Proposed Bill To Limit Oregon Guides

There is an effort underway to limit the number of fishing guides in Oregon and raise guide license fees by 2010. The initiators of the bill feel limiting the number of guides and raising fees will restore credibility to the profession, weed out incompetent guides and reduce pressure on salmon and steelhead runs. There are many different aspects to the proposal, but here is the main framework:

· No new guides will be licensed for a period of 5 years, allowing the number of guides to drop from approximately 800 to 550. Of the 550, only 100 will be allowed from out of state.
· Resident guides would pay $250 for a guides’ license, and $50 for renewal annually. The current license is $50 per year.
· Oregon would be divided into 4 regions: South Coast, Mid Coast/Willamette Valley, Lower Columbia River and Eastern Oregon.
· Guides would pay an additional $250 endorsement fee for each zone fished ($125 renewal fee). For instance, if a guide wished to fish in all 4 zones, it would be $1000 the first year and $500 every year after. Non-resident guides’ endorsements would be double those listed above.
· After 2015, veteran guides would be able to sell their license, much like commercial fisherman currently do.
· Guides would be required to keep a log book on where and when they fish, along with what they catch.
· A Fishing Guide Review Board, made up of 7 licensed guides would be created to oversee industry regulation.
· Part of the funds generated would go to creating hatch-box programs on the coast that would boost fish numbers without creating new hatcheries.

What Brought This On?
Depending on who you talk to, changes to guide licensing is either long overdue or a way to divide sportfisherman for the benefit of a select group. Bill sponsors say that guide numbers are way too high and that guides crowd out other anglers and have too much of an impact on certain fisheries. Further, guide fees are too low compared with surrounding states. Changing the fee structure would push out unfit guides.

On the other hand, many believe this is an attempt by some commercial fishing interests to divide sportfisherman and retaliation for bills seeking to limit gillnet fisheries on the Columbia River. What is certain is that by dividing the state into regions, guides not fishing the Columbia will care less about sport and commercial allocations.

As a guide, I am wary of a bill that limits my opportunities. I am not opposed to a fee structure that is more in line with other states, even though the state license fees I pay as a guide are only the tip of the iceberg of my operating costs. There are different areas of the state that feel salmon and steelhead returning to a local river are “their fish” and will look for ways to limit out of towners. I am also not convinced that hatch box programs on our coastal rivers is where fees are best spent.

But hey, maybe my opinion is biased. As always, I welcome your comments on this and other issues.

See you on the water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)

Ocean Conditions Among The Best For Salmon In Last 50 Years

Ocean conditions for chinook salmon and many other species were vastly improved in 2008, mainly because of a huge influx of cold water across the North Pacific Ocean. Scientists who study changes in ocean patterns note that usually cold water conditions last for a few months in late spring and early summer. Since April 2007, the North Pacific has been in a constant “summer-state”, meaning cold, nutrient-rich water. This is something that has not been observed in more than 20 years of sampling. This is in sharp contrast to 2005, one of the worst years on record. Warm, nutrient-poor water in 2005 caused poor conditions for juvenile salmon from California to Washington.

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a pattern of varying shifts between warm and cold water in the Pacific Ocean in 20-30 year cycles may be the cause. During 2008, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation was the most negative (cold) it has been since 1955 according to NOAA Scientists at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

Cold water, brought in by strong upwelling fuels plankton growth, which in turn boosts the entire marine food web. The phytoplankton feeds the larger zooplankton species which are crucial to the diet of baitfish such as anchovies and herring. Cold water conditions like those present now help zooplankton retain lipids (fat) as a way to survive through the winter. These lipids are an extra energy boost for baitfish and, in turn, salmon.

Marine surveys off the coasts of Oregon and Washington during the summer of 2008 found the highest numbers of chinook salmon juveniles recorded in the last 11 years and nearly 2 ½ times higher than any survey in the past 13 years. These numbers show good ocean survival. On the downside, scientists did not find as many juvenile coho salmon as they had hoped.

Ocean Patterns Changing?
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation has been changing, and scientists want to know if ocean patterns are shifting due to climate change. Changes between cold water and warm water phases aren’t lasting as long as when the patterns were first observed. A phase of the PDO was lasting 20-30 years, and now they’re much shorter. The last phases were 3 years long. So nobody knows for sure how long our great ocean conditions will last.

Feel free to contact me for more information or contact info for the NOAA scientists involved in these studies.

See you on the water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)

News From Around The Area

We’re in the middle of a nice stretch of dry water. Take advantage of it! The mainstem Siuslaw, Lake Creek and other coastal streams will be fishing. Drift fishing bait, jig fishing tailouts and plug fishing are some of the best methods for taking winter fish. There’s lots going on with our fisheries, and this is what I’m hearing when I put my ear to the ground:

Lake Creek and Above Forks Salmon Fishing Closure To Become Permanent?

There’s talk of making the emergency regulation changes of 2008 permanent in some areas – including closing Lake Creek and the Siuslaw above the confluence of Lake Creek to salmon angling. Snaggers and poachers have made for an enforcement nightmare for state police. Closing these areas of the Siuslaw basin would protect our fisheries for future generations. Support for this closure probably doesn’t make me very popular, but I do feel it’s the right thing to do.

2009 River Fishing – Keep the First Fish You Catch?

Those of you who fished tidewater this fall saw the same thing I did – large numbers of coho salmon in the river. While I didn’t see boaters intentionally targeting silvers in the areas I fished, I know plenty of folks who did see this happening. Even when quickly released, the whole process of being hooked and played stresses these fish and makes them an easy target for seals. Why not keep the first fish (or two) you catch, either species? Local biologists may be floating this idea. Each river system in Oregon needs to be examined separately when developing regulations. And if we have a strong run of silvers, better to let a few be kept in a day than releasing several to die before spawning.

2008-2009 Spawning Fish Surveys Looking Up

State and federal spawning fish surveyors are seeing more chinook and coho salmon this fall than last year on the Siuslaw. As surveys wrap up toward the end of January, I’ll keep you posted on some of the raw numbers observed.

Get Your 2009 Fishing License

Here’s a friendly reminder to buy your 2009 sportfishing license. My license, salmon/steelhead/sturgeon tag and shellfish license was a total of $52.75. Make sure to turn in your 2008 harvest tag. The state gives away a brand new driftboat every year to one lucky angler who turns in the old harvest card.

See you on the water,

Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)