Chinook season closes Saturday, Oct. 8

PASCO — The Chinook salmon season closes Saturday, Oct. 8, due to fewer fish returning in the fall run on the mainstem Columbia River.

Fisheries managers in Oregon and Washington decreased the number of fish expected to return in the fall run from a projected 323,000 to 267,000 when they met earlier this week.

The Chinook closure is from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to the U.S. Highway 395 bridge at Pasco.

The Coho salmon season remains open, officials said.

"Given this significant reduction in expected returns, we had to move quickly to ensure we didn't exceed our allowable harvest rates on these Chinook," Washington state Columbia River Fisheries Manager Ryan Lothrop said. "Closing Chinook-directed fisheries, including Chinook retention in sport fisheries, will reduce those impacts while still allowing fishing for coho fishing in light of the reduced forecast."