South Fork Salmon River Summer Chinook Salmon 2023 Management Strategies
Idaho Fish and Game would like your input on strategies to manage the South Fork Salmon River fishery.
Comments will be accepted through February 26.
The 2023 summer Chinook salmon run to the South Fork Salmon River is forecasted to provide a harvest share of around 1,700 adults. Using this forecast and the summer Chinook seasons and limits proposal table developed with angler input (see table below), we would recommend the following to the Commission:
Fishing 7 days a week
A daily limit of four (4) salmon per day with no more than two (2) being adults.
If the run comes in different than forecast, we would adjust the season and limit accordingly, based on the table below.
Chinook seasons and limits proposal table for the South Fork Salmon River based on harvest share.
Adult Harvest Share
Season
Limit
<150
--
--
151-300
2 days a week
1 adult
301-750
4 days a week
1 adult
751-1,200
4 days a week
2 adults
1,201 - 3,000
7 days a week
2 adults
3,001+
7 days a week
3+ adults
2023 Fishery Boundaries
Last year, the fishery was open for approximately 23 miles, from 100 yards below the hatchery weir to Phoebe Creek/Jakie Creek Bridge. This effectively provided the lower 9 miles of the fishery (from Phoebe Creek/Jakie Creek Bridge to the confluence with the East Fork South Fork Salmon River) for tribal anglers to fish on the South Fork while the sport fishery was operating. This does not impact IDFG’s harvest share, it just provides more space for tribal anglers to attempt to reach their harvest share.
IDFG staff and Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries staff collected data in 2022 in order to determine how this influenced each party’s ability to meet management objectives. With only one year of data so far, we are going to operate the fishery with the same boundaries in 2023, and then in 2024, we will share this data with you to evaluate how to proceed in the future.
Idaho Fish and Game would like your input on strategies to manage the South Fork Salmon River fishery.
Comments will be accepted through February 26.
The 2023 summer Chinook salmon run to the South Fork Salmon River is forecasted to provide a harvest share of around 1,700 adults. Using this forecast and the summer Chinook seasons and limits proposal table developed with angler input (see table below), we would recommend the following to the Commission:
If the run comes in different than forecast, we would adjust the season and limit accordingly, based on the table below.
Chinook seasons and limits proposal table for the South Fork Salmon River based on harvest share.
2023 Fishery Boundaries
Last year, the fishery was open for approximately 23 miles, from 100 yards below the hatchery weir to Phoebe Creek/Jakie Creek Bridge. This effectively provided the lower 9 miles of the fishery (from Phoebe Creek/Jakie Creek Bridge to the confluence with the East Fork South Fork Salmon River) for tribal anglers to fish on the South Fork while the sport fishery was operating. This does not impact IDFG’s harvest share, it just provides more space for tribal anglers to attempt to reach their harvest share.
IDFG staff and Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries staff collected data in 2022 in order to determine how this influenced each party’s ability to meet management objectives. With only one year of data so far, we are going to operate the fishery with the same boundaries in 2023, and then in 2024, we will share this data with you to evaluate how to proceed in the future.