Salmon Runs

How are the salmon running in the Northwest? Idaho Fish and Game's Chief of Fisheries Ed Schriever tells us all about it. "David, as I am sure that you are aware, there are multiple runs of salmon that I send the Columbia River. Between Coho, spring Chinook, fall Chinook, Sockeye, and I think most of the folks have been focusing on this fall Chinook run and the record or near record setting numbers associated with the fall Chinook run. There is pretty general agreement in the scientific community for some of the main reasons for that and one are the particular conditions in the Pacific Ocean, not the far North Pacific ocean because that has actually been very warm and those stocks in that far North Pacific, the Alaska stocks are not doing well at all compared to the Columbia River stocks. These things go to different places in the ocean and the particular places that Columbia River stocks tend to go over the last few years have been very productive. We had some very good ocean survival rates with Columbia River fall Chinook stocks and we have had some coordination and improvement in hatchery propagation under the US vs. Oregon agreement where the tribes and the states are working more collaboratively. Those hatchery fish, like the wild fish, are enjoying increased survival rates in the ocean.