Early B-run steelhead numbers are low; A-run beating the 10-year average

An early, in-season prediction based on detections of Idaho-bound steelhead at Bonneville Dam indicates 9,000 to 13,000 hatchery B-run fish may pass the Columbia River dam this year.

The prediction comes from Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston. The range hinges on run timing.

If the 2,300 Clearwater River-bound steelhead detected at Bonneville Dam in recent weeks are following an average run timing, DuPont said it would mean the run is about 17% complete and will come in at the higher end of the range. If the fish are early and the run is 26% complete, the lower number is more likely.

Prior to the start of the run, fisheries managers predicted it would be a difficult year for the bigger fish that tend to spend two years in the ocean. So far, that prediction is playing out. By the time the fish reach Idaho and harvest and other forms of mortality are accounted for, the range is expected to be 7,000 to 10,000 B-run fish.

DuPont said it’s too early to know if fishing restrictions will be called for and there is a chance numbers will improve. However, when the B-run has failed to hit the 10,000 mark during previous years, the department has adopted more conservative regulations.

DuPont said there is a chance the department and Idaho Fish and Game Commission could reduce the bag limit on the Clearwater River to one fish per day but he doesn’t foresee moving to catch-and-release-only regulations. Any changes would likely come later in the fall.

The struggles of the B-run are contrasted by the earlier-returning A-run fish that typically spend just one year in the ocean. They are posting OK numbers. DuPont said the run is about 72% complete and could include roughly 30,000 Idaho-bound hatchery fish.

That is better than the 10-year average but well behind numbers posted about 15 years ago.

“In 2010 or 2011, we had 100,000 and now we are down to 30,000. If you compare it to the previous 10 years, we are above average but I like to remind people, we want a lot more.”

Hot water

DuPont said steelhead and fall chinook both appear to be waiting for water in the Snake River to cool before moving upstream. Fish are passing dams on both the Columbia and Snake rivers, but some fish appear to be reluctant to enter the Snake.

“Once it cools down we think there will be a pulse of fish coming,” he said.