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Washington fishery managers limit Upper Columbia sockeye fishing as run size drops

Anglers vie for salmon as the sun begins to rise on Sunday, July 16, 2023, near Brewster, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
From staff reports

A decreased forecast for returns of sockeye salmon has Washington fishery managers moving to limit angling for them in the Upper Columbia River starting on Monday.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday that it was reducing the daily limit and limiting anglers to fishing four days per week in the Hanford Reach and the upper Columbia.

The decision comes on the heels of a downgraded sockeye run size. Officials dropped the run size number from more than 350,000 to 183,200.

As a result, the allowable sockeye harvest after Sunday is set at 12,800 fish, according to WDFW’s news release.

Sockeye seasons and limits in the Columbia from the Interstate 182 Bridge in Richland upstream are :

Interstate 182 Bridge at Richland to the boundary markers 650 feet below the fish ladder at Priest Rapids Dam:

  • Monday and Tuesday: Closed to salmon fishing.
  • Wednesday through July 31: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays.
  • Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon.

Priest Rapids Dam to Wells Dam:

  • Monday and Tuesday: Closed to salmon fishing.
  • Wednesday through Aug. 31: Open Wednesdays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays.
  • Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon.

Wells Dam to Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster:

  • Monday through July 15: Closed to salmon fishing.
  • July 16 through Aug. 31: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays.
  • Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon.

Highway 173 Bridge to the Army Corps of Engineers safety marker on the Douglas County shore to the rock jetty at the upstream shoreline of Foster Creek:

  • Monday and Tuesday: Closed to salmon fishing.
  • Wednesday through Aug. 31: Open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays through Tuesdays.
  • Salmon minimum size 12 inches. Daily limit two sockeye. Release all other salmon.

The seasons are subject to change and may close at any time if harvest targets are reached. Anglers should sign up for WDFW’s fishing rule change emails and check for emergency rules on WDFW’s website before fishing.

Sockeye season on the Lower Columbia River from the mouth to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco is open until Monday. It will still be open for hatchery steelhead.