2003 Salmon Run Bountiful at Last

For the first time in 38 years, American Indians on Oregon’s Columbia River have harvested a surplus of summer chinook salmon. 120,000 salmon are making the summer run upriver, compared to only 15,000 in the mid-1990’s, the second-highest rate since 1960. The return of unusually abundant chinook, each weighing 20-30 pounds and fetching $2 per pound, is due to several factors, including improved habitat, the nutrient level of the water, hatchery operations, and harvest management.