RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — As of Thursday, most of the Columbia River is now closed to all recreational salmon and steelhead fishing, with the exception of the Hanford Reach.
Bill Tweit, special assistant with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, says it comes at the tail end of a challenging year on the Columbia that saw low returns for many salmon and steelhead runs.
The commercial harvest on the Columbia River will have to be reduced by fishery managers in Washington and Oregon to account for the number of upriver bright Chinook caught during the fall season.
The closure announced this week extends upstream to Highway 395 in Pasco.