http://easylink.playstream.com/katu/030919salmon_stampede.wvx
Holy Smokes, hope we dont snag or net them out of existence.......would it be safe to say theres enough for everyone to go around?

Too bad our wild runs aren'thaving much of a benefit.. neither have our hatchery steelhead runs..

Lets just hope that the wild fish aren't overwhelmed on their spawning beds this fall. Just as lower columbia river Coho have been for almost a century and now are extinct in most every river if not all..

Rob...you and Ramon are just beside yourselves aren't you...best salmon fishing in 40 years.....record runs.........anglers out enjoying their sport all over the state....

Here you go again: "The sky is falling..the sky is falling..."

Thanks to 5 years of great ocean conditions, nature has done what nothing else could do and salmon are returning in mass numbers...and there are tons of "wild" fish in the mix too...

Sorry Rob...sell your doom and gloom somewhere else..no one's buying it.

Right on grandpa!

Cowlitzfisherman

of course the fact canada has curtailed commercial fishin' and bought out over 1000 commercial licenses might have a little somethin' to do with it too......????

Many factors have contributed to increased run size and health. Less harvest and some habitat and hatchery reforms....notice I say some because we still have a long way to go. Good ocean conditions and lots of feed helped enormously.

It's definitely nice that we're going to have a good year but just 5 seasons ago, Coho were'n't able to be caught in Oregon because of their threatened status. We've had good ocean conditions but now we're facing El Nino again, and that doesn't do so well...2 seasons ago they barely let enough water go over Bonneville and so the next 2 years will probably be tough.

As you mention, enjoy it while you can but unfortunately, the trend for the past 50 odd years is bleak.

Thanks Twig some people cannot see past their doubled over rod to whats really going on..

I am very happy that people are finding good fishing but an excess of hatchery fish does not a recovery make. There has been no noticible increase in wild salmon and steelhead anywhere in the Columbia river system

Oops thats not true Lower Columbia Chum salmon are on a dramatic increase coming back from nothing to tens of thousands of fish without any intervention by man..

Actually there are alot of wild fish in the hordes coming back to their native streams. I don't think any of us are sitting there at the redds counting wild versus hatchery. All in all I'd say this year is possibly a good sign. Not a recovery but a good sign.

I am hopeful. My thoughts echo Grandpa's, it is a healthy sign but no recovery yet. It looks like we are at a peak of healthy ocean conditions for salmon. Let's work on improving the wild returns and the down years won't hurt so much.

I have an idea that you are right!

Perhaps if all fishers were scrutinized and controlled by the same enforcement we'd also be better off. Tribes "self-police"....I am doing some research right now on the apalling Geoduck harvest imbalance. The rigorous rules non-treaty commercial harvesters undergo is good for the resource until you realize what is going on with the tribes who supposedly police themselves. Unbelieveable! Same goes for the nets. If the tribes string their nets in Grays Harbor this fall I will know it is time for another war. That run of Chinook is NOT of hatchery origin and is weak. The fishery is closed to sports fishers....Let's just see if the nets go in. If they do all I can say is that all the hatchery reform in the friggin world will not do much to mitigate the damage the nets cause.

Indians "Self-Police"
There's another OXYMORON to add to the list, right next to "Native-Pride!!"
We won't be holding our breath for that one.

Dont you think that an abundance of hatchery fish would actually dilute the catch rates of Wild fish, and in the end result in less of an impact to wild fish because of the "Safety in numbers" factor?

News flash! URB's are wild fish on their way to spawn in the hanford reach. That first feed of the clipped fish was footage from springer season. Come on now Rob, I thought you were better than that.

Yay hatcheries!!!!

The various reports coming frm the straights (all summer long) regarding wild versus hatchery catch rates would strongly suggest that wild fish are doing fine.

Up river brights are not all wild!!

I know that the Klickitat hatchery raises Up river brites and i'd bet many other hatcheries in the mid and upper columbia do as well.

I would actually think that an abundance of hatchery fish would cause MORE wild fish to be caught by anglers because wild fish are more aggressive and an huge hatchery run will increase angling pressure and therefore more wild fish weould be caught..

Columbia River nets kill the most wild fish...not the hatcheries.

Grandpa please feel free to provide any statistical scientific data.. Any at all please.. not disagree with you entirely but thats a bold statment that should be backed up with soma facts.. If you think the hatcheries do no harm you need to do some reading..