Commercial and sport fishinhg seasons for the Columbia

[David Johnson]

THIS IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL FROM NSIA I THOUGHT SOME OF YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON SEASONS. DAVID

This is a long e-mail. It outlines the initial guidelines for the Sport, Commercial and Treaty fisheries in the Columbia for this spring. These regulations impact approximately a 1/2 million angler trips between now and mid may. There are few of you who these decisions won't touch. NSIA has been extremely successful in securing the sport season for spring salmon, and I have pasted the season immediately after the future meeting notice. Followng that are the commercial and treaty fisheries. What is important to us during in-season management is that the commercial fleet is OUT OF THE RIVER several days ahead of the spring break, so families can kick off the spring chinook fishing season together. That decision will be made at the March 7th meeting.

If you cannot attend the March 7 compact meeting, you can send a quick e-mail to Guy Norman @ ODF&W, guy.norman@state.or.us (503 872 5252 x5392) OR Bill Twiet@ WDF&W, tweitwmt@dfw.wa.gov, (360 902 2723) Be sure to copy NSIA your communications. You can see that the decision about sturgeon closures was not made at this meeting. I will send separate information.

Future Compact Hearing

A Compact Hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2002, at 10:00 AM at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission room located at 2501 SW First Avenue in Portland, Oregon to update salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, smelt, and shad stock status, consider fishing seasons in the mainstem Columbia River and Select Areas, and consider miscellaneous regulations for Columbia River commercial fisheries.

Non-Indian Sport Fisheries

Mainstem Columbia River Spring Chinook Sport Fishery
" Modified the ongoing sport salmon season as follows:

Season and Area:

Days Open: January 1 - May 15, 2002 from the mouth at Buoy 10 upstream to the I-5 Bridge.
March 16-May 15, 2002 from the I-5 Bridge upstream to Bonneville Dam and from The Dalles Dam upstream to McNary Dam.
7 days per week.

Catch Restrictions: Adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon, adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and shad may be retained.
All non-adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon and steelhead must be released immediately unharmed.
Other Restrictions:
Fishery will be managed not to exceed a 1.02% impact on listed upriver spring chinook. Fishery will be closed prior to May 15 if impact limit is reached prior to May 15.
Fishery Checkpoint: A formal fishery checkpoint has been scheduled for April 23 to consider modifications to the ongoing fishery.
Additional inseason checkpoints will occur as needed to track impacts with respect to the 1.02% upriver spring chinook impact limit.

Mainstem Columbia River Sport Sturgeon Fishery
" No decision was made concerning the ongoing sport sturgeon fishery.
" A decision concerning modification of the ongoing fishery is expected by mid-February.

Columbia River Action Notice
Compact Action
Joint State Action
Oregon State Action
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife January 31, 2002
The Columbia River Compact agencies of Oregon and Washington met today to review sturgeon and smelt stock status and consider non-Indian and treaty Indian fishing options and took the following actions:

Non-Indian Fisheries

Commercial Mainstem Sturgeon Fishery
" Adopted additional fishing periods for the ongoing non-Indian commercial sturgeon season as follows:

Season: 12 noon Monday February 4 to 6 PM Tuesday February 5 (30 hours)
12 noon Monday February 11 to 6 PM Tuesday February 12 (30 hours)
12 noon Thursday February 14 to 6 PM Friday February 15 (30 hours)
Area: Zones 1 - 5.
Sanctuaries: Sandy River sanctuary in effect.
Gear: 9" minimum and 9-3/4" maximum mesh size restrictions in effect.
Allowable Sales: Adipose fin-clipped salmon and sturgeon.

Commercial Mainstem Smelt Fishery
" Adopted additional fishing periods for the ongoing commercial smelt season as follows. Changes to previously adopted regulations are in bold type.

Season: February 1 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 3 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 6 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 8 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 10 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 13 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 15 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 17 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 20 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 22 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 24 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
February 27 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 1 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)

March 3 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 6 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 8 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 10 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 13 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 15 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 17 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 20 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 22 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 24 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 27 Wednesday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 29 Friday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
March 31 Sunday 3 AM - 9 PM (18 hours)
Area: Zones 1 - 5.
Gear: Gill nets, dip nets, or trawls as per permanent regulations.
Participants: Columbia River commercial fishers with appropriate licenses and legal gear.

Spring Chinook Commercial Tangle Net Demonstration Fishery
" Adopted a non-Indian commercial salmon season as follows:

Season: 5 AM to 7 PM Monday February 25 (14 hours)
5 AM to 7 PM Wednesday February 27 (14 hours)
5 AM to 7 PM Friday March 1 (14 hours)
5 AM to 7 PM Monday March 4 (14 hours)
5 AM to 7 PM Wednesday March 6 (14 hours)
5 AM to 7 PM Friday March 8 (14 hours)
Area: Zones 1 - 5.
Sanctuaries: Grays River, Gnat Creek, Elokomin-A, Abernathy Creek, Cowlitz River, Kalama-A, Lewis-A, Washougal River, and Sandy River sanctuaries in effect.
Gear: 5½" maximum mesh size restriction. Net length not to exceed 150 fathoms.
Allowable Sales: Adipose fin-clipped salmon and sturgeon.
Participants: Columbia River commercial fishers with appropriate licenses and legal gear that attended a state-sponsored workshop concerning live captive commercial fishing techniques and possess a permit that allows participation in this fishery.
Miscellaneous
Regulations: Soak times, defined as time elapsed from when the first mesh enters the water to when the last mesh leaves the water, must not exceed 45 minutes.
Use of recovery boxes will be required on all lethargic or bleeding fish.
Each participant will be required to have 2 operable recovery boxes or one box with two chambers in place to participate in this fishery. Operable recovery boxes will require a flow of 16-20 gallons per minute to the box or each chamber.
Fishery will be managed not to exceed a 0.68% impact rate on listed upriver spring chinook or a catch of 9,700 Willamette stock hatchery spring chinook (excluding net-pen releases in Select Areas).
Washington Reporting Rule WDFW adopted a regulation requiring all Washington wholesale buyers purchasing fish from the tangle net demonstration fishery to send a report of their landings to WDFW by 10AM on the day after the purchase date via either:
a) FAX transmission to (360) 906-6776 or (360) 906-6777
b) E-mail to crfishtickets@dfw.wa.gov
c) Telephone to 1-866-791-1281
Columbia River Mainstem Shad Fisheries
1. Area 2S Fishery
" Adopted the following commercial shad fishing periods:

Season: Open 3 PM to 10 PM daily during the following weeks:

Monday May 20 to Friday May 24 (5 days)
Tuesday May 28 to Friday May 31 (4 days)
Monday June 3 to Friday June 7 (5 days)
Monday June 10 to Friday June 14 (5 days)
Monday June 17 to Friday June 21 (5 days)
Monday June 24 to Friday June 28 (5 days)

Area: True north/south line through Light #50 near Sandy River mouth upstream to boundary near Beacon Rock.

Gear: Single-wall, unslackened, floater gill net, 5-3/8" minimum and 6-1/4" maximum mesh size restrictions, 10-lb breaking strength, net may not exceed 150 fathoms in length nor 40 meshes in depth.

Allowable Sales: Only shad may be kept and sold. All salmon, walleye, and sturgeon must be immediately returned to the water and those alive must be returned to the water unharmed.

2. Camas-Washougal Reef shad Fishery.

" No fishery was adopted for 2002.

August Columbia River Commercial Sturgeon Season
" No August target sturgeon commercial fishery was adopted at this time.
" Decisions concerning this fishery are expected to be made prior to May 1, 2002.

Anchovy and Herring Bait Fishery

" No changes to permanent regulations were adopted.
" The anchovy and herring season is open year-round seaward of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, with seines of a mesh size not less than ½-inch and not over 1,400 feet in length as per permanent regulations. All other species must be released.

Tongue Point/South Channel Select Area Commercial Salmon Fishery
" All open waters are under concurrent Oregon and Washington jurisdiction.
" Adopted a commercial salmon season as follows:
Season: Open 7 PM to 5 AM (10 hours) nightly during the following weeks:
Spring Fishery
Thursday April 18 - Friday April 19
Thursday April 25 - Friday April 26
Tuesday April 30 - Wednesday May 1
Thursday May 2 - Friday May 3
Tuesday May 7 - Wednesday May 8
Thursday May 9 - Friday May 10
Tuesday May 14 - Wednesday May 15
Thursday May 16 - Friday May 17
Tuesday May 21 - Wednesday May 22
Thursday May 23 - Friday May 24
Tuesday May 28 - Wednesday May 29
Thursday May 30 - Friday May 31
Tuesday June 4 - Wednesday June 5
Thursday June 6 - Friday June 7
Tuesday June 11 - Wednesday June 12
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night)
(1night)
Area: Tongue Point Basin is open to fishing in all waters bounded by a line from the red light at Tongue Point to the flashing green light at Tongue Point to the flashing green light at the rock jetty on the northwesterly tip of Mott Island, a line from a marker at the south end of Mott Island easterly to a marker on the northwest bank on Lois Island, and a line from a marker on the southwest end of Lois Island due westerly to a marker on the opposite bank.

South Channel is open to fishing in all waters bounded by a line from a marker on John Day Point through the green buoy "7" thence to a marker on the southwest end of Lois Island upstream to an upper boundary line from a marker on Settler Point northwesterly to flashing red marker "10".
Gear: 8" maximum mesh size restriction in effect for both Tongue Point Basin and South Channel fishing areas.
Legal gear restricted to a maximum length of 250 fathoms and weight on leadline not to exceed 2 pounds on any one fathom within Tongue Point Basin.
In South Channel, nets are restricted to 100 fathoms in length with no weight restrictions on the leadline.
Fishers participating in the Tongue Point Basin fishing area may have stored on board their boats, gill nets with leadline in excess of 2 pounds per fathom.
Allowable Sales: Salmon, sturgeon, and shad.
Miscellaneous Regulations: Special transportation permits are not required to take fish outside the fishing area. Permanent transportation rules are in effect.


Blind Slough/Knappa Slough Select Area Commercial Salmon Fisheries
" Open waters in Knappa Slough and Blind Slough up to the railroad bridge are under concurrent Oregon and Washington jurisdiction and open waters of Blind Slough above the railroad bridge are under Oregon state jurisdiction.
" Adopted commercial salmon seasons as follows:
Seasons: Open 7 PM to 7 AM (12 hours) nightly during the following weeks:
Winter Fishery
Monday February 18 - Tuesday February 19
Monday February 25 - Tuesday February 26
Monday March 4 - Tuesday March 5 (1 night)
(1 night)
(1 night) Blind Slough only
Blind Slough only
Blind Slough only
Spring Fishery
Thursday April 18 - Friday April 19 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday April 25 - Friday April 26 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday April 30 - Wednesday May 1 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday May 2 - Friday May 3 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday May 7 - Wednesday May 8 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday May 9 - Friday May 10 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday May 14 - Wednesday May 15 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday May 16 - Friday May 17 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday May 21 - Wednesday May 22 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday May 23 - Friday May 24 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday May 28 - Wednesday May 29 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday May 30 - Friday May 31 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday June 4 - Wednesday June 5 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Thursday June 6 - Friday June 7 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Tuesday June 11 - Wednesday June 12 (1 night) Blind & Knappa Slough
Area: Open waters of Blind Slough extend from markers at the mouth of Gnat Creek located approximately ½ mile upstream of the county road bridge downstream to markers at the mouth of Blind Slough.
Knappa Slough is open to fishing in all waters bounded by a line from the northerly most marker at the mouth of Blind Slough westerly to a marker on Karlson Island downstream to a north-south line defined by a marker on the eastern end of Minaker Island to markers on Karlson Island and the Oregon shore.
Gear: An 8-inch minimum mesh size restriction is in effect during the winter fishery.
An 8-inch maximum mesh size restriction is in effect during the spring fishery.
Restrict nets to maximum length of 100 fathoms with no weight restriction on leadline.
Allowable Sales: Salmon, sturgeon, and shad.
Miscellaneous Regulations: Special transportation permits are not required to take fish outside the fishing area. Permanent transportation rules are in effect.

Miscellaneous Regulations

Monofilament Net in Non-Indian Commercial Fisheries
" Permanent rules were changed to allow the use of monofilament nets in mainstem commercial fisheries, including Select Areas, effective February 18, 2002.
Leadline Restrictions for Non-Indian Fisheries
" No changes were made to the current permanent regulations that limit weight on the leadline to no more than 2 pounds per any one fathom.
Non-Indian Spring Chinook Allocation
" The Compact adopted the guiding principles, fishery management objectives, and allocation matrix that was endorsed by the Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissions in December.
Winter Sturgeon Guidelines in John Day Pool
" The Compact adopted new sturgeon catch guidelines for the John Day Pool.
" The new catch guidelines are 335 white sturgeon for treaty Indian fisheries and 165 white sturgeon for sport fisheries.
Treaty Indian Fisheries

Mainstem Winter Commercial Fishery
Season: Noon Friday February 1 to 4 PM Thursday March 21

Area: All of Zone 6

Sanctuaries: Standard river mouth and dam sanctuaries in effect except for the Spring Creek sanctuary.

Gear: No mesh size restrictions.

Allowable Sales: Salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, shad, walleye, and carp.

Miscellaneous Rules: 48" minimum and 60" maximum size limits for sturgeon.

In joint Oregon and Washington state action after the Compact adjourned; the states discussed the following mainstem Columbia sport fisheries.

The state of Oregon took the following actions:

Non-Indian Commercial Fisheries
Youngs Bay Select Area Commercial Salmon Fisheries
" An Oregon license is required to participate in this fishery.
" Adopted a commercial salmon season as follows:
" All waters in this fishing area are Oregon State waters and require Oregon State action.
Winter Season: Noon Wednesday February 20 - 6 pm Friday February 22 (2 days)
Noon Wednesday February 27 - 6 pm Friday March 1 (2 days)
Noon Wednesday March 6 - 6 pm Friday March 8 (2 days)

Spring Season: Noon Wednesday April 17 - 6 pm Friday April 19 (2 days)
Noon Wednesday April 24 - 6 pm Friday April 26 (2 days)
Noon Tuesday April 30 - 6 pm Friday May 3 (3 days)
Noon Monday May 6 - 6 pm Friday May 10 (4 days)
Noon Monday May 13 - 6 pm Friday May 17 (4 days)
Noon Monday May 20 - 6 pm Friday May 24 (4 days)
Noon Monday May 27 - 6 pm Friday May 31 (4 days)
Noon Monday June 3 - 6 pm Friday June 7 (4 days)
Noon Monday June 10 - 6 pm Thursday June 13 (3 days)

Summer Season Noon Wednesday June 19 - 6 pm Friday June 21 (2 days)
Noon Wednesday June 26- 6 pm Friday June 28 (2 days)
Noon Wednesday July 3- 6 pm Thursday July 4 (1 day)
Noon Wednesday July 10- 6 pm Thursday July 11 (1 day)
Noon Wednesday July 17- 6 pm Thursday July 18 (1 day)
Noon Wednesday July 24- 6 pm Thursday July 25 (1 day)
Noon Wednesday July 31- 6 pm Thursday August 1 (1 day)
Area: Open waters extend from the lower boundary, at the Highway 101 bridge, to the upper boundary at the confluence of the Youngs and Klaskanine rivers. Waters southerly of the alternate Highway 101 bridge at the mouth of the Lewis and Clark River are closed.
Gear: 8-inch minimum mesh size restriction is in effect during the winter season.
8-inch maximum mesh size restriction is in effect during the spring and summer seasons.
Net restricted to maximum length of 250 fathoms and weight on leadline not to exceed two pounds in any one fathom.
Allowable Sales: Salmon, sturgeon, and shad.
Miscellaneous Regulations: Special transportation permits are not required to take fish outside the fishing area. Permanent transportation rules are in effect.

Note: Joint Staff Reports, Fact Sheets, and Columbia River Action Notices are also available through the Internet at:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/...ish/Index.html

[ 02-04-2002, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: David Johnson ]