Here are few excerpts from ODFW documents on the status of sturgeon in the Columbia:
"The current white sturgeon population is considered to be healthy with more than 1 million fish
exceeding 2' in length. In general, indicators of sublegal <42 inches and oversize >60 inches
abundance are good at this time. Population estimates produced during 1995-1998 indicate that
the number of 42"-60" sturgeon in the population were not increasing at the rate the abundance
models predicted. These results suggest the current combined sport and commercial annual
harvest rates may be exceeding levels considered to be adequate for broodstock recruitment
needs; however, population estimates for the 1999 and 2000 tag groups need to be completed to
verify that this trend is continuing. There is evidence that the 1996 and 1997 harvestable
population estimates were negatively impacted by emigration of white sturgeon from the lower
Columbia River and tag recoveries from outside the Columbia River basin indicated that this
emigration began in 1996. Recent tag recovery data indicate that emigrated sturgeon have been
continually returning to the Columbia River since 1997."
"Sturgeon fisheries between the Columbia River mouth and Bonneville Dam during 2000-2002
are guided by a management plan signed by the ODFW and WDFW Directors in March 2000.
Major tenets of the "Joint State Agreement on Sturgeon Fishery Management" include:
! Management for optimum sustained yield of white sturgeon.
! Absent significant update, annual harvestable number is 50,000.
! Harvestable number may be adjusted if there is a significant population update resulting from
new biological information, new analytical/theoretical approach, or a substantial change in
harvest impacts outside of the Columbia system.
! Allocate white sturgeon harvestable number 20% commercial (10,000) and 80% sport
(40,000).
! Sport and commercial seasons will be modified as necessary to ensure that average catch
during the three-year period (2000-2002) does not exceed fishery specific harvestable
number."
"The Joint State Agreement on sturgeon fishery management allows for changes based on new
biological information and based on the trend in recent population updates overages from 2000
fisheries were applied to 2001 catch guidelines. Both commercial and sport fisheries exceeded
the reduced catch guidelines in effect for 2001. Overages accrued in 2000 and 2001 will be
applied to the 2002 harvest guidelines because 2002 represents the final year of the three-year
Joint State Agreement. At the December 12, 2001 hearing, the Compact considered
modifications to white sturgeon catch guidelines and adopted the following protocol for
determining white sturgeon catch guidelines for 2002.
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! Overages during 2002 and 2001 will be applied to currently adopted 2002 catch guidelines.
! Sport and commercial fisheries will be managed to less than the maximum catch guideline for
2002 as a management buffer. Reduction will be 1,500 for sport and 500 for commercial.
! Based on current catch estimates 2002 sport fisheries will be managed for a catch of 36,500
with catches not to exceed 38,500 and commercial fisheries will be managed for a catch of
9,200 with catches not to exceed 9,700.
! 2002 catch guidelines may be further modified as 2001 catches are updated."
"The most recent update indicates that the commercial fishery white sturgeon catches in
commercial fisheries during 2001 totaled 9,300, as compared to the 9,400 estimated previously,
which results in a new commercial catch guideline of 9,300 not to exceed 9,800. The 2001 sport
catch estimate has not changed and modifications to current sport fishery regulations will be
considered in August or September when catch estimates through July have been completed."
Here is the link to the ODFW document that these came from
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/...jointstaff.pdf
Given this information it is important to remember that the outcome of these meetings will effect the next 3 years of sturgeon fishing.
As of June the sport catch totaled roughly 26000 sturgeon.
Attention Sturgeon Anglers!!!!!
TheRogue
) the ones that get shafted the worst in the way it works now.
Please don't think I like just spending money I really don't have, however, I would be inclined to pay an additional 50 to 75 bucks extra a year to keep the $#@^%$ nets off the river. If anyone has the hard figures of fees and number of licenses in OR and WA, let's run them.
Linear Mode
