[4] Chinook Run Picks Up Speed In Columbia

Harvest managers were scratching their heads again over this year's spring chinook run in the Columbia River. With only 15,000 counted at Bonneville Dam by April 24, they believed the run was tracking late, but showing a pattern that was more normal than last year's. And they stuck to their guns with their preseason forecast of 78,500 fish (at river mouth) at their last meeting on May 2.

Another 20,000 fish have passed the dam since the 24th, with the peak day on April 25, when about 3,400 chinook were counted.

The sleeper statistic in this year's run is the jack count, which is much higher than the past three years at the same time, and could be signaling improved ocean conditions once again. Jacks were running to the tune of 300 or more a day, nearly triple the daily 10-year average.

The overall count is similar to 2005's when over 74,000 chinook had passed the dam by the end of May, but it's still too early to tell if the run is just a little late. State and tribal harvest managers say that according to the recent 10-year average, 37 percent had passed by April 24, while only 15 percent of late runs had passed by then.

On the Willamette, the managers said the chinook run was on track to meet its pre-season forecast of 52,000 chinook. By April 26, 1,695 chinook had been counted at the Falls. Last year at this time, only 695 chinook had been counted there.

To get an idea of just how late last year's run was, this year's 35,000-chinook count is miles ahead of last year's count by now--a measly 12,000 fish. But by the end of the spring counting season, last year's run still turned in respectable numbers with over 96,000 counted at the dam by the end of May and nearly 40 percent above the managers' pre-season estimate. In 2005, the spring run came in about 60 percent below expectations.

Commercial fishing in the lower river has been limited to select areas because impacts on ESA-listed upriver stocks had already been reached. Gillnetters choked about 1,100 chinook in an April 23-24 opening at three sites.

Lower river sportfishing closed April 16, but managers added two days additional fishing time to sporties between Bonneville and McNary dams. It was scheduled to close on May 4. -B. R.

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