2014 Sturgeon Retention Season Approved for Washington’s Bonneville Pool
OutdoorHub 12.16.13
The recreational fishery in Bonneville Reservoir opens to white sturgeon retention 7 days per week.
Effective dates: Jan. 1 through Jan. 19, 2014
Species affected: White sturgeon
Location: The Columbia River and tributaries from Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam (Bonneville Reservoir).
Reason for action: Establishes the winter-period white sturgeon retention season in Bonneville Reservoir. Fishery managers determined that closing the fishery to sturgeon retention Jan. 20 will reserve enough fish for a summer retention season. This decision was made by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon at a joint public hearing Dec. 11.
Other information:
The harvest will be monitored during the fishery, with a check-in planned for mid-January to consider whether modifications are necessary to balance the harvest between winter and summer seasons. Fishery managers will meet again in March or April to set dates for the summer retention season and consider a proposal to establish a May-July spawning sanctuary downstream of The Dalles Dam.
Catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon will still be allowed between Bonneville and The Dalles dams when retention is not allowed. The section of the Columbia River and tributaries between The Dalles and McNary dams opens to sturgeon retention Jan. 1 per permanent rules and will remain open until respective harvest guidelines for each reservoir are reached. The spawning sanctuaries from the Highway 395/I-82 Bridge upstream to McNary Dam and from the Rufus grain elevator upstream to John Day Dam will be closed to all sturgeon fishing May 1 through July 31.
Information contact: Dennis Gilliland, (360) 906-6733.
