South Fork Salmon Season May be Short

The preseason expectation was for a return of hatchery summer Chinook to the South Fork of the Salmon River similar to the return in 2005, but the fish are not cooperating. The recommendation to open the South Fork to salmon fishing was based on a forecast that 2,500 to 3,100 summer Chinook raised at the McCall Fish Hatchery would return to Idaho. Through June 28, about 2,180 McCall Hatchery summer Chinook had crossed Bonneville Dam. Biologists now think the run is coming to an end because few new McCall summer Chinook seem to be crossing Bonneville, based on PIT tag detections. In 2005, an estimated 3,600 McCall Hatchery summer Chinook crossed Bonneville Dam so this year's return appears much lower. This hatchery run returns to the McCall Hatchery weir near Knox Bridge on the upper South Fork of the Salmon River. The hatchery needs about 1,300 fish for broodstock. "Surplus" fish above that number would be available for sport and tribal harvest. Of the fish that have passed Bonneville Dam, 50 percent already have crossed Lower Granite Dam on their way upstream. Fishery managers estimate that if at least 80 percent of the McCall Hatchery summer Chinook that cross Bonneville make it past Lower Granite Dam there will be about 350 surplus hatchery fish available for the sport fishery. That is definitely fewer fish than the 1,085 summer Chinook harvested in 2005. The 2006 summer Chinook season opened on the South Fork on June 29, when four fish were caught. Biologists expect the harvested number to increase rapidly as river flows drop to fishable levels. Flows also have been too high to install the hatchery weir on the upper South Fork, but McCall Hatchery staff were hoping to have it installed by Saturday, July 1. This year's fishery is not expected to last very long so anglers are advised to check the Fish and Game Website http://fishandgame.idaho.gov for updates and to stay abreast of media information about the salmon season.