At a joint Columbia River Compact hearing this week (Feb. 20), Oregon and Washington fisheries managers set the 2025 early season recreational harvest dates for spring Chinook salmon in the mainstem Columbia River. Angling downstream of Bonneville Dam will begin March 1 and it will begin April 1 upstream of the dam to the Oregon/Washington border.
Anglers will fish over what is forecasted to be a lackluster run of spring Chinook, with 122,500 of the fish expected to cross Bonneville Dam this year from Jan. 1 through June 15. Although this year’s upriver run is more than the 116,332 spring Chinook that actually passed the dam in 2024 (121,000 were forecasted), it is lower than the 10-year average of 139,676 fish.
“With an upriver run size similar to recent years, we’re able to provide some quality mainstem fishing opportunities,” said Ryan Lothrop, Columbia River fisheries manager with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We also have an obligation to protect upriver stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act, which requires careful management to ensure the long-term stability of these fisheries.”
Salmon and steelhead angling already is open daily through March 31 from the mouth of the Columbia River at Buoy 10 to the Interstate 5 bridge in Portland under permanent regulations. However, according to Compact staff at its hearing Wednesday, Feb. 19, spring Chinook typically don’t arrive in large numbers until late March or April.
Recreational angling on the Columbia River catch regulations and timing are:
- March 1 through April 6 (37 days): Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock, plus only the Oregon and Washington banks by hand-cast from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline for salmon and steelhead: The daily limit is six, including no more than two adults, of which no more than one may be an adult Chinook. All wild steelhead and salmon other than hatchery Chinook must be released. Salmon must be at least 12 inches to keep. Shad retention is permitted, with no size minimum or daily limit.
- April 1-26 (26 days): Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam) upstream to the Washington/Oregon border, plus only the Oregon and Washington banks by hand-cast from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines for salmon and steelhead: The daily limit is six, including no more than two adults, of which no more than one may be an adult Chinook. All wild steelhead and salmon other than hatchery Chinook must be released. Salmon must be at least 12 inches to keep.
“Fortunately, we are able to provide a quality April weekend fishing opportunity downstream of Bonneville Dam this year,” Lothrop said. “Upstream of Bonneville Dam, increasing catch rates in recent years have led to early closures, resulting in fewer open fishing days before this year’s in-season run size update. However, if the run size update is large enough or if there’s remaining catch allocation, additional fishing time is likely.”
Passage at Bonneville Dam is projected to be 50 percent complete by May 12, a date on which the U.S. v Oregon Technical Advisory Committee will generally begin looking at updating its preseason forecast. The Upriver spring Chinook preseason forecast is developed by TAC for use in management of U.S. v. Oregon fisheries. The 2025 preseason salmon forecast was released by TAC in December 2024. Wild or natural origin components are included in the stock total.
See CBB, January 10, 2025, Columbia River Spring Chinook 2025 Forecast About Same As Last Year’s Actual Return; Lower For Summer Chinook, Sockeye, https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/columbia-river-spring-chinook-2025-forecast-about-same-as-last-years-actual-return-lower-for-summer-chinook-sockeye/
Lothrop said at the Compact hearing that the 50 percent completion date has been moving over the years and is now later than it once was, but “it bounces around from year to year,” he added.
The catch expectation for this early season period is 5,203 adult Chinook below Bonneville Dam (3,961 upriver Chinook mortalities) and 549 from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Washington/Oregon border (563 mortalities, all upriver Chinook), the Fact Sheet says. Both are 98 percent of the pre-update guideline.
The Compact Winter Fact Sheet No. 6 is at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/OSCRP/CRM/FS/25/02-19-25%20Winter%20Fact%20Sheet%20No.6.pdf
The Compact also set regulations for spring Chinook recreational angling in Select Areas in the lower Columbia River estuary, such as Youngs Bay and Blind Slough/Knappa Slough. From March 1 through June 15, on days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the salmonid daily bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits. On days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam is closed to Chinook retention, the permanent salmonid bag limit regulations for Select Areas apply.
The February 19, 2025 Joint State Action Notice is at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/OSCRP/CRM/action_notes.asp
Salmon and steelhead rules and limits in Deep River, also in the lower Columbia estuary, will be the same as the mainstem Columbia River when the mainstem is open to spring Chinook retention. Based on preseason forecasts, anglers can also expect to harvest spring Chinook in the Cowlitz, Kalama and Lewis rivers in Washington, and the Sandy River in Oregon.
For Washington’s permanent rules, see the Washington Sport Fishing rules pamphlet or Fish Washington® mobile app, and check for any emergency rule changes before heading out. Regulations may be modified in-season as returns materialize.
For Oregon’s current regulations see https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishingreport/columbia-zone
regon and Washington allocation policies for recreational and commercial fishing continue to be an issue. As several Columbia River recreational advisors testified, the nonconcurrent nature of the policies leaves fish on the table. Here’s how it works:
- Under the WA policy, no more than 70 percent of the non-treaty allocation can be allocated to the recreational fisheries, and under Oregon rule, no more than 20 percent of the non-treaty allocation can be allocated to the commercial fisheries.
- Additionally, under the WA policy, no more than 70 percent of the recreational allocation can be allocated to the lower Columbia River recreational fishery, and under Oregon rule, no more than 25 percent of the recreational allocation can be allocated for fisheries upstream of Bonneville Dam to the OR/WA state line.
- Therefore, modeling only utilizes 90 percent of the non-treaty allocation and 95 percent of the recreational share of upriver spring Chinook Endangered Species Act impacts.
When combined with catch balance provisions in the states’ management agreement, the following allocations are available for 2025 fisheries: Prior to an in-season run update, allocation of upriver fish (including release mortalities) for non-treaty fisheries will be:
- 635 unallocated non-treaty
- 4,030 fish for the recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam
- 576 fish for the recreational fishery from Bonneville Dam to the OR/WA state line
- 407 fish for recreational fisheries in the lower Snake River (Washington waters)
- 18 fish for Wanapum tribe (Upper Columbia)
- 288 unallocated recreational
- ≤392 fish for Select Area commercial fisheries
Finally, the Compact reopened recreational White Sturgeon angling and retention for two days in The Dalles Dam pool upstream to the John Day Dam, Saturday, Feb. 22 and Thursday, Feb. 27. The Bonneville pool will continue to be closed as anglers have reached their catch allocation, and the John Day pool will remain open.
For background, see:
— CBB, April 5, 2024, Though Angler Effort High, With Low Catch Rates And Late Arriving Run, Lower Columbia River Spring Chinook Fishing Extended, https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/though-angler-effort-high-with-low-catch-rates-and-late-arriving-run-lower-columbia-river-spring-chinook-fishing-extended/