Salmon Fishing Opportunities Increase Along the Washington Coast Beginning Aug. 26
August 26, 2008
OLYMPIA – Anglers will be able to fish for salmon seven days a week along most of the Washington coast beginning Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
The new rules will increase fishing opportunities at Westport (Marine Area 2), La Push (Marine Area 3) and the portion of Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) that lies east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line. Ocean waters west of that line in Marine Area 4 will be closed to all salmon fishing beginning Aug. 26, said Doug Milward, WDFW ocean salmon manager.
“Angler participation has been down along the coast likely due to higher gas prices,” Milward said. “For that reason, we can provide anglers who are fishing at these three ports with additional opportunities without exceeding recreational harvest quotas.”
Fishing had been restricted to five days a week since the season opened.
Anglers fishing at Westport and La Push may retain two chinook salmon as part of their daily limit, but those fishing in Neah Bay may retain only hatchery coho salmon, Milward said. All wild coho must be released in all three areas.
Salmon fishing is scheduled to continue through Sept. 13 if sufficient numbers remain in the quota, Milward said.
Although salmon fishing in Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) closed Aug. 17, fishing continues for hatchery coho at Buoy 10 just south of Ilwaco, Milward said.
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Ocean Salmon Sport Season South of Cape Falcon Is Closed
August 15, 2008
NEWPORT, Ore. — The ocean salmon recreational fishery south of Cape Falcon, Ore., to the California boarder has closed effective 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 when the coho quota for the season is expected to be reached.
“We had a quota of 9,000 hatchery coho this year,” said Eric Schindler, supervising biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Strong winds and poor ocean conditions kept many fishermen off the water during the early part of the season, which stretched the season longer than many expected.”
The season opened for fin-clipped coho retention on June 22 with a quota of 9,000 fish. During the week of August 4-10, effort and catch accelerated and brought total landings to 8,462 coho by Sunday evening (94 percent of quota).
Managers expect the quota will be fully attained by Thursday.
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New Salmon and Steelhead Regulations on Klamath and Trinity
August 5, 2008
New fishing regulations to increase the possession limit of returning adult fall-run Chinook salmon from four to six along the Klamath River system become effective Aug. 15. The California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulations increasing the possession limit at their June 28, 2008 meeting in Upland to reflect an expected increase in harvest opportunities that will be available to sport anglers.
“Based on predictions of a strong return of adult fall-run Chinook salmon, fishing on the Klamath River system is expected to improve this year,” said Neil Manji, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief. “This is good news following the closure of the California ocean salmon season and restrictions in the Sacramento River system earlier this year to protect diminished stocks of Central Valley fall-run Chinook.”
The anticipated strong return of salmon to the Klamath will provide an in-river harvest allocation of 22,500 adult fall-run Chinook salmon for sport anglers - up from 10,600 last year. It is the second largest harvest allocation in 30 years. Run size projections for 2008 are based on the number of fish that returned to the river by age class in 2007 and the expected number of fish harvested at sea during the course of the 2008 offshore fishing season. Offshore closures enacted this season combined with an expected strong return of 4-year-old fall-run Chinook salmon are responsible for the large 2008 in-river sport harvest allocation. The tribal harvest allocation is 27,000 fish.
The following is a summary of seasons, daily bag and possession limits on salmon and steelhead.
- Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon: The season extends from Aug. 15 through Dec. 31 on the Klamath River and from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 on the Trinity River. The daily bag limit is three Chinook salmon of which no more than two may be over 22 inches; the possession limit is nine Chinook salmon of which no more than six may be over 22 inches.
- Klamath River spring-run Chinook salmon: The season extends from Jan. 1 through Aug. 14 on the Klamath River; and Jan. 1 through Aug. 31 on the Trinity River. The daily bag and possession limit is two Chinook salmon. The take of spring-run Chinook salmon is prohibited on the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam downstream to Weitchpec or on the Trinity River from the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River downstream to the confluence with the Klamath River during this period.
- Steelhead: The season is open all year. The daily bag and possession limit is one hatchery steelhead or hatchery rainbow trout on the Klamath River. On the main stem Trinity River the daily bag limit is two hatchery steelhead or hatchery rainbow trout and the possession limit is four. Hatchery steelhead and rainbow trout are identified by the lack of an adipose fin.
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DFG Sets Record With 20.2 Million Young Salmon Raised, Trucked, Acclimated and Released into San Pablo Bay
June 23, 2008
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has completed a record-breaking year by placing 20.2 million young salmon in acclimation pens for release. The number released is the most ever by any state agency on the West Coast for a single stock of salmon in one year. The young salmon were released this spring into San Pablo Bay and are expected to return to the Sacramento river system in two to four years.
“Ramping up the effort to raise, transport and acclimate 20.2 million smolts was an all-hands effort involving three major hatcheries and acclimation pens operated by the Fishery Foundation of California,” said Neil Manji, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief. “We put in nearly twice the normal amount of smolts into the acclimation pens with the goal of increasing both their survival and the return of adult salmon.”
On June 17, the last tanker load of 250,000 tiny Fall Run Central Valley Chinook salmon - called smolts - were released into the Foundation’s acclimation pens in San Pablo Bay and towed out into the bay and released in the out-going tide.
DFG’s increased effort is in response to the collapse of the Fall Run of Central Valley Chinook salmon stocks. The collapse resulted in the unprecedented closure of all commercial and recreational ocean salmon seasons and the closure of most river salmon seasons.
Biologist Kari Burr, Project Manager for The Fishery Foundation of California, said, “An exceptional coordination effort combined with improved net pen design enabled us to successfully receive 100 percent of the fish in acclimation pens this season. We hope for excellent survival rates this year.”
The acclimation pens provide safe haven for the 3 to 5-inch long salmon when they are flushed out of the tanker trucks into the bay waters. The salmon will adjust to their new surroundings inside the safety of the net pens as they are towed out into the bay for final release.
The acclimation net penning is paid for out of the Bay Delta Sports Fishing Enhancement Stamp purchased by sports anglers fishing Bay-Delta waters. The acclimation is done by The Fishery Foundation of California at a cost of $98,000 this year. A new net pen was donated by Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Marketing Association and modified by the Fishery Foundation.
The salmon smolts were raised in hatcheries managed by DFG on major rivers in the Central Valley of California. The hatcheries were constructed to replace the loss of salmon due to dams. Key hatcheries rearing the salmon smolts were the Nimbus Salmon Hatchery on the American River, the Mokelumne River Hatchery and the Feather River Hatchery.
“Rearing and moving fish is expensive and intensive,” said Bob Burks, Nimbus Salmon Hatchery Manager in Rancho Cordova. “Gas costs alone nearly doubled. We rent tanker trucks at $500 a week and filling those big gas tanks cost over $500 each. It costs $1,250 a week just for pallets of ice to cool the waters inside the transport tanks when the fish are transported from Nimbus.”
The careful planning and coordination between the hatcheries, The Fishery Foundation of California and the utilization of two release sites combined to make this year’s releases successful. In previous years only one site was used for release of 8-12 million smolts. The addition of a second site made additional releases possible on different tides and decreased potential losses to predatory fish and birds.
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Ocean Salmon Fishery Opens June 1 With a Focus on Chinook, Conservation
May 28, 2008
OLYMPIA – The sport fishery for salmon begins June 1 off the southern coast of Washington, where the first anglers of the season will cast off from Westport and Ilwaco a full month earlier than usual.
On June 3, salmon fishing begins on the north coast out of LaPush and Neah Bay.
This year’s early start will give ocean anglers an opportunity to catch hatchery chinook salmon before the bulk of the coho run arrives off the Washington coast, said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
That is a key conservation strategy in a year when fishery managers are predicting low returns of coho salmon throughout the West Coast, Milward said. In Washington, this year’s catch quota for coho will be the lowest in a decade.
But unlike California, where the collapse of the Sacramento River chinook run prompted a complete closure of that state’s ocean fishery, hatchery chinook are returning to the Columbia River in sufficient numbers to support a fishery off the Washington coast, he said.
In all, up to 20,000 chinook salmon – up from 16,500 last year – will be available for harvest by sportfishers in the state’s coastal waters.
“We could actually have a pretty good chinook fishery in June,” Milward said. “There will also be a season in July, but there’s a good chance we’ll have to close the fishery earlier than in previous years to meet conservation goals for coho salmon.”
Under this year’s rules, anglers are limited to one chinook salmon per day from June 1-28. All other salmon species – including coho – must be released during that period.
Starting June 29, the daily limit will increase to two salmon per day, including one chinook. As in past years, anglers may retain fin-clipped hatchery coho, but must release any unmarked wild coho they intercept.
Salmon fishing in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) opens June 1, seven days per week. Marine Area 2 (Westport) also opens June 1, but fishing is restricted to Sundays through Thursdays. On the north coast, fishing opens June 3 in marine areas 3 and 4 (LaPush and Neah Bay) five days per week, Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Additional fishing regulations, including minimum size limits and area catch guidelines are described in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regs_seasons.html
.
This year’s 20,350-fish coho quota – the lowest in a decade – will likely be a significant constraint on the fishery, Milward said. In contrast, last year’s quota was 117,500 fish.
The low coho quota this year reflects a forecast of poor coho returns to the Columbia River, which produces more of those fish than any river in the state, Milward said. According to preseason projections, only about 196,000 coho are predicted to return to the Columbia this year, compared to an actual return of 462,000 in 2007.
Fishery managers have attributed the low coho returns expected to the Columbia and other rivers to poor ocean conditions in 2005 and 2006.
“The limited seasons we have crafted this year are carefully designed to meet or exceed our conservation objectives while providing opportunities to harvest healthy hatchery chinook stocks,” said Phil Anderson, WDFW deputy director. “Anglers who want to participate in this year’s fishery off the Washington coast should plan to go early, because we’re likely to reach the limited catch quotas earlier than usual.”
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ODFW Announces 2008 Summer, Fall Salmon Fishing Seasons for Columbia River
May 1, 2008
CLACKAMAS, Ore. ? The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced the upcoming summer and fall salmon seasons for the Columbia River, including the popular Buoy 10 fishery. While many ocean salmon fishing opportunities have been severely constrained for 2008, opportunities in the Columbia River remain comparatively stable.
Public discussion of summer and fall Columbia River salmon seasons took place during the spring meetings of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. While much of the talk at PFMC meetings this year was about the ocean salmon seasons, participants in the public process did help fish managers craft the following recreational fisheries for the summer and fall seasons (including remaining spring seasons where applicable):
Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point
- Open for shad May 16 – December 31
- Open for adipose fin-clipped adult coho (>16”) and adipose fin-clipped steelhead August 1 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Adult chinook (>24”) retention allowed August 1 – September 1, or until a quota of 6,000 kept chinook is reached. Daily bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a chinook. Chinook may be fin-clipped or not.Â
Mainstem Columbia River from Tongue Point upstream to Bonneville Dam
- Open for shad May 16 – December 31
- Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead May 16 – December 31 in the area below the I-5 Bridge and June 16 – December 31 in the area between the I-5 Bridge and Bonneville Dam. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Open for chinook salmon adults June 21 – June 28 and for chinook jacks June 16 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not.
- Open for chinook salmon adults (fin clipped or not) September 1 – 16 except in the area between a line projected from Bachelor Island, Washington shore across to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse, Oregon shore downstream to a line projected from red navigation marker #62 at Deer Island, Oregon shore across to green navigation marker #63 at Martin Island, Washington shore, where retention of all chinook (adults and jacks) will be prohibited from August 1 – December 31. This area encompasses river miles 79-88, approximately. Open for adipose fin-clipped coho and chinook jacks (fin-clipped or not) August 1 – December 31. In open areas/periods, daily bag limit is two adult salmonids, but only one may be a chinook. Anglers may also retain up to five jack salmon.Â
Mainstem Columbia River above Bonneville DamÂ
- Open for shad year round
- Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead June 16 December 31. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Open for chinook salmon adults and jacks June 16 – July 31, or until guideline is met. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not.
- Open for chinook salmon (adults and jacks) and coho salmon August 1 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not. Coho retained downstream of the Hood River Bridge must be adipose fin-clipped.
Notable changes for this year’s season include the closure for chinook retention in the lower river to help protect escapement of lower river wild fall chinook headed for the Lewis River, and the limitation to chinook fishing time in the mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam to limit impacts on the federally-listed upriver bright (URB) fall chinook stocks. Â
As in all Columbia River salmon seasons, anglers should be aware that emergency action may be taken to alter any of the above seasons on relatively short notice. Anglers are advised to keep up to date with the latest regulations by going to ODFW’s regulations website, or by calling (503) 647-6000.Â
The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. Headquartered in Salem, ODFW has regional offices in Clackamas, Roseburg, Bend, and La Grande with ten district offices located throughout the state. For additional information, please visit www.dfw.state.or.us.
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 - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife -
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ODFW Announces 2008 Summer, Fall Salmon Fishing Seasons for Columbia River
April 26, 2008
CLACKAMAS, Ore. ― The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced the upcoming summer and fall salmon seasons for the Columbia River, including the popular Buoy 10 fishery. While many ocean salmon fishing opportunities have been severely constrained for 2008, opportunities in the Columbia River remain comparatively stable.
Public discussion of summer and fall Columbia River salmon seasons took place during the spring meetings of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. While much of the talk at PFMC meetings this year was about the ocean salmon seasons, participants in the public process did help fish managers craft the following recreational fisheries for the summer and fall seasons (including remaining spring seasons where applicable):
Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point
- Open for shad May 16 – December 31
- Open for adipose fin-clipped adult coho (>16”) and adipose fin-clipped steelhead August 1 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Adult chinook (>24”) retention allowed August 1 – September 1, or until a quota of 6,000 kept chinook is reached. Daily bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a chinook. Chinook may be fin-clipped or not.Â
Mainstem Columbia River from Tongue Point upstream to Bonneville Dam
- Open for shad May 16 – December 31
- Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead May 16 – December 31 in the area below the I-5 Bridge and June 16 – December 31 in the area between the I-5 Bridge and Bonneville Dam. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Open for chinook salmon adults June 21 – June 28 and for chinook jacks June 16 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not.
- Open for chinook salmon adults (fin clipped or not) September 1 – 16 except in the area between a line projected from Bachelor Island, Washington shore across to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse, Oregon shore downstream to a line projected from red navigation marker #62 at Deer Island, Oregon shore across to green navigation marker #63 at Martin Island, Washington shore, where retention of all chinook (adults and jacks) will be prohibited from August 1 – December 31. This area encompasses river miles 79-88, approximately. Open for adipose fin-clipped coho and chinook jacks (fin-clipped or not) August 1 – December 31. In open areas/periods, daily bag limit is two adult salmonids, but only one may be a chinook. Anglers may also retain up to five jack salmon.Â
Mainstem Columbia River above Bonneville DamÂ
- Open for shad year round
- Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead June 16 December 31. Daily bag limit is two salmonids.
- Open for chinook salmon adults and jacks June 16 – July 31, or until guideline is met. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not.
- Open for chinook salmon (adults and jacks) and coho salmon August 1 – December 31. Daily bag limit is two adult salmonids and five jacks. Chinook adults and jacks may be fin-clipped or not. Coho retained downstream of the Hood River Bridge must be adipose fin-clipped.
Notable changes for this year’s season include the closure for chinook retention in the lower river to help protect escapement of lower river wild fall chinook headed for the Lewis River, and the limitation to chinook fishing time in the mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam to limit impacts on the federally-listed upriver bright (URB) fall chinook stocks. Â
As in all Columbia River salmon seasons, anglers should be aware that emergency action may be taken to alter any of the above seasons on relatively short notice. Anglers are advised to keep up to date with the latest regulations by going to ODFW’s regulations website, or by calling (503) 647-6000.Â
The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. Headquartered in Salem, ODFW has regional offices in Clackamas, Roseburg, Bend, and La Grande with ten district offices located throughout the state. For additional information, please visit www.dfw.state.or.us.
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 - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife -
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