wild fish

Wild spring Chinook salmon are not included in the calculated harvest share for the various river reaches around Idaho because they are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.  We can only set seasons and harvest shares for hatchery-produced Chinook salmon. In areas where the wild and hatchery fish are mixed, we need to assure the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the federal agency responsible for management of wild Chinook, that the sport fishery will have minimal mortality on wild Chinook.  Annually, we provide estimates of potential mortality and typically receive a "take" permit from NMFS for that number.