecast, according to state and tribal fisheries managers.

The run forecast downgrade will not have an immediate impact on fisheries but could lead to changes in the near future.

Before the season started, fisheries managers predicted 147,300 adult spring chinook bound for tributaries upstream of Bonneville Dam would return from the Pacific Ocean. While the run is above the 10-year average, daily counts of fish passing Bonneville peaked at 6,714 on April 30 and have been dropping since then. As of Tuesday, 72,591 adult springers were counted there. Fisheries managers now expect the run to total 126,200.

Joe Thiessen, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston, said in a blog post that based on average run timing, 80% of this year's Idaho-bound fish have likely passed Bonneville. He thinks the run will likely finish near the 10-year average but fall short of those recorded over the past few years.

The projected harvest share on the Clearwater River dropped from the preseason estimate of about 2,000 to about 1,200. The harvest share for chinook bound for Rapid River is now estimated at about 1,000, down from an initial estimate of about 1,900.

"It's not all doom and gloom," he wrote. "But it is time to temper expectations for what this year's fishery will realistically look like."

If the run continues to lag, Thiessen said it might be necessary to adjust regulations and it's likely the season will be shorter than expected.

But no changes are planned and fishing reopens today on the Clearwater River and its tributaries, and on the lower Salmon and Little Salmon rivers. The department documented some harvest on the Clearwater River during the previous Thursday-through-Sunday fishing period and expects good fishing during the next window that starts today.

"All things considered, if you've been debating whether to fish this weekend, the fish are telling you to go," he said in the blog post.

The run forecast downgrade hasn't changed the projected harvest quota associated with the limited fishing season on the lower Snake River in Washington. In fact, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will add two days of fishing near Ice Harbor Dam.

Chris Donley, fish program manager of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Spokane, said the state started the season with an estimated Snake River quota of about 491. That number was bumped up to 630 earlier this month when the 30% harvest buffer on the lower Columbia River was applied to the state's overall quota. So far anglers have harvested 126 chinook near Little Goose, leaving 493 to catch.

Donley expects the quota will be reached following fishing near Little Goose Dam on Friday and Tuesday and near Ice Harbor Dam on Wednesday and next Thursday. The Ice Harbor days were approved Wednesday.

"If you want to catch a fish in the Washington portion of the Snake River, you have a few more days to do it," he said.