2019 Coho salmon prediction: More than twice 2018
Finally! After a winter of difficult news about upcoming spring salmon predictions, biologists have published Valentine’s Day treat for a change.
The Oregon Production Index – basically the annual prediction of coho salmon returns to both the coast and the Columbia River – is more than a million fish for the first time in several (many?) years.
Last year’s return wasn’t all that bad for anglers, but for comparison, the 2018 prediction of 349,000 came in at about 231,000.
Even in a worst-case scenario, which 2018 nearly became, 2019’s return should provide some awesome fishing, both offshore and at Buoy 10.
The return prediction of 1,009,600 accounts largely of a forecasted 933,500 hatchery coho, of which 905,600 are predicted entering the Columbia. That number will change, of course, as coastal anglers carve out their share of the northbound Columbia fish.
Biologists haven’t yet predicted runs in individual rivers, but the outlooks for the Sandy and Clackamas rivers are bound to be far better than last fall.
Stay tuned.
Buddy Dupell
Columbia River Fishing Adventures