North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2017 | Page 23

Oregon and Washington fishery managers just
approved mainstem commercial fisheries in the
lower Columbia River, and tribal treaty commercial
fisheries from Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam.
These fisheries are modeled and managed
on the early forecast, which as the current num-
bers show, is only half of what was first pre-
dicted. The lower Columbia commercial fishery
season is partially based on the expectation
that half of the run is already above Bonneville
Dam—though this means little when those fish
will run directly into, and are placed at risk from,
approved tribal platform and net fisheries.
Ultimately, there’s no assurance that wild
fish will reach their home rivers to spawn. Add-
ing urgency is a recent NOAA finding that ocean
survival could remain very poor for at least two
more years. w
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