By Denis Peirce
February 28, 2006
The ocean salmon season off the California and Oregon
coastline could be closed for the 2006 year due to low abundance numbers for
the Klamath Basin. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will make a decision
at its Sacramento meeting in April.
Historically, the Klamath Basin featured the third largest salmon run in the
west after the Columbia and Sacramento Rivers. The Klamath has been in bad
shape off and on through the last 30 years, especially in drought years.
The Magnuson Stevens Act mandated a minimum return of 35,000 spawning adults
to the Klamath. If there are three consecutive years below this goal, the
fishery will be declared "over fished" and a federal recovery plan
will be instituted. In 2004, the return was 25,000 and 2005 the return was
27,000. So 2006 is a critical year for triggering the over fished designation.
There are a number of methods for predicting salmon runs. One way is to take
the numbers of jacks (second year fish) in 2005 as an indicator for the run of
three-year fish in 2006. Another indicator is the ocean abundance estimate
based on sampling. Biologists estimate that currently there are 110,000
Klamath salmon of all age classes at sea compared to the estimate of 185,000 a
year ago. If the angling rules for 2005 were carried forward for 2006 the
return is predicted to total 18,700 fish, roughly half the requisite number.
The best guess estimate if fishing is curtailed entirely, is a run of 29,000,
up from last year but still short of the mark.
A major problem is that the salmon stocks from one basin will mix with fish
from other river systems in the ocean. Currently, the Sacramento River salmon
are doing well but they can not be distinguished from Klamath fish. Klamath
fish can be found from below Point Sur up to the Columbia River. So whatever
we do has to be an across-the-board ruling for the California and Oregon
coasts.
In 2005, the commercial fleet off the Oregon coast was dramatically curtailed
while recreational fishing was allowed to continue. I am sure that this
helped, but it was not a cure. The problem is caused by factors in the Klamath
River limiting wild reproduction.
However, 2002 was a bad year to be a salmon on the Klamath. In the spring, the
downstream migration of the juvenile fish suffered big losses due to warm
water bacteria. Again in the fall, the returning adults suffered huge losses
due to warm water and heavy bacteria counts. Most salmon spend three years in
the salt before returning. Some fish come back after two years and some wait
four years. The 2005 run showed the effects of the spring 2002 die off. This
year is the return from the fall 2002 spawn. These events are symptomatic of
water quality and quantity issues in the Klamath River drainage. Closing ocean
fisheries will be treating the symptoms not the causes of the problem.
I do not have a solution to this problem. I understand the arguments for a
curtailment of salt water salmon fishing. I also recognize that salmon boat
captains could lose their boats if they cannot make the payments on them, to
mention just one example of people who will lose if the fishing is halted
altogether. I can confidently predict that salmon prices in the market will go
up, if nothing else.
Not all the news is dire. The heavy rains of January are exactly what is
needed to flush out the contaminates in the Klamath. A general rule is that if
you add water you will get fish. This winter is setting up good water
conditions for 2006. The other positive from dramatically reduced salt water
salmon fishing will be much larger runs coming into the Sacramento River
system this year.
It remains to be seen if there will be a creative solution proposed at the
April meeting in Sacramento.
Denis Peirce writes a weekly column for The Union and is host of "The
KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report," which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6
a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. He may be reached via e-mail at denisp@theunion.com
Source: http://www.theunion.com/article/20060228/SPORTS/102280230