Commissioners hear fishery report

Commissioners from Clatsop, Columbia and Wahkiakum counties on Tuesday discussed salmon fishery and other issues with representatives of the Fish and Wildlife Departments of Washington and Oregon.

WDFW Regional Manager Guy Norman reported that officials have decided to close sport and commercial fishing for spring chinook at least until May when update return numbers may lead to more fishing.

The fall chinook fishery will be limited on the lower portion of the Columbia he said, but managers think the overall fall return will be strong.

WDFW Special Assistant to the Director Sara LaBorde said department staff have met with sport and commercial fishers to discuss the implementation of alternative gear commercial fisheries, and more meetings will be scheduled as the department works out how to implement the projects.

Norman said spring chinook fisheries were closed because both sport and commercial fishers' catches were close to safe allowable level of harvest.

Biologists estimate the spring run will be the fourth largest since 1938, but the run is late because of poor water conditions, which has also impacted fisheries.

Both Norman and Curt Melchor of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said they feel the spring run will be high, as predicted. Fish managers will check run data in early May and set more openings, if warranted.

"I would bet there will be more fishing opportunity," Norman said.

The fall chinook fishery will open in August and close September 9 on the Columbia below the mouth of the Lewis River.

Biologists expect a good run, but the presence of an endangered species, lower river tule chinook, will limit the lower river fishery. Norman said most tules spawn in tributaries from the Lewis River and down, so the lack of tules above the Lewis mean more fishing can occur there without impacting the endangered species.

"With the tule situation, it's extremely difficult to get much opportunity in the lower part of the river," Norman said.

LaBorde said WDFW is continuing to work with fishers on the development of alternative gear for salmon fishing.

The goal, she and Norman said, is to find ways to harvest hatchery fish without killing or harming naturally spawned, endangered species of salmon.

WDFW has started a three year mortality study of fish caught and released in an alternative fishery to monitor how well the fish survive capture and release.

They've also set up meetings with fishers to gather information and identify issues to consider for the developing alternative gear fisheries.

When they have adequate information, they'll hold more meetings to review it with the fisher groups, she said.

"We'll go back and lay out the data," she said. "Then we'll discuss how to implement it."

Fish buyer Mike Backman of Puget Island commented that LaBorde and the department need to make sure the process is fair. Some fishers have worked with the department on testing alternative gear and are ready for it; others would have to spend the money to refit their vessels and gear.

LaBorde agreed that fairness and how to implement the transition from one gear to another are issues that need discussion.

In response to a question from Wahkiakum Commissioner Dan Cothren, LaBorde said she believes there will still be a role for gillnets in future fisheries.

Commercial fisherman Kent Martin commented that it is important to maintain a commercial fishery focused on hatchery fish. If those fish aren't caught, the federal agencies which fund hatcheries will try to eliminate that funding, and without hatcheries, the only salmon left for sport fishers will be protected endangered species.