Upper Columbia Chinook Update:
I just got a call from the Region 2 office in Ephrata, with an update on the upper Columbia Chinook fishery. The TAC committee has upgraded the summer Chinook return to the upper Columbia to 43,400. The original forecast was for 38,000, which prompted the closure of the Chinook fishery in this region earlier this year. There aren’t a whole lot of fish available for harvest, but enough to allow for some potential “bubble fisheries” for Chinook. The Emergency Regulation is being drafted and should be circulated as early as Friday of this week or Monday next week. So, keep your eyes peeled for the announcement. Also, I finally got an updated forecast for the Lake Wenatchee sockeye fishery. About 46,000 sockeye are anticipated to reach the lake this season, if the run up the Columbia holds up. As you know I have been tracking the passage over the Columbia River dams in our area and at Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River. So far, the numbers have been encouraging, and this forecast confirms what I was hoping for. It is still a “wait and see” situation, so continue to follow my reports for updates.