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For Immediate Release May 1, 2001
New Rule Allows Anglers to Harvest More Hatchery Salmon
PORTLAND - Anglers with a lucky touch and an itch to take home additional salmon and steelhead in 2001 got the go ahead today. Starting May 3, they can purchase multiple harvest tags in a year.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Lindsay Ball signed a temporary rule Tuesday that allows anglers to buy a "hatchery harvest tag" for $12 and retain 10 additional hatchery salmon or hatchery steelhead per tag. There is no limit on the number of tags purchased in a year. All bag limits and other angling rules remain unchanged. Anglers must bring a current angling license and a combined harvest tag with them in order to buy the hatchery tag. They must also have their license and all tags with them (filled or not) when angling for salmon or steelhead.
"This is a great deal for anglers in a year when we have stellar returns. It allows the serious angler to go out and catch the fish that we raised for them," said Steve Williams of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
The rule was adopted to implement House Bill 2601, recently adopted by the Oregon State Legislature and signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber. The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association was instrumental in gathering support for the increased fishing opportunity. The bill directed ODFW to create a system to allow anglers to purchase additional tags to specifically target hatchery born fish.
Hatchery fish can be identified because they lack the small fleshy adipose fin near the tail. It is clipped off at the hatchery before the fish is released as a juvenile.
The rule change allows anglers to take advantage of abundant returns of spring chinook, coho in the ocean and destined for the Columbia River system this fall, and summer and winter steelhead returning to many rivers this year. For example, more than 1 million hatchery coho are predicted to return to the Columbia River system, which prompted ODFW to increase the daily bag limit to three coho at the mouth at Buoy 10 starting Aug. 16.
Before this week, resident and non-resident anglers could purchase one combined harvest tag for $16.50 that allowed them to retain 20 salmon or steelhead, 10 sturgeon and six halibut per year.
Anglers may purchase a hatchery harvest tag before filling their combined harvest tag. The new tags will be available starting Thursday at Oregon Fish and Wildlife offices in Bend, Central Point, Charleston, Clackamas, Corvallis, Hines, La Grande, Newport, Ontario, Roseburg, Salem, Sauvie Island, Springfield, The Dalles and Tillamook. Point of Sale license agents choosing to sell the new tags may start as early as Friday.
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