Fall Columbia chinook run could be record

The forecast for the fall chinook run on the Columbia River calls for a possible record return of the upper river bright stock.

At a meeting Feb. 13, fishery managers from Washington and Oregon said the forecast is a return of 432,500 upper river bright fish. The highest actual return on record is 420,700 in 1987. Last year, the upper river bright forecast was 353,500 fish, but the actual return was 298,100 fish.

Of the seven fish stocks forecasted, only the Bonneville Pool hatchery stock return was predicted to be lower than last year’s actual return.

Overall, the total forecast of 677,900 fall Columbia chinook is higher than the 10-year average actual return of 547,900 fish. If the forecast holds true, it would be the highest return since 2004.