470 



The new harvest 

 rates will allow 

 fishermen to double 

 or nearly triple their 

 catch of the 

 threatened run. So 

 the crucial number of 

 fall Chinook making it 

 past Lower Granite 

 Dam will actually 

 decrease. 



"The new harvest rate makes absolutely no sense," said PNUCC 

 Executive Director Al Wright. "NMFS is the agency that gave 

 fall Chinook protection under the Endangered Species Act. Since 

 the fish are considered threatened, how can they justify 

 increasing the harvest rate?" 



Counting the Catch 



The numbers tell the story. Every year, NMFS approves harvest 

 rales that apply to the fall runs of "Upriver Brights" -- 

 essentially, those fish heading toward the upriver reaches of the 

 Columbia and the Snake. 



The threatened Snake River fall chinook make up a small 

 percentage of the upriver brights, but the harvest rate that 

 applies to the total group applies to the Snake River fall chinook 

 as well. 



Last year, an estimated 1,359 Snake River fall chinook returned 

 to the mouth of the Columbia, heading toward their spawning 

 grounds high on the Snake. NMFS approved the river harvest 

 rate at 16.5 percent -- which meant that at least 225 of the 

 threatened salmon were caught between the river mouth and 

 spawning grounds. Only 533 made it past Lower Granite Dam -- 

 the last counting point between the fall chinook and their 

 spawning grounds. 



This year, the number of threatened chinook is up --1,616 are 

 expected to reach the mouth of the Columbia. But NMFS has 

 approved an increase in the harvest rate to at least 28 percent, 

 and possibly as high as 45 percent, depending on the fmal 

 estimated run size of upriver brights. The escapement could be 

 as low as 347 fish - a decrease of 35 percent from last year. 



The new harvest rates will allow fishermen to double or nearly 

 triple their catch of the threatened run. So the crucial number of 

 fall Chinook making it past Lower Granite Dam will actually 

 decrease. 



It's like joining a health club where the more you exercise, the 

 more they make you eat - not only do you undo all your 

 progress, you actually weigh more after every workout. No one 

 who cared about losing weight would join a club like that, and 

 no one who cares about saving sahnon should tolerate these 

 increased harvest rates. 



