Friday, March 29, 2024

Low salmon returns threaten annual Brewster Salmon Derby

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BREWSTER – With the 14th annual Brewster Salmon Derby less than four months away, the latest forecast of returning chinook and sockeye salmon numbers, from which this year’s fishing seasons are determined, is not encouraging. The latest figures were disclosed at a public meeting hosted in East Wenatchee March 26 by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Speaking to the Quad last Monday, April 8, Chad Jackson, WDFW’s Region 2 Fish Program Manager said that the summer salmon fishery is closed on the Upper Columbia River including tributaries to Chief Joseph Dam pending further developments.

Jackson said fisheries personnel are monitoring the returns through the dams and will continue to evaluate their condition.

“We really won’t know well until early to mid-July,” Jackson said of the returning fish.

Jackson said that WDFW monitors “have to go with the preseason forecast” but acknowledged that surprises do occur to recalibrate the prognosticators.

“Last year, for example, sockeye numbers came in twice as high as the forecast predicted.”

The residual effects of some of the worst ocean conditions for salmon in 2016 are largely credited for the low numbers but Jackson hopes that after a third year of depressed returns the unfavorable conditions are bottoming out.

Randy Cole, co-organizer of the Brewster Derby, also spoke with Jackson and said that while he recognizes the disappointing early figures, he remains hopeful that there will be sufficient salmon to hold the Derby as planned.

“Odds are it will be one fish a day,” said Cole, a sentiment shared by some who attended the March meeting and agreed that a restricted daily catch beats no catch at all.

Upper Columbia spring chinook returns number 11,200, 2,100 of those wild as compared with 12,844 last year with 1,977 wild.

The forecast for Upper Columbia summer Chinook is 35,900 compared to last year’s actual return of 42,120.

Sockeye numbers are pegged at 94,400 compared to 210,915 last year.

Jackson said if more chinook arrive than forecasted the Upper Columbia may see limited recreational fishing that would be announced through an emergency regulation. Last year a last-minute season opener allowed more than 200 fishermen to participate in the resurrected Derby.

In a related matter, the Douglas County PUD Board of Commissioners, at their meeting April 8, approved a professional service agreement (PSA) with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife for a steelhead genetic analysis.

The analysis will “investigate the natural spawning success of hatchery-reared steelhead relative to wild steelhead and to utilize a statistically valid number of fish to develop baseline DNA profiles for Methow River steelhead as required by the Wells HCP (Hatchery Conservation Plan),” a meeting summary disclosed. The cost of the PSA is not to exceed $14,529 and will conclude on Aug. 31, 2019.

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