Recreational spring Chinook fisheries were reopened in the Columbia River this year through an agreement between fisheries managers from Oregon and Washington, also known as the Columbia River Compact. While this may be good news for angler access, the gillnet community and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have voiced their support of a return to smaller mesh gillnets on the maintstem of the river as soon as this summer.

This completely undermines the conservation measures put into place in Washington state last year through the Columbia River Fishery Reform Policy—and it opens the door to the overfishing of already depleted populations wild Chinook and steelhead, as well as sockeye, chum, and coho.  

If you’re a Washington resident, have a personal or business connection with the Columbia River fishery, or simply want to voice your support for common sense conservation measures for our salmon and steelhead populations, please consider sending an e-mail to Acting WDFW Director Joe Stohr and encourage him to follow the clear management directives of the Columbia River Policy for spring and summer Chinook.

It is critical that the Commission hears from citizens who support the common sense conservation and management provisions of the Columbia River reforms.