06-06-2012, 03:49 AM
All sections of the Clearwater River will remain open to spring chinook fishing at least one more week.
Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston, said higher than expected survival of chinook between Bonneville and McNary dams on the Columbia River has boosted the state's harvestable share of the run. Last week DuPont calculated sport anglers would be able to catch and keep about 4,700 chinook. Based on new migration survival numbers, he says the harvest share is likely to be about 5,400.
That means fishing can continue on all open areas of the Clearwater River and its tributaries. The section between Lewiston and Cherrylane was in danger of closing last week when the harvest share was smaller.
The state and Nez Perce Tribe evenly split the number of returning hatchery chinook not needed for spawning at regional hatcheries. The state further tries to manages its fishery so sport harvest is shared up and down the river system.
Before the season began, DuPont said anglers fishing from Lewiston to Cherrylane would be allowed to catch about 25 percent of the run. At the start of last week, anglers fishing that section had caught about 17 percent of the run and were expected to catch the rest of it by Sunday.
They caught 224 adults in that section last week but still have only reached 18.7 percent of the target. No other sections of the Clearwater appear to be in danger of reaching their quota this week.
[#bf0000]The harvest share on the Salmon River fell based on the newest numbers. DuPont said hatchery chinook bound for the Rapid River Hatchery did not survive the fisheries on the Columbia River as well as the Clearwater Fish. The rapid river fish return earlier and passed through the Columbia when more harvest was occurring. None of the sections of the Lower Salmon River are in danger of reaching their quota this week.The Salmon River has blown out from recent rain and that will likely slow the harvest there[/#bf0000].
[url "http://lmtribune.com/blogs/scrawl_of_the_wild/article_2605900a-af43-11e1-9e2e-0019bb30f31a.html"]http://lmtribune.com/blogs/scrawl_of_the_wild/article_2605900a-af43-11e1-9e2e-0019bb30f31a.html[/url]
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Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston, said higher than expected survival of chinook between Bonneville and McNary dams on the Columbia River has boosted the state's harvestable share of the run. Last week DuPont calculated sport anglers would be able to catch and keep about 4,700 chinook. Based on new migration survival numbers, he says the harvest share is likely to be about 5,400.
That means fishing can continue on all open areas of the Clearwater River and its tributaries. The section between Lewiston and Cherrylane was in danger of closing last week when the harvest share was smaller.
The state and Nez Perce Tribe evenly split the number of returning hatchery chinook not needed for spawning at regional hatcheries. The state further tries to manages its fishery so sport harvest is shared up and down the river system.
Before the season began, DuPont said anglers fishing from Lewiston to Cherrylane would be allowed to catch about 25 percent of the run. At the start of last week, anglers fishing that section had caught about 17 percent of the run and were expected to catch the rest of it by Sunday.
They caught 224 adults in that section last week but still have only reached 18.7 percent of the target. No other sections of the Clearwater appear to be in danger of reaching their quota this week.
[#bf0000]The harvest share on the Salmon River fell based on the newest numbers. DuPont said hatchery chinook bound for the Rapid River Hatchery did not survive the fisheries on the Columbia River as well as the Clearwater Fish. The rapid river fish return earlier and passed through the Columbia when more harvest was occurring. None of the sections of the Lower Salmon River are in danger of reaching their quota this week.The Salmon River has blown out from recent rain and that will likely slow the harvest there[/#bf0000].
[url "http://lmtribune.com/blogs/scrawl_of_the_wild/article_2605900a-af43-11e1-9e2e-0019bb30f31a.html"]http://lmtribune.com/blogs/scrawl_of_the_wild/article_2605900a-af43-11e1-9e2e-0019bb30f31a.html[/url]
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