Not enough fish: Washington cancels sockeye season on upper Columbia

Washington cancels the upper Columbia River sockeye season after forecasted returns dropped well below expectations, leaving anglers facing a drastically shortened schedule. Mike Mauk, owner of Brewster Bait and Tackle, said the sockeye season—planned to begin Wednesday—was canceled by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The decision followed managers cutting expectations for this year’s run. Preseason forecasts had projected about 275,000 sockeye to pass Bonneville Dam, which would have supported a four-fish limit and a two-month season, but recent counts lagged far behind the 10-year average. By Thursday, just over 41,000 had crossed Bonneville, compared with more than 128,000 in the same period historically. Chad Jackson now expects total returns of a little over 100,000 fish, roughly one-third of the 10-year average. The agency says numbers could still rise late, but likely not enough to reverse course, marking a second consecutive year of poor runs after a partial closure last July.