ODFW News: Nets to go in Tuesday

[Pete]

For Immediate Release Monday, March 01, 2004

First commercial spring chinook fishery to occur Tuesday on the Columbia River

CLACKAMAS - The states of Washington and Oregon working as the Columbia River Compact today authorized a 16-hour commercial gillnet fishery for Tuesday in the lower Columbia River for hatchery-bred spring chinook.

The fish caught by commercial boats in this fishery are prized for their flavor and will soon be found in local restaurants offering fresh local seafood and specialty markets. Spring chinook provide tremendous economic benefit to both the commercial and sport-fishing industries because of its high quality and because it is the first fresh non-farmed salmon of the season.

The commercial fishery will begin at 5 a.m. and conclude at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, from the mouth upstream to Kelley Point, which near the mouth of the Willamette River. Another 16-hour fishery may occur Thursday, March 4, depending on the results of tomorrow's fishery. A decision will be made at 1 p.m., Wednesday.

Commercial fishermen must use gillnets that have mesh openings no smaller than 9 inches and no larger than 9.75 inches to lessen the chance that steelhead will be caught in them. Nets may not be in the water longer than 45 minutes before being brought in the boat for fish removal. All fish that are not adipose fin-clipped spring chinook must be released. Boats must have a recovery box on board to revive all lethargic or bleeding wild salmon or steelhead before being returned to the water.

Fish biologists from the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife predict the total run of Columbia River spring chinook will be the second-highest since 1938, when counting began. About 500,000 wild and hatchery spring chinook are forecast to enter the Columbia River in 2004. Of the total run, 70-80 percent are marked by a missing adipose fin to designate them as "keepers." Biologists estimate a total mainstem harvest of about 50,000 hatchery-bred spring chinook, split between sport anglers and the commercial fishing industry.

Fish managers set the Columbia River spring chinook fishery based on the number of fish expected to return from the ocean and the allowable impact to wild salmon and steelhead stocks listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. "Impacts" are the unintended mortalities associated with handling and releasing wild fish. The allowed non-Indian impacts are 2 percent of the total runs of ESA-listed Snake River spring chinook, Upper Columbia River spring chinook, and Columbia Basin winter steelhead.

The total 2 percent allowable impact is split 1.2 percent to the sport fisheries and 0.8 percent to the commercial fishers for the 2004-2005 fisheries.

Sport angling will continue during the commercial fishery. Sport rules currently in effect may be found on the ODFW web site at:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/...eg_changes.htm

In addition, anglers may call 503-947-6001 or 800-720-6339 ext. 76001
to hear recorded information about the commercial fishery in the
Columbia River and the current regulations for the sport fishery.

[SKP]

[img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

SKP

[Pete]

Save your [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] for the folks that bought in to the BPA argument that it saves $77 Million and only costs 24 wild chinook at the Columbia dams by ending the summer spill program ... I'm so irritated I feel like .... I better not say. I'm very irritated!

Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, the Northwest Food Processors Association, the Public Power Council and Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities cites U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies that say the government expects to lose $77 million this year on lost power by spilling water through the dams, rather than running it through the turbines to generate electricity. The coalition claims the $77 million expense for spill only benefits the approximately 24 adult endangered fall chinook salmon who are in the system when the water passes by the generators, equaling out to $3 million per fish, said Glenn Vanselow, executive director of Pacific Northwest Waterways, a coalition member that advocates for the ports and other river users.

And we have elected officials that buy this load of fluff!!!!

[ 03-01-2004, 05:31 PM: Message edited by: Pete ]

[Stz ll]

Restaurants where? Los Angleles, New York. I have never seen Columbia River salmon in any restaurant or seafood market in the Portland area. I know the seafood distributors can get twice the price by selling it out of state.

[Blue Tip Spinner]

pete- when did they do the 2nd test run and what were the results of that?

[boater]

Originally posted by Stz ll:
Restaurants where? Los Angleles, New York. I have never seen Columbia River salmon in any restaurant or seafood market in the Portland area. I know the seafood distributors can get twice the price by selling it out of state.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">i`m sure thats part of the states new plan to help the gillnetters market the fish, ive noticed those little throw in comments in a few news releases. i have never seen anything like this, the gillnetters by law get a "viable" fishery and now the state is helping them market them

[Pete]

BTS, the test fishery was conducted on Sunday using 4 1/4 mesh nets. The previous test fishery included only 7 boats. The test fisheries will occur 2 days before scheduled fisheries unless a full fishery occurred on that day. The fishery will be conducted from 5 AM to 9 PM on 4/2, from Kelly Point to the mouth using 9 inch mesh, excluding the listed sanctuaries. Commercials are allowed to keep up to 3 sturgeon.

[dawhunt]

Hi Pete,I can't prove this because the man that told me died.He worked for a processing plant in portland and for what its worth he said that better then 90% of the spring chinook caught in the Columbia is sent back east,New York, Chicago,etc, very very few ever hit the market in Portland or Wa..I'm probabily going to catch static saying this but the person that told me had no reason to lie about it.BAN ALL GILL NETS IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER,there are other ways for them to get there fish.They have there own fishery in youngs bay and deep river and one other I can't remember the name of the other one.If they want to net let them net in the ocean or build some fish wheels or get them at the fish ladder at the dam.There's nothing we can do about the indians but we can get the nets off the river if we just join together in one VERY LARGE GROUP in both states.I don't belive they'll shut down the hatchery's if we do but heck there shutting them down anyway.I know,I know but I won't quit trying.
Bob
Bob

[boater]

Originally posted by dawhunt:
BAN ALL GILL NETS IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER

Bob

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Bill Monroe]

Most of the hatchery funding is federal money from taxpayers in new york, chicago, etc...reread Sunday's column about Steve King who recalls an Illinois congressman one year who helped restore hatchery funding at the behest of a chicago restaurateur.

Would we could get that kind of help with the BPA!

Oh, there were six boats...10 springers, 8H, 2W...16 steelhead, 8H,6W...between longview and astoria...all fish, including the salmon, were revived and released...no uprivers...they'll decide Thursday's season Wednesday, based on Tuesday's catch...no netting over the weekend...another test fish on Sunday for next Tuesday...It's in the paper tomorrow.

[ 03-01-2004, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: Bill Monroe ]

[Amahnee]

Bill:

I looked through Yesterday's sport section twice looking forward to your column with no satisfaction. Where was it? I couldn't find it and was quite disappointed. I wasted a buck fifty!

Dave

[Sturgeon Tom]

All I have to say is [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] to Pete for saying it like it is.
st

[straightweave]

Pete...received a nice "thank you" from Liz w/ regard to the letters to the reps. If we keep fighting the good fight, we will win.

tight lines.
mb

[k9jeff]