Monday May 2, 2022
The Spokesman-Review —
A surge of spring chinook passing Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River last week has boosted the projected number of salmon available to Idaho anglers.
Between April 23 and Wednesday, 17,381 adult spring chinook were counted climbing the dam’s fish ladders. That includes more than 6,500 that were counted on Tuesday alone.
So far this spring, 21,659 spring chinook have been counted at Bonneville Dam. That is on pace with the 10-year average of 21,792, and the highest number recorded since 2015 when more than 96,8000 were counted during the same March 15 to April 27 time frame.
Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston, reported in his weekly run update that an estimated 3,753 chinook bound for the Clearwater River hatcheries and 2,281 bound for Rapid River hatchery have passed Bonneville Dam. Using those numbers, the agency projects as many as 20,272 Clearwater-bound fish and 11,191 Rapid River-bound fish could eventually pass the dam.