Steelhead fishing to remain closed in 2022
By Terry Murry on Thursday, December 23rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced late Wednesday that fishing for steelhead will remain closed in 2022 for the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Oregon-Washington border as well as in parts of several mid-Columbia tributaries in Oregon. Those tributaries are the Walla Walla, Umatilla, John Day, and Deschutes rivers.
Summer steelhead from this year’s record-low upriver run remain present in the mainstem Columbia and tributaries above The Dalles Dam. The passage of an estimated 67,750 fish at Bonneville Dam this year was 70 percent of the forecast and the lowest return on record.
ODFW said the extended closure is meant to protect the run of fish that started entering the river in July 21 and passed Bonneville Dam through the month of October. Those fish are still making their way through the river system to the upper Columbia River, Snake River, and tributaries.
Declining steelhead returns have prompted Oregon and Washington fishery managers to implement a number of restrictions to minimize steelhead mortalities. Protective regulations have included broad area and time closures, one-steelhead bag limits when open, thermal angling sanctuaries, and hoot-owl restrictions that see fishing close before the warmest temperatures of the day.
ODFW states that there are positive signs for the future. The current La Nina cycle means cooler ocean temperatures and more rain or snow that could alleviate drought and improve habitat conditions for both steelhead and salmon. Also, NOAA estimates that ocean conditions off Oregon in 2021 were the second-best since sampling began in 1998.
