State Issues Forecast for Summer Salmon Returns

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released its forecast for salmon returning to the Upper Columbia River this year.

WDFW collaborates annually with the state's tribes to produce the forecast.

This year's projections include the return of nearly 85,000 summer Chinook and over 272,000 fall Chinook, which are similar numbers to the past three years.

The forecast for sockeye is slightly up over last year at almost 235,000, while the number of Coho salmon is expected to be nearly double its average over the past ten years at 886,000.