Columbia River Fishing Heats Up

The Columbia River's fisheries are a significant economic driver, with salmon and steelhead production contributing an estimated $142 million in annual personal income to West Coast communities in the early 2000s. Recreational and commercial fishing in Oregon and Washington support thousands of jobs annually. In 2019 alone, fishing in Oregon generated over $1.4 billion in economic output and supported more than 12,000 jobs. Sturgeon retention fisheries are tightly regulated. For 2026, the recreational harvest limit for the Bonneville Pool is 1,250 white sturgeon, 275 for The Dalles Pool, and 105 for the John Day Pool. Anglers are limited to one sturgeon per day and two for the entire year. Size restrictions also apply, with legal fork length varying by pool, generally between 38 and 54 inches. The 2026 forecast for upriver spring Chinook is 147,300 fish, which is lower than the 2025 return but higher than the 10-year average. Fishery managers project a harvest of approximately 5,800 adult Chinook below Bonneville Dam. Despite these numbers, many of the 16 salmon and steelhead stocks that historically spawn above Bonneville Dam are now extinct or listed under the Endangered Species Act. Threats to these vital fish populations include pollution, climate change, and the impact of over 450 dams in the Columbia Basin. Rising water temperatures are a particular concern for salmon, as they can delay migration and encourage disease. In February 2026, a federal court ordered increased water flow over eight dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers to aid juvenile fish passage. In Montana, the popular lake trout fishery on Flathead Lake faces challenges from the non-native species itself. Introduced in 1905, lake trout populations exploded after the accidental introduction of Mysis shrimp, a food source, in 1981. This boom led to the collapse of the kokanee salmon fishery and a sharp decline in native bull trout and cutthroat trout. Efforts to manage the lake trout population and protect native species are ongoing. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks have used recreational fishing tournaments and are considering other measures like gillnetting to reduce lake trout numbers. The goal is to suppress the invasive population enough to allow native species a chance to recover. On Lake Koocanusa, rainbow trout are a primary target for anglers. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has an active stocking program, and since 2001, all stocked Kamloops rainbow trout have been triploid fish. The agency is also working to restore native redband rainbow trout to the Kootenai drainage, with plans to stock around 25,000 or more fish annually once a brood stock is fully developed.