More spring chinook salmon fishing in the Columbia River was approved Wednesday by managers in Oregon and Washington.
Sport fishing will continue unabated from Thursday through June 4 (a week from Sunday) under the same rules, but only in the lower river below Bonneville Dam.
While biologists estimated the upriver run might reach 198,600, they now believe it will be closer to 153,000.
That’s still more than enough to allow additional fishing time below Bonneville.
However, the run’s apparent late timing leaves questions, so the states balked at approving any additional time from Bonneville to the state line.
Managers scheduled another meeting on Thursday, June 1, to both assess the run and consider potential additional fishing, including above Bonneville Dam.
