Salmon Fishing Closes on the Cowlitz River, Cispus River and Lake Scanewa 

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The Washing Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced that salmon fishing is closed on the Cowlitz River, Cispus River and Lake Scanewa effective Friday, March 5. It will be closed until further notice.

“An estimated 1,800 adult spring Chinook are forecast to return to the Cowlitz River in 2021,” the department wrote in a press release. “A return of this size is insufficient to meet both hatchery broodstock needs and projected harvest for a full-season sport fishery.  Modifying spring Chinook fisheries on this river will help meet hatchery program goals.”



Fishery managers will continue to monitor spring Chinook returns to the Cowlitz River to determine when fisheries may be reopened. The posted fishing boundary markers below the Barrier Dam at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery will be moved to the standard 400-foot boundary downstream of the fish ladder entrance.