A white sturgeon swims past the window at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Sturgeon Center at Bonneville Dam in January 2010.

PORTLAND — Sturgeon fishing on the Columbia River upstream of Bonneville Dam will be allowed three days per week in early 2024 in the Bonneville and The Dalles pools, and seven days per week in the John Day Pool, until the harvest totals for each pool are met.

Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington set the 2024 sturgeon seasons during a hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 31 in Clackamas.

More anglers have pursued sturgeon in the Columbia the past three years, prompting managers to adopt the three-day schedule for The Dalles pool in 2022 and the Bonneville pool this year, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Officials will set the maximum sturgeon harvest for the three pools in late January 2024 after reviewing populations. Until then, the 2023 guidelines will be used as placeholders. Those numbers are 675 sturgeon for the Bonneville pool, 190 for The Dalles, and 105 for John Day.

ODFW reminds sturgeon anglers to check the regulations for updates, as the rules can change often. Information is available at https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/columbia-zone#Regulation-Updates

Tentative regulations for 2024, by pool:

Bonneville

• Season: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, Jan. 1 to Feb. 7, 2024 (17 days total)

• Area: Mainstem Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam, and all adjacent tributaries

• Allowable catch: Up to 675 white sturgeon

• Legal size: 38-inch minimum and 54-inch maximum fork length (Fork length is measured in a straight line from the tip of the nose to the fork in the caudal fin (tail) with the fish laying on its side on a flat surface, with the tape measure/ruler positioned flat under the fish.)

• Bag limit: One fish daily, two fish annually

The Dalles

• Season: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays Jan. 1-29, 2024 (13 days total)

• Area: Mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam, and all adjacent tributaries

• Allowable Catch: Up to 190 white sturgeon

• Legal size: 43-inch minimum and 54-inch maximum fork length (Fork length is measured in a straight line from the tip of the nose to the fork in the caudal fin (tail) with the fish laying on its side on a flat surface, with the tape measure/ruler positioned flat under the fish.)

• Bag limit: One fish daily, two fish annually

Catch-and-release sturgeon angling remains open all year, except angling for sturgeon is prohibited May 1 through Aug. 31 within the designated sanctuary areas in each of the dam tailraces. The daily and annual bag limits apply to any/all sturgeon fisheries statewide.