Salem, Ore. – Oregon and Washington fishery managers announced today that the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River is closed to all Chinook retention today. The area will remain open for hatchery (fin-clipped) coho.
The closure was necessary because of higher than predicted catches of and impacts on ESA-listed tule Chinook salmon – the major constraint on lower Columbia River fall fisheries. Earlier this week the fishery closed to the retention of wild (non fin-clipped) Chinook. However, according to Chris Kern, ODFW Fish Division deputy administrator, even with that change the ongoing monitoring showed catch rates continued to be high enough to exhaust the remaining tule impacts.
Despite the early closure for Chinook retention, the 2015 Buoy 10 season has been record setting. Angler effort has been among the highest observed and angler catch rates have been 30 percent higher than the previous record set in 2013.
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