the film forum library tutorial contact

Chinook Retention to Continue for Rest of Year by Staff The Columbian, September 30, 2004

Chinook salmon retention in the lower Columbia River will be allowed through Dec. 31, Washington and Oregon fishery officials announced Wednesday.

Retention of chinook between Rocky Point in Washington and Tongue Point in Oregon upstream to Bonneville Dam had been scheduled to end Friday.

Cindy LeFleur of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said the fall chinook run entering the Columbia has been upgraded to 753,000 fish overall and 358,000 of the important "upriver bright'' stock.

With the increase, the sport fishery can continue without exceeding its allocation, she said.

The fall chinook run is nearly complete. Anglers caught 16,000 chinook at the Buoy 10 fishery in the estuary and 17,800 between the estuary and Bonneville Dam through today.

Another 1,000 chinook are projected to be caught in the lower Columbia from Friday through the end of the year. Anglers upstream of Bonneville Dam are expected to catch about 2,400 for the season.

The bag limit downstream of Bonneville Dam remains one chinook per day.

The commercial catch is at about 34,600 chinook through this week, with 5,600 more anticipated in October.