Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

Fall chinook above blue bridge season ends tonight

From Herald news services

OLYMPIA -- The fall chinook fishing season will close on the Columbia River from the blue bridge in Pasco to Priest Rapids Dam at midnight today because of a higher than expected harvest, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

Biologists decided to close the season eight days early on the Hanford Reach because of concerns fewer adult chinook would be left to spawn.

The 2009 harvest is "well above" what was expected and already has surpassed the 2008 catch by 40 percent, according to the department.