Statesman-Journal: Council may limit access to coho salmon

Council may limit access to coho salmon

Dwindling numbers may lead to shorter angling season, smaller catch

THOMAS PATTERSON | STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE

Anglers gather around their catch in Newport after it was loaded off the boat at last year's coho salmon opener in June. This year, anglers likely will have access to just half the catch they were allotted in 2004.

Statesman Journal

March 16, 2005

Even in the best-case scenario, the allowed ocean coho salmon sport catch will be about half of what it was for the 2004 summer season.

Members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council met this past week in Sacramento, Calif., and set the options that were released early Tuesday for public comments.

A series of three public meetings will be held in Oregon, Washington and California at the end of the month, before the council's final votes, during a series of meetings April 4 through 8 in Tacoma, Wash.

Officials said there were two driving factors for setting the seasons.

The first was a bleak forecast for fall-run chinook salmon in the Klamath Basin of Northern California because of low, warm water that killed off a good number of adult spawners in 2002.

That means that Southern Oregon ports such as Brookings and Gold Beach, will lose about 35 fishing days July 5 through Aug. 15.

The second factor is a projected decline in returns of protected native coho salmon to Oregon Coast rivers and the lower Columbia River.

Because of that, the highest number of hatchery fin-clipped coho from Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, south to the California border is 40,000 fish this summer. That compares with 75,000 coho allotted in 2004.

The good news for ocean salmon anglers fishing north of Humbug Mountain, near Port Orford -- the northern boundary of the so-called Klamath Management Zone -- is that chinook numbers are predicted to be healthier.

As a result, the ocean between Humbug and Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, is anticipated to have a full chinook season, which opened Tuesday and is scheduled to run through Oct. 31, barring adjustments if returns don't match the predictions.

Here is a look at the options selected by the council for the area from Falcon south to the California Border:

Coho

Option 1: Open seven days a week beginning June 18 through July 31, or when the total allowed catch of 40,000 hatchery fish is caught, whichever comes first.

The limit is two salmon a day, and all coho must have a healed adipose fin-clip.

The area south of Humbug Mountain would close July 5 through 31 as part of the KMZ regulations.

And a new regulation would be in effect, allowing only trolling for salmon --no use of bait on "mooching" rigs -- on the Stonewall Bank rockfish conservation area on days when the all-depth halibut season is open.

As with the halibut closure on areas of Stonewall Banks, the gear restriction is to prevent incidental mortality of protected rockfish.

Option 2: The season open dates, bag limits and restrictions would be the same as Option 1, but the total allowed catch would be 35,000 fin-clipped coho. As with Option 1, salmon fishing south of Humbug would be closed July 5 through 31.

Options 3 and 4: Rules and allowed season catch for coho would be the same as Option 2.

Chinook

As noted previously, an offshore salmon fishing closure will be in effect south of Humbug from July 5 through 31.

North of Humbug, if coho fishing ends because the allowed quota is caught before July 31, chinook-only fishing still would be allowed.

Those rules apply under all four options listed for chinook.

The main difference is the share of the Klamath River chinook allowed in the recreation fishery south of Falcon.

Under Options 1 and 2, the Oregon share is 15 percent. Option 3 caps the percentage at 20 percent. And Option 4, puts the ceiling at 10 percent.

North of Falcon (Columbia River)

The area encompasses Leadbetter Point, Wash., south to Falcon. In all options, fishing would be open Sundays through Thursdays until a decision is made no later than July 27 about opening fishing seven days a week. Also in all of the options, the daily chinook limit is one fish in the two-salmon bag.

Option 1: Coho fishing would run July 3 through Sept. 30 or until 67,200 hatchery fish are caught. The chinook quota would be 8,100 fish.

Option 2: Coho would open July 10 through Sept. 30 or until the 53,500 hatchery-fish quota was filled. The total allowed chinook catch would be 6,800 fish.

Option 3: A July 17 through Sept. 30 hatchery coho season with a total quota of 37,800 fish. The chinook quota would be 5,400 fish.

Comments

What: Meetings to take public comments on the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s ocean salmon options.

Oregon: 7 p.m. March 28 in the South Umpqua Room, Red Lion Hotel, 1313 N Bayshore Drive, Coos Bay.

Other meetings: March 28 in Westport, Wash.; and March 29 in Fort Bragg, Calif.

Call: (866) 806-7240.

Fax: (503) 820-2299.

Write: Attn: Salmon comments, Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220.

Online: http://www.pcouncil.org/