IDFG Calls For Equity in Columbia River Fishing
This week, Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife held a Columbia River Compact call to explore additional opportunities for sport and commercial fisheries in the main stem Columbia River. The proposals asked the states to consider a five-day recreational fishery over the Memorial Day weekend, as well as a one-day commercial fishery. After numerous comments from sport and commercial fishermen, as well as the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, those proposals failed. The main stem Columbia will not see any additional fishing pressure for this Spring’s run of Chinook.
The Columbia River Chinook forecast was recently downgraded to 72,000 and solidifies the fact that this will be the worst run since 1999. Don’t glaze over that number. We are in a time of shifting baselines- historic returns amounted in the millions for the Columbia River Basin. Snake River recovery goals hover at 127,000 wild Spring/Summer Chinook at Lower Granite Dam.
Idaho is bearing the brunt of this while our neighbors downstream fish on our runs and consume the majority of the harvest share- still a paltry fraction of what our runs could be. Just as Idahoans were dusting off the reels for the beginning of the season a couple weeks ago, alarms triggered. A mere 20 Chinook were harvested out of the Clearwater, forcing an emergency closure in an attempt to recover a portion of broodstock needs.
The Clearwater will likely be 1,300 fish short of these broodstock goals, which is meant to produce the next generation of hatchery-origin fish for us to enjoy. The Salmon and Little Salmon Rivers have a total harvest share of around 600 fish, with fishing limited to two days a week. The Hells Canyon fishery may be allowed 160.
That is a total of under 800 fish for the whole state. The main stem of the Columbia has seen harvest well over that already- a decent chunk of those fish were destined for Idaho.
Headlines of season closures have been ingrained in our minds for years now as Eric Barker of the Lewiston Tribune described as a “nearly annual exercise in frustration.”
Equity is needed for Idaho. Agreements are broken year after year and Idaho rarely gets a fair shake for the effort the state puts in. But thankfully, our Department spoke up for us and our fish. IDFG Anadromous Fish Manager Lance Hebdon rejected the Columbia River fishing season proposal saying, “Idaho’s position is that the status of this run, along with broodstock concerns, suggest it is prudent to close main stem sport fisheries and focus harvest in tributaries where weak stocks can be avoided.”
Throughout the history of hunting and fishing in our nation, sportsmen have been challenged to balance the short-term opportunity versus the long-term sustainability of our fish and wildlife. Striking this balance was one of the main drivers behind the formation of the Idaho Fish & Game Commission in 1938. Protect, Preserve, and Perpetuate: this is the Department’s guiding language it seeks to fulfill for the enjoyment of all Idahoans. Today, we thank Idaho Department of Fish & Game for voicing concerns over the health of our fish returns. Now, let’s focus on solutions for a better tomorrow for our fish and our communities. Each deserve better.
Thumbnail Image: Peter Roome