02-21-2008, 09:10 PM
One and done.
That will be the story this season for spring chinook salmon anglers in the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
A one fish daily bag limit in both rivers was included in 2008 regulations approved Friday by the Columbia River Compact, a joint Oregon-Washington authority formed by Congress to oversee fishing in the Columbia.
The limit traditionally has been two salmon per day.
The decision comes as a disappointment for sport anglers in the southern Willamette Valley, where "springer" fishing is popular in the Santiam, McKenzie and Middle Fork Willamette rivers.
Those waters had been on track for a standard two-fish limit under regulations originally proposed by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.
To protect a depleted run of Willamette fish, that panel had voted in favor of closing the Columbia River downstream of Portland to salmon fishing, while allowing extensive fishing upstream of Portland so anglers could target a strong return of fish bound for upriver hatcheries.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, however, argued that sport anglers out of Cathlamet, Longview, Kalama, Woodland and other lower Columbia towns had to be provided at least some opportunity to catch salmon this spring.
The compromise hammered out Thursday by the two state commissions and adopted Friday by the compact provides for a 12-day sport fishing season (March 24-April 4) in the Columbia River between Buoy 10 (near the mouth of the river) and the west power lines on Hayden Island in Portland. The "expected catch" during that season is 3,000 salmon.
Upstream of Hayden Island to Bonneville Dam, sport anglers will have a six-day-per-week season March 16-April 30. That fishery will be closed Tuesdays except March 18. The "catch expectation" is 15,800 chinook.
Commercial salmon fishing on the main stem Columbia River is restricted to the area between Hayden Bridge and Beacon Rock, and will occur on days the sport fishery is closed.
The expected commercial catch in the main river is 5,200 chinook. In addition, gillnetters are expected to take about 3,700 chinook from mid-February through mid-June in "select area fisheries" - such as Youngs Bay - which are off the main channel and draw fish reared in net pens.
The Willamette River and its tributaries will get the normal seven-day-per-week season, but with the reduced bag limit. The expected total Willamette catch is 5,500 chinook, with much of that coming in the Portland area between Willamette Falls and the Columbia confluence.
Bag limits of two salmon per day will still be in effect on the Sandy River and between Bonneville and McNary dams on the Columbia.
Sport and commercial fishermen alike may harvest only hatchery fin-clipped salmon. Any wild or unclipped fish must be released, under rules required by the Endangered Species Act.
Federal fishery managers allow an incidental mortality of up to 2 percent of the wild salmon in this year's run. The incidental deaths result from the hooking and handling of wild fish that are released. Within that 2 percent limit, this year's agreement between Oregon and Washington allocates 61 percent of the allowable mortality to the recreational fishery and 39 percent to the commercial fleet.
Opening the lower Columbia River to fishing meant the incidental take on the Willamette River would have to be reduced in order to remain within the overall 2 percent limit. Biologists expect the one-fish bag limit to reduce angling pressure enough to accomplish that.
Management of this year's fishery was complicated by the fact that the upper Columbia spring chinook run is forecast to be very strong while the run destined for the Willamette River is weak.
Forecasts call for 269,300 "upriver" Columbia chinook, which would be the third-highest run since 1977. Only 34,000 Willamette spring chinook are expected, the smallest run since 1997.
By placing the dividing line between upper and lower Columbia River fisheries at Hayden Island, fishery managers eliminate any commercial fishing impact on Willamette stock fish.
That will be the story this season for spring chinook salmon anglers in the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
A one fish daily bag limit in both rivers was included in 2008 regulations approved Friday by the Columbia River Compact, a joint Oregon-Washington authority formed by Congress to oversee fishing in the Columbia.
The limit traditionally has been two salmon per day.
The decision comes as a disappointment for sport anglers in the southern Willamette Valley, where "springer" fishing is popular in the Santiam, McKenzie and Middle Fork Willamette rivers.
Those waters had been on track for a standard two-fish limit under regulations originally proposed by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.
To protect a depleted run of Willamette fish, that panel had voted in favor of closing the Columbia River downstream of Portland to salmon fishing, while allowing extensive fishing upstream of Portland so anglers could target a strong return of fish bound for upriver hatcheries.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, however, argued that sport anglers out of Cathlamet, Longview, Kalama, Woodland and other lower Columbia towns had to be provided at least some opportunity to catch salmon this spring.
The compromise hammered out Thursday by the two state commissions and adopted Friday by the compact provides for a 12-day sport fishing season (March 24-April 4) in the Columbia River between Buoy 10 (near the mouth of the river) and the west power lines on Hayden Island in Portland. The "expected catch" during that season is 3,000 salmon.
Upstream of Hayden Island to Bonneville Dam, sport anglers will have a six-day-per-week season March 16-April 30. That fishery will be closed Tuesdays except March 18. The "catch expectation" is 15,800 chinook.
Commercial salmon fishing on the main stem Columbia River is restricted to the area between Hayden Bridge and Beacon Rock, and will occur on days the sport fishery is closed.
The expected commercial catch in the main river is 5,200 chinook. In addition, gillnetters are expected to take about 3,700 chinook from mid-February through mid-June in "select area fisheries" - such as Youngs Bay - which are off the main channel and draw fish reared in net pens.
The Willamette River and its tributaries will get the normal seven-day-per-week season, but with the reduced bag limit. The expected total Willamette catch is 5,500 chinook, with much of that coming in the Portland area between Willamette Falls and the Columbia confluence.
Bag limits of two salmon per day will still be in effect on the Sandy River and between Bonneville and McNary dams on the Columbia.
Sport and commercial fishermen alike may harvest only hatchery fin-clipped salmon. Any wild or unclipped fish must be released, under rules required by the Endangered Species Act.
Federal fishery managers allow an incidental mortality of up to 2 percent of the wild salmon in this year's run. The incidental deaths result from the hooking and handling of wild fish that are released. Within that 2 percent limit, this year's agreement between Oregon and Washington allocates 61 percent of the allowable mortality to the recreational fishery and 39 percent to the commercial fleet.
Opening the lower Columbia River to fishing meant the incidental take on the Willamette River would have to be reduced in order to remain within the overall 2 percent limit. Biologists expect the one-fish bag limit to reduce angling pressure enough to accomplish that.
Management of this year's fishery was complicated by the fact that the upper Columbia spring chinook run is forecast to be very strong while the run destined for the Willamette River is weak.
Forecasts call for 269,300 "upriver" Columbia chinook, which would be the third-highest run since 1977. Only 34,000 Willamette spring chinook are expected, the smallest run since 1997.
By placing the dividing line between upper and lower Columbia River fisheries at Hayden Island, fishery managers eliminate any commercial fishing impact on Willamette stock fish.