Buoy 10 chinook fishery will not be extended

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Oregon and Washington fishery managers have announced that they will be unable to extend retention of chinook salmon in the popular Buoy 10 fishery beyond the scheduled closure date of 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31. The fishery will remain open through Dec. 31 for hatchery coho salmon and hatchery steelhead.

The relatively slow catch of chinook in recent weeks had fueled speculation that the chinook fishery might be extended. To date, sport anglers have caught approximately half of the expected chinook quota.

Although the total chinook catch was well below expectations, the allowable catch of wild tule chinook, which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, has already been exceeded. Given that, extending the chinook fishery at Buoy 10 may have resulted in less recreational fishing upstream of Tongue Point.