Recap of Fall Chinook Meeting In Newport

Interested anglers packed the library at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport last Wednesday to hear a presentation by ODFW biologists on options for this year’s fall chinook salmon season on the coast. ODFW is considering emergency changes to this year’s regulations because fall chinook runs are expected to be below minimum goals for the second straight year in every river system on the Oregon coast. To put this in perspective, the Siuslaw only failed to reach minimum targets for spawning fish once (1993) from 1985 until 2006.

Guiding Principles/Possible Options For Consideration
Early in the meeting, biologists laid out the principles that will guide any regulation changes: coast-wide consistency (i.e., no special regulations for each watershed), simple and easy to understand, enforceable, avoid unnecessary reductions in opportunities, and dealing with compelling local issues (i.e., changes in watersheds designed to protect fish from over-harvest or snagging).
Biologists forwarded several possible coast-wide options for consideration, including:
Maintaining traditional terminal ocean fisheries, but with new restrictions (affecting Tillamook, Port Orford, Brookings)
Keep newer terminal ocean fisheries closed (including Newport, Florence, Winchester Bay and Charleston)
Reducing the daily bag limit (from 2 fish to 1 fish)
Reducing the seasonal bag limit (from 20 to 10 or 5)
Reducing days/week open to fishing
Area closures
Other ideas

Commercial Fisheries Catching Oregon Fish
ODFW biologists acknowledged that a large percentage of fish that would have returned to Oregon streams are caught off Southeast Alaska and Northern British Columbia. Using coded-wire tags implanted in juvenile salmon from 3 different Oregon river systems, fisheries managers estimate that 20% of our chinook run is caught off Alaska, and another 10-12% is intercepted off British Columbia. Of the remaining approximately 70%, 20-25% is harvested in the rivers. It was unclear at the meeting if this number included fish taken by seals/sea lions or how this is accounted for. So, to recap, if 1,000 fall chinook would have returned to a river on the coast, perhaps 300 would be taken by commercials and another 175 would be harvested in the river leaving 525 (just over half) to spawn.

How ODFW Options Were Received
As far as maintaining traditional terminal ocean fisheries and keeping newer terminal ocean fisheries closed, the crowd wasn’t strongly in favor or opposed to any changes. ODFW estimates are that not many chinook are caught in these fisheries in our area. Anglers who concentrate more on the traditional terminal fisheries off Tillamook, Port Orford and Brookings were probably much more vocal about these options.

Much discussion revolved around changing the daily and seasonal bag limit. The audience had a wide range of opinions. Most felt that 20 fish per season was too many. A staff member from ODFW in attendance offered some interesting information regarding possible reduction in harvest from reducing the season limit. From analysis of returned salmon tags, ODFW has estimated that reducing the season limit to 10 fall chinook would result in a 1% decrease in harvest, and reducing the limit to 5 fall chinook would result in a 10% decrease in harvest. This analysis was produced based on approximately 13% return in salmon tags.

Many anglers voiced opinions on 1 vs. 2 fish per day. Some felt that with limited time and opportunity, not to mention the cost of fuel, anglers should be allowed to keep 2 fish per day. Others (including this writer) feel that 1 fish as large as a fall chinook is plenty per day. Other arguments revolved around whether hatchery chinook should be included as the 1 fish per day. “Party fishing” was also discussed. Party fishing is allowing anglers to keep a line in the water after taking a 1 fish limit until the boat has limited out. While those in attendance talked on both sides of this issue, I didn’t get a sense that anyone was strongly opposed to party fishing. Whether or not party fishing is allowed will probably come down to how tough an enforcement issue it is. Finally, folks were unanimously against limiting angling on certain days of the week. This possible change won’t go anywhere.

Siuslaw-Specific Changes
Considering the price of gas and the distance folks had to travel, there were several interested folks from our area in attendance. This was great to see. ODFW biologists mentioned they are considering closures of Lake Creek and the Siuslaw above Lake Creek until later in the season to limit snagging. One concerned angler commented that closing these waters until Oct. 10 would be enough time. I’m not so sure. Looking back on precipitation records for Mapleton over the past several decades, October can be a dry month. I am in favor of pushing back the opening of Lake Creek and the Upper River until Dec. 1. We can definitely count on enough water in the river by that time of year to make snagging very difficult. By Oct. 10? Maybe in some years, but not most years.

Other Ideas Mentioned
Other ideas put forth by the audience included: banning the use, sale and transport of salmon eggs for bait (I am in favor of this), limiting the number of female salmon (hens) an angler can take in a season (I am in favor of this) and making it mandatory to turn in your old salmon tag.

ODFW staff will forward regulation changes to the Fish and Wildlife Commission for an early June vote. Stay tuned for the results.


See you on the water,
Action Jackson

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