North Fork Nehalem Hatchery Closure

[Jennie@ifish]

Just a start of many pages I am going to do to help this cause. http://www.ifish.net/NFClosure.html

Jen

[TheRogue]

Ummmm the link doesn't work???

[THE REEL HEY_YALL]

The link works dude. I feel your pain my Oregonian brethren.

[TheRogue]

Yep, works now, I was just awful quick on the trigger.

[Son of an Okie]

Hi Jen,

Past experience shows that the thoughts and wants of the sportfishers don't carry much weight. But, in reviewing all the info in the link, there may be another way; specifically, the handicap access issue may be the way to save the Nehalem hatchery. Do we have anyone on the board that may be able to address this possible avenue?

Keith

[TheRogue]

I guess that would be fine, if you could convince me and a whole bunch of other people that keeping a fish to eat is a sin. Given the political climate, I don't see a return to keeping "wild" fish(steelhead) for eating anywhere in the near future...regardless of whether or not the biologists say a native run can handle a "take" fishery.

The Rogue River has a tremendous run of wild winter steelhead, and a 1 fish-per-day, 5 fish-per-year limit on "non-finclipped" winter fish. Every year, there's big pressure from lots of sources to do away with this fishery, regardless of the health of the run.

I'd gladly pay $10-$20 or more extra per year on my salmon/steelhead tag, if I knew this money was going to HATCHERIES ONLY for me and others to catch and keep. We know it won't happen, they'd just take money from the other end of the budget (state parks lottery money sound familiar here??)

Wild catch and release fisheries have their place, and eventually we may again be able to take that once-in-a-lifetime 25lb wild steelhead home.

Sorry I'm a catch-and-eat fisherman. Sometimes it's an awful tough position to take.

T.R.

[garyk]

Without going into the "hatcheries - yes or no?" argument, I've seen this all before in a number of different political arenas.

This is an agency throwing down the funding challenge to the Legislature.

The listed cutbacks provide the rationale for why funding should be restored.

This happens every biennium.

What will really throw a wrench into the budgetary works is if the various Sizemore/McIntire initiatives pass.

[C&R]

Therogue

I guess from my handle you can guess my thoughts on keeping that once in a lifetime 25lber. I'll offer my thoughts the genetic pool to produce truely wild (no hatchery influences/ genetically pure) of that magnitude is exceptionally small. To further reduce or suggest reducing it in our lifetime IMHO is short sighted. Selective hatchery programs must begin in OR and WA. What is a selective program. Simple use as genetically pure strain from the given system as you can obtain. Some people will argue the genetics are the same with in systems but it is easy to demonstrate they are not. Look at a and b run steelhead in the clearwater/snake and gr. 2,3,4, returning fall nookies these are genetic traits that can not be replaced.

[TheRogue]

How about a 25lb hatchery steelhead? I think that would work for me! http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Anyway, I agree with a change in hatchery practices. The Coquille River in Southern Oregon was the first big success story, it just wasn't real well publicized. No more Alsea strain fish, just wild brook stock. Big strong fish, with lots of fight.

Now we have the Siletz, and the Wilson. Several programs on the Penninsula Rivers. It's something that when it started, everyone thought "why didn't we do that for the last 100 yrs????"

I simply don't think it's necessary to shut every hatchery down and stop all "take" fishing, especially in streams which have been saturated with hatchery fish for many generations.

T.R.

[Deleted User]

Jen:
Is there a way to ask ODFW to add a surcharge
on our fishing license ear marked specifically for hatchery use? Just a thought. I would not like to have the North Fork Nehalem Hatchery closed.

[PeterMac]

Jen,

Thanks for posting this article. I am very interested in other's opinions of this closure. In light of the direction that the "dams or nets" thread took the other day, this closure should stir some thoughts.

I believe that the hatchery had stopped trucking hatchery fish above the hatchery for release a couple years back. I have spoke with several fisher people the past couple years above the locked gate who had some good fishing days for native fish (salmon and steelhead).

Also, I am aware of several stream enhancement programs that have been implimented on some of the smaller trib's up there that have been bennificial to spawning native salmon and steelhead.

Don't you think it might be interesing to see what will happen if the hatchery fish are taken out of the system?

Just curious. Thanks http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

PeterMac

[This message has been edited by PeterMac (edited 09-21-2000).]

[C&R]

TR,

I agree "smart" hatcheries should be the wave of the future. To answer your question why didn't that happen a 100yrs ago. Everyone wants the catch BIG fish, BIG fish are better. Many hatcheries genetically selected the largest fish to product the largest fish. It's that generations of sleeping with your cousin thing.

C&R

[TheRogue]

Another part of that, is of course that most hatcheries always took the first 100 pairs (or however many they needed) that splashed through the gates, rather than staggering them.

Good discussion. I caught a steelhead 8 years ago, fishing in the Columbia across from Hood River, that was 41-1/2 inches...that was my once-in-a-lifetime 25lber. Had witnesses, but no camera. Yes, it had that HUGE adipose fin!! http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif I think about it a lot, I must say I don't terribly regret not being able to keep it.

T.R.

[Salmonator]

I would almost guarantee (RT notice I said "almost") that somebody will take home a 25lb hatchery steelhead on the Siletz within the next 5 years. 20 pounders are already showing up 4 years into the brood stock program. Some hatchery workers on the N. fork Alsea last year told me the only reasons for the increased catches on the Siletz was due to better water conditions in the river. What a line of crap. It's almost as if they don't want to admit that what they've been doing for the last few decades won't work for long term run health.

[TheRogue]

Like I said, the successful program on the Coquille was not much publicized.

T.R.