The 2008 Fall runs are coming to an end. I noticed that the numbers in the Columbia River at Bonneville Dam as of November 3rd 2008 are not that bad.http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/HistFishTwo The Coho Salmon are poised to hit 135,000 and the Chinook are approaching 315,000. These levels are not records by any stretch of the imagination but they are substantial. Coho and Chinook salmon have been tracked by the Fish Passage Center since 1936. http://www.fpc.org/adultsalmon/adultqueries/Adult_Annual_Totals_Query_Results.aspAfter checking the data for these species I found that the Coho salmon return calculated in 2001 was 259756. This was the best return ever with the second best return being 125743 in 2003. This year the actual return is looking to replace the second best return ever. I must warn that there have been revised counts on returns in the past by the FPC. The Fall Chinook record year at Bonneville is 610336 in 2003 with this years returns being beat a total of eight times. These fall Chinook returns have been severely affected by commercial gill netters in the rivers. At times they are allowed to over fish their limits, harvest protected species and even close the sport fishery prematurely. With good recent ocean conditions we may be in store for some banner years.
Clinging to my Guns and Religion. www.KoneZone.com
Clinging to my Guns and Religion. www.KoneZone.com
