STGRule
07-24-2002, 07:41 AM
I hope this hasn't already been posted.
* ODFW Seeks Public Input on Proposed 2003 Angling Regulations
* Fall Salmon Seasons Open Aug. 1 in Columbia River
* Fall Chinook Season to Open on Deschutes River Aug. 1
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 Ext. 5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
ODFW Seeks Public Input on Proposed 2003 Angling Regulations
PORTLAND - Oregon's anglers are encouraged to give input on proposed changes to the state's angling regulations, which make minor wording changes and increase some angling opportunities for 2003.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts angling regulations yearly based on recommendations from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Police and members of the public. Every four years, a comprehensive review of the regulations is conducted and public meetings are held. The next comprehensive review will occur in 2004.
The Commission will consider the following proposals for 2003:
Statewide Regulations:
· Modify statewide rules to allow retention of radio-tagged fish in the mainstem Columbia River and its tributaries. The State of Washington currently allows anglers to keep otherwise legal radio-tagged fish in the Columbia.
Northwest Zone:
· Reopen Big Creek above the hatchery to trout angling. When Big Creek was reopened to trout angling in 2002, the intent was to open the whole system, but the wording for the area above the hatchery was inadvertently left out.
· Require anglers to possess a Combined Harvest Tag to retain adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout (16-20-inch steelhead) during the time of year when trout angling is closed, or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling. This proposal is for the time of year when trout angling is closed or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling.
· Eliminate winter steelhead angling on the North Fork Alsea River from Highway 34 upstream to the hatchery. Local landowners have requested this rule change due to an increase in the number of anglers and concerns with personal safety, property damage and habitat destruction.
Southwest Zone:
· Require anglers to possess a Combined Harvest Tag to retain adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout (16-20-inch steelhead) in streams other than the Rogue and Applegate rivers where rainbow trout longer than 16 inches are considered steelhead. This proposal is for the time of year when trout angling is closed or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling.
· Reauthorize limited harvest on wild steelhead in the Sixes, Elk, Pistol, Chetco and Winchuck rivers, and Hunter and Euchre creeks. Anglers would be limited to one wild steelhead per day and five per year. ODFW biologists have determined that a small harvest would not have any measurable effect on population and would provide significant angling opportunities.
Willamette Zone:
· Re-open an additional two-mile section of the McKenzie River to adipose fin-clipped salmon angling Jan. 1 - Aug. 15 from Hayden Bridge to the ODFW markers about 200 feet below the fishways at Leaburg Dam. The rule originally was adopted as a conservation measure.
Southeast Zone:
· Correct the inadvertent bait restrictions in some Klamath Basin streams where bait use was allowed before 2002. Bait use would be allowed in Crystal, Fourmile, Harriman, Recreation, Short and Thomason creeks, Link River, and the Klamath River from Lake Ewauna downstream to Keno Dam. A one trout per day bag limit and gear restrictions would remain the same.
Columbia River Zone:
· Close trout angling in the mainstem Columbia River upstream from Bonneville Dam to provide additional protection for downstream migrating salmon and steelhead smolts.
· Allow adipose fin-clipped steelhead harvest in the Tongue Point/South Channel and Blind Slough/Knappa Slough Select fishery areas to make the regulations consistent with the Youngs Bay Select Area fishery, and allow additional harvest opportunities for hatchery-produced steelhead.
Due to staff shortages and time constraints, the Commission will take public testimony and adopt the 2003 angling regulations at the Aug. 9 meeting in Corvallis. This is a change from previous years when the Commission heard testimony at its August meeting and adopted regulations in September.
Additional information on the 2003 proposed angling regulations is available from Rhine Messmer at (503) 872-5252, Ext. 5432. The proposed rule language will be available for review on the ODFW Web site at www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) before the Commission meeting. Written comments on the proposals can be addressed to Rhine Messmer, ODFW, PO Box 59, Portland OR 97207, or e-mailed to rhine.t.messmer@state.or.us . Comments should be received by Thursday, Aug. 8.
The Commission will take oral testimony on the propose changes during the Aug. 9 meeting. Speakers may sign up at the meeting. Speakers with a written handout should provide at least 20 copies.
###
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
Fall Salmon Seasons Open Aug. 1 in Columbia River
PORTLAND - With fall chinook forecasted to return to the Columbia River in numbers seen only two other times since 1948, fishery managers predict an excellent fall salmon fishing season.
The season gets under way Aug. 1 from the mouth of the Columbia at Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon-Washington border.
Biologists from the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife estimate that 678,000 wild and hatchery fall chinook will enter the Columbia. Last year, 544,000 fall chinook entered the Columbia. The near-record runs of 1987 and 1988 were 872,000 and 783,000 respectively.
ODFW salmon fishery manager Steve King said the forecast is composed of 282,000 tule fall chinook and 396,000 upriver bright fall chinook. The tules peak around Sept. 1 in the mouth of the Columbia. The upriver brights return over a longer period.
"Based on outstanding chinook catches in the ocean, I think the tule chinook run will be at least as strong as we forecasted," King said.
King cautioned that the returns of coho to the Columbia River are estimated to be significantly lower than chinook, which is a departure from the past two years. Preseason forecasts are for 158,000 coho to enter the river. In 2001, 1.1 million coho entered the Columbia.
Oregon anglers fishing in the ocean and the Columbia River are reminded of the following regulations:
· Salmon fishing in the mouth of the Columbia from Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point opens Aug. 1 for adult adipose fin-clipped coho, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and adult fall chinook. In the Buoy 10 fishery, the minimum size limit is 16 inches for coho, 20 inches for steelhead, and 24 inches for chinook.
· The Columbia River upstream from Tongue Point to the Oregon-Washington border also opens Aug. 1 for fall chinook, adipose fin-clipped coho, and adipose fin-clipped steelhead through Dec. 31. Coho need not be missing their adipose fin if caught and retained upstream of Bonneville Dam.
· Legal jack salmon may be retained in the Columbia River if they are caught upstream of Tongue Point. Jack coho are 16 to 20 inches in length and jack chinook are 15 to 24 inches in length.
· Anglers fishing in the ocean off the Columbia River mouth and in the Columbia River are limited to a daily catch of two salmon and, where legal, five jack salmon.
· The sturgeon season in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and in Youngs Bay closes to retention after July 24. Catch and release sturgeon angling may continue.
###
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
Fall Chinook Season to Open on Deschutes River Aug. 1
PORTLAND - Good runs of chinook salmon heading up the Deschutes River mean anglers may fish for the large salmon through Oct. 31.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday that the river will open to fall chinook angling Thusday, Aug. 1. The river is open to angling for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook through July 31.
ODFW biologists estimate that 10,600 wild fall chinook will move up the Deschutes to spawning grounds, which exceeds the spawning escapement goal of 4,000 fish. The Deschutes opened to fall chinook angling in 1998-2000, but was closed 1992-97 and 2001.
Last year's fall chinook escapement of 11,177 adults and 10,590 jacks represents a significant increase from the past several years. Jacks are immature males that migrate to freshwater. Jack numbers are closely tied to the following year's adult return. The 2001 jack run was the second largest since 1977.
The temporary rule allows angling from the mouth at the I-84 bridge upstream to Sherars Falls for chinook from Aug. 1 - Oct. 31, 2002. The daily limit is two adult chinook or adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and five jacks. In addition, anglers may retain one additional adipose fin-clipped steelhead per day through Dec. 31 as per rules adopted earlier this year. Length limits and gear restrictions remain unchanged from those listed in the 2002 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.
###
Information and Education Section
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 872-5264 ext 5528
* ODFW Seeks Public Input on Proposed 2003 Angling Regulations
* Fall Salmon Seasons Open Aug. 1 in Columbia River
* Fall Chinook Season to Open on Deschutes River Aug. 1
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 Ext. 5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
ODFW Seeks Public Input on Proposed 2003 Angling Regulations
PORTLAND - Oregon's anglers are encouraged to give input on proposed changes to the state's angling regulations, which make minor wording changes and increase some angling opportunities for 2003.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts angling regulations yearly based on recommendations from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Police and members of the public. Every four years, a comprehensive review of the regulations is conducted and public meetings are held. The next comprehensive review will occur in 2004.
The Commission will consider the following proposals for 2003:
Statewide Regulations:
· Modify statewide rules to allow retention of radio-tagged fish in the mainstem Columbia River and its tributaries. The State of Washington currently allows anglers to keep otherwise legal radio-tagged fish in the Columbia.
Northwest Zone:
· Reopen Big Creek above the hatchery to trout angling. When Big Creek was reopened to trout angling in 2002, the intent was to open the whole system, but the wording for the area above the hatchery was inadvertently left out.
· Require anglers to possess a Combined Harvest Tag to retain adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout (16-20-inch steelhead) during the time of year when trout angling is closed, or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling. This proposal is for the time of year when trout angling is closed or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling.
· Eliminate winter steelhead angling on the North Fork Alsea River from Highway 34 upstream to the hatchery. Local landowners have requested this rule change due to an increase in the number of anglers and concerns with personal safety, property damage and habitat destruction.
Southwest Zone:
· Require anglers to possess a Combined Harvest Tag to retain adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout (16-20-inch steelhead) in streams other than the Rogue and Applegate rivers where rainbow trout longer than 16 inches are considered steelhead. This proposal is for the time of year when trout angling is closed or on rivers where trout angling regulations otherwise require catch and release angling.
· Reauthorize limited harvest on wild steelhead in the Sixes, Elk, Pistol, Chetco and Winchuck rivers, and Hunter and Euchre creeks. Anglers would be limited to one wild steelhead per day and five per year. ODFW biologists have determined that a small harvest would not have any measurable effect on population and would provide significant angling opportunities.
Willamette Zone:
· Re-open an additional two-mile section of the McKenzie River to adipose fin-clipped salmon angling Jan. 1 - Aug. 15 from Hayden Bridge to the ODFW markers about 200 feet below the fishways at Leaburg Dam. The rule originally was adopted as a conservation measure.
Southeast Zone:
· Correct the inadvertent bait restrictions in some Klamath Basin streams where bait use was allowed before 2002. Bait use would be allowed in Crystal, Fourmile, Harriman, Recreation, Short and Thomason creeks, Link River, and the Klamath River from Lake Ewauna downstream to Keno Dam. A one trout per day bag limit and gear restrictions would remain the same.
Columbia River Zone:
· Close trout angling in the mainstem Columbia River upstream from Bonneville Dam to provide additional protection for downstream migrating salmon and steelhead smolts.
· Allow adipose fin-clipped steelhead harvest in the Tongue Point/South Channel and Blind Slough/Knappa Slough Select fishery areas to make the regulations consistent with the Youngs Bay Select Area fishery, and allow additional harvest opportunities for hatchery-produced steelhead.
Due to staff shortages and time constraints, the Commission will take public testimony and adopt the 2003 angling regulations at the Aug. 9 meeting in Corvallis. This is a change from previous years when the Commission heard testimony at its August meeting and adopted regulations in September.
Additional information on the 2003 proposed angling regulations is available from Rhine Messmer at (503) 872-5252, Ext. 5432. The proposed rule language will be available for review on the ODFW Web site at www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) before the Commission meeting. Written comments on the proposals can be addressed to Rhine Messmer, ODFW, PO Box 59, Portland OR 97207, or e-mailed to rhine.t.messmer@state.or.us . Comments should be received by Thursday, Aug. 8.
The Commission will take oral testimony on the propose changes during the Aug. 9 meeting. Speakers may sign up at the meeting. Speakers with a written handout should provide at least 20 copies.
###
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
Fall Salmon Seasons Open Aug. 1 in Columbia River
PORTLAND - With fall chinook forecasted to return to the Columbia River in numbers seen only two other times since 1948, fishery managers predict an excellent fall salmon fishing season.
The season gets under way Aug. 1 from the mouth of the Columbia at Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon-Washington border.
Biologists from the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife estimate that 678,000 wild and hatchery fall chinook will enter the Columbia. Last year, 544,000 fall chinook entered the Columbia. The near-record runs of 1987 and 1988 were 872,000 and 783,000 respectively.
ODFW salmon fishery manager Steve King said the forecast is composed of 282,000 tule fall chinook and 396,000 upriver bright fall chinook. The tules peak around Sept. 1 in the mouth of the Columbia. The upriver brights return over a longer period.
"Based on outstanding chinook catches in the ocean, I think the tule chinook run will be at least as strong as we forecasted," King said.
King cautioned that the returns of coho to the Columbia River are estimated to be significantly lower than chinook, which is a departure from the past two years. Preseason forecasts are for 158,000 coho to enter the river. In 2001, 1.1 million coho entered the Columbia.
Oregon anglers fishing in the ocean and the Columbia River are reminded of the following regulations:
· Salmon fishing in the mouth of the Columbia from Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point opens Aug. 1 for adult adipose fin-clipped coho, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and adult fall chinook. In the Buoy 10 fishery, the minimum size limit is 16 inches for coho, 20 inches for steelhead, and 24 inches for chinook.
· The Columbia River upstream from Tongue Point to the Oregon-Washington border also opens Aug. 1 for fall chinook, adipose fin-clipped coho, and adipose fin-clipped steelhead through Dec. 31. Coho need not be missing their adipose fin if caught and retained upstream of Bonneville Dam.
· Legal jack salmon may be retained in the Columbia River if they are caught upstream of Tongue Point. Jack coho are 16 to 20 inches in length and jack chinook are 15 to 24 inches in length.
· Anglers fishing in the ocean off the Columbia River mouth and in the Columbia River are limited to a daily catch of two salmon and, where legal, five jack salmon.
· The sturgeon season in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and in Youngs Bay closes to retention after July 24. Catch and release sturgeon angling may continue.
###
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Anne Pressentin Young (503) 872-5264 x5356
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us (http://www.dfw.state.or.us) Fax: (503) 872-5700
For Immediate Release July 23, 2002
Fall Chinook Season to Open on Deschutes River Aug. 1
PORTLAND - Good runs of chinook salmon heading up the Deschutes River mean anglers may fish for the large salmon through Oct. 31.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday that the river will open to fall chinook angling Thusday, Aug. 1. The river is open to angling for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook through July 31.
ODFW biologists estimate that 10,600 wild fall chinook will move up the Deschutes to spawning grounds, which exceeds the spawning escapement goal of 4,000 fish. The Deschutes opened to fall chinook angling in 1998-2000, but was closed 1992-97 and 2001.
Last year's fall chinook escapement of 11,177 adults and 10,590 jacks represents a significant increase from the past several years. Jacks are immature males that migrate to freshwater. Jack numbers are closely tied to the following year's adult return. The 2001 jack run was the second largest since 1977.
The temporary rule allows angling from the mouth at the I-84 bridge upstream to Sherars Falls for chinook from Aug. 1 - Oct. 31, 2002. The daily limit is two adult chinook or adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and five jacks. In addition, anglers may retain one additional adipose fin-clipped steelhead per day through Dec. 31 as per rules adopted earlier this year. Length limits and gear restrictions remain unchanged from those listed in the 2002 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.
###
Information and Education Section
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 872-5264 ext 5528