Idaho fisheries forecast poor for chinook salmon season

LEWISTON, Idaho – An early forecast by Idaho fisheries managers suggests a poor outlook for the upcoming chinook salmon season.

The Lewiston Tribune reported a group of federal, state and tribal fisheries managers predicts just over 48,000 spring chinook will return to the mouth of the Snake River.

Last year’s forecast had expected a return of 107,400 chinook, but just 67,595 showed up.

This year’s forecast by the Technical Advisory Committee includes a predicted return of 8,200 wild spring chinook and just fewer than 40,000 hatchery fish.

Joe DuPont with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said he expects the return of about 9,800 hatchery chinook bound for hatcheries on the Clearwater River. More than half of those will be needed for hatchery spawning, he said.