Summer Factsheet 3 & Compact Action
June 28th, 2012
The Columbia River Compact convened by teleconference at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 28, 2012 to review ongoing fisheries during the summer season. The upriver summer Chinook run has been tracking well below expectations based on the preseason forecast of 91,200 adult fish to the river’s mouth. The US v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met earlier in the day to review the overall performance of the summer Chinook and sockeye runs to date. TAC downngraded the run-size estimate for upriver summer Chinook to 54,000 adult fish at the river’s mouth. On the other hand, the sockeye run has exceeded expectations based on the preseason forecast of 462,000 adult fish to the river’s mouth. TAC upgraded the in-season estimate for sockeye to 540,000 adult fish at the river’s mouth.
Due to the run-size downgrade for the upriver summer Chinook run, non-Indian fisheries below Priest Rapids Dam have already exceeded the allowable allocation for summer Chinook, which will require the overage to be taken out of recreational fisheries above Priest Rapids to remain within the 2008-2017 US v. Oregon Management Agreement guidelines. The guideline for above Priest Rapids is now estimated to be in the range of 3,900-4,600 summer Chinook.
The sturgeon retentiton guideline for 2012 Select Area commercial fisheries is 200 white sturgeon. The guideline is expected to be reached at the conclusion of the June 27-29 fishing period in the Youngs Bay Select Area. Staff recommended closing sturgeon retention in Youngs Bay effective 6 p.m. Monday, July 6, 2012 for the remainder of the summer season. Sturgeon retention will be prohibited for all Select Area fall fisheries.
Summer Fact Sheet No. 3 and the subsequent Compact Action Notice are appended as PDF files.
