Wednesday April 9, 2025
KGW8 —
For salmon anglers like Kelly Burkhardt, it’s the time of year for trying their luck. Last week was busy at Chinook Landing in Fairview, as many people got their lines in the water.
“We’re on our first voyage trip to go out and catch some salmon!” Burkhardt said. “I think this year we have a good feeling, so I think we’re going to get one today.”
Edward, another angler off Chinook Landing, remarked that the first day was a slow one, but he hoped it would improve.
Biologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, just released a report that the number of Chinook salmon returning to the Snake and upper Columbia rivers in 2025 are above the 10-year average. That’s good news — but not good enough.
“It’s not great returns; it’s not returns that I think would allow recovery,” said Brian Burke, a Seattle-based biologist who worked on the NOAA report.