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Spring Chinook Numbers On the Rise by Associated Press KMVT, May 20, 2018

LEWISTON, Idaho -- Spring chinook counts at Snake and Columbia river dams are improving, but fisheries managers are unsure how strong the run will be.

The Lewiston Tribune reports that the fish are late, but depending just how tardy they end up being could make a big difference to anglers. Joe DuPont, with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, says the state's harvest share for the Clearwater and its tributaries could range between 1,000 and 2,500.

Likewise, the harvest share projection on the lower Salmon and Little Salmon rivers ranges between 363 and 1,200.

Ryan Lothrup, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the cumulative fish counts at Bonneville Dam need to hit about 80,000 to 85,000 to account for harvest that has already taken place and harvest projected on the Snake River.

But The Lewiston Tribune reports that fishery managers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington are still unsure how strong the final run will be.

Flows on the lower Columbia River have surged in recent weeks and may be the reason for a dip in the number of chinook passing Bonneville Dam.

This week, 1,160 adult chinook were counted at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, the first day in which the daily count surpassed 1,000.

At Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, the daily count was more than 4,500. It's been higher, but marks a recovery from last week's dip, which saw a low of 852.