ODFW News: Columbia Sturgeon Regs

[Pete]

For Immediate Release Friday, February 06, 2004

*Commission recommends changes to rules for gorge "oversize" sturgeon fishery

Note: Regulation must be adopted by the Columbia River Compact to become effective and may be modified within the scope of the recommendation by the CRC.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Friday said it preferred an option that would lead to an increase in the time when boat anglers are prohibited from fishing for large "oversize" white sturgeon in the Columbia River Gorge and would for the first time prohibit bank angling during the same time to decrease the handling of fish larger than five feet.

The directors of the Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife working as the Columbia River Compact will make a final decision later this spring.

Research by Oregon State University and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that about 2,000 fish of reproductive age reside in the area below Bonneville Dam. These fish exhibit stress when caught, and many have hook scars or hooks in their bodies or other evidence of being caught multiple times. However, many questions exist as to whether the oversize fishery is directly affecting the breeding population. White sturgeon do not begin reproducing until they exceed 60 inches, which takes about 20 years. They can live to be older than 100 years.

Four options are currently under consideration:
Option One: The existing 3.5 mile sturgeon fishing sanctuary between Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam May 1-July 15 would remain unchanged. Boat angling is not allowed and bank angling remains legal in the sanctuary area.
Option Two: The sturgeon fishing sanctuary area would increase by about two miles to the Marker 85 green navigation light upstream to Bonneville Dam between May 1 and July 31. Both bank and boat fishing would be prohibited. Biologists estimate this option would result in a 50 percent decrease in the number of sturgeon handled that are longer than 60 inches. Option two is recommended by the staffs of the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife departments.
Option Three: The sturgeon fishing sanctuary area would increase by four miles to Upper Skamania Island to Bonneville Dam between May 1 and July 31. Boat angling would be prohibited and bank angling could continue. Biologists estimated this option would result in 80 percent decrease in the number of sturgeon handled that are longer than 60 inches.
Option Four: Maintain the existing 3.5 mile sturgeon fishing sanctuary between Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam and increase the time period by 15 days to May 1 * July 31. Both boat and bank angling would be prohibited. Option four was developed and recommended by the Oregon Commission Friday.

The Commission also gave its support to a recommendation to limit in the future the number of hooks allowed in the fishery to one single-point barbless hook. Commissioners also recommended that anglers use non-corrosive hooks during this fishery.

A catch-and-release boat fishery targeting protected "oversize" white sturgeon first developed in 1992 from May to July in the Columbia River gorge. The fishery increased through 1995 and has since remained fairly stable. Between 2,800 and 5,300 adult sturgeon are caught and released annually during the fishery. "Oversized" sturgeon are longer than 60 inches and some weigh more than 300 pounds.

A "catch-and-keep" sturgeon fishery also exists in the Columbia River for those fish between 42 and 60 inches. The retention fishery is managed on a quota basis between the mouth upstream to McNary Dam. The retention season closes when the quota is reached. Catch and release sturgeon angling may continue when the retention season closes.

[fish_on]

I like option 4. I think there are way more oversize caught from the bank than they think. I also think there are way more 60-70" fish caught and kept from the bank than they know. I have whitnessed this called it in and never seen an officer in the area.

[Lwagg2]

put my vote in for option 2 lets take the pressure off and let them reproduce in peace and rebuild the species a little. just my thought and opinion.

[Bill Monroe]

Could be interesting...the Washington news release says that commission went with the increased closure area (and already approved that???) I'll have to chase it all down Monday for Thursday's paper.

[Larry@BigWater]

Originally posted by Bill Monroe:
Could be interesting...the Washington news release says that commission went with the increased closure area (and already approved that???) I'll have to chase it all down Monday for Thursday's paper.

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[Larry@BigWater]

We are all concerned and care about the fishery.
However, a flat closing a large area of the fishery will simply push the efforts into other areas....perhaps to more fragile populations of fish....i.e. Bonneville pool....The Dalles pool...John Day pool...where it takes up to three times as long for these fish to get to spawning size. For Catch and Keep fishing...it will simply AND immediately shift the efforts to OTHER MANAGED AREAS....to the estuary. Quotas and season duration expectations are based upon effort during "normal" seasons. Closure in one area while another remains open will surely lead to early quota fillure.

Re: Options WDFW:
One of these options includes the requirement to use non-corrosive hooks! who would want someone to have to release a fish deeply hooked with a hook that would never corrode and work it's way out. This is just an example of instituting regulation proposal without adequate thought or research.

Secondly, has the Dept identified in their studies of mortallity, which fish are natural mortalities(age/disease) vs. catch & release morts? Where can we view their study data?

Thirdly....fish handled beside a boat are much more likely to survive than one dragged shoreside.......if damage to oversize populations are of true concern, the shore fishery should be the FIRST option to consider as closure.

There has been a long standing effort to show converationists and to participate as a conversationist that catch and release is a great thing to do.

Just what impact can concerns over the catch and release fishery have on the overall general public opinion on the fishery,,,and particularily on the BUSINESS of providing guide services.
Bad publicity, is killing the guide business part of the economy. Every release affects the angling publics perspective, and when people who go fishing with a guide aren't sure whether they'll be able to fish with their guide on a particular date in a particular fishery....they dont book trips.

These people are being hurt by the (mis)management of the fishery. I feel for them.
These are my feelings, personal or othewise.

[Fshklr]

I like 3. 28,000 sport caught kept per yr throughout the system seems like some good numbers, wish it was more but will take what we can get.
However it's a terrible blow for the guides and the economy they support and their lively hood.

I'm sure some of the mortality figures must be directly linked to the numbers of poaching for roe(caviar) and the spawning carks left to rot that has incresaed drastically the past 2 yrs .

[STGRule]

The non-corrosive has to be a typo. The recommendation was non-plated hooks.

I'm sure some of the mortality figures must be directly linked to the numbers of poaching for roe(caviar) and the spawning carks left to rot that has incresaed drastically the past 2 yrs

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Actually only a couple had the belly cut open and the one I saw still had the roe in it. And they don't die after spawning so no spawning carks.

[ 02-07-2004, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[Fshklr]

Sorry on the wording Sturgrule.
My reference to spawning carks is Sturgeon that are 60" and over being a potential spawner, have been harvested illegally for roe and the carks(whole dead fish belly slit) end up shore side or washed down river. I found 3 last year myself. 1 at bonne, 2 near woodland washed up on the bank.

[STGRule]

I'm not saying it doesn't happen but be careful of assuming poaching when you see a carcass cut open. When they they do the carcass surveys they cut them open and use metal detectors to look for hooks in the intestinal track.