new gillnet rules...what do ya think ?

[boater]

NEW SECTION
WAC 220-33-070 Limited participation commercial salmon fisheries -- Columbia River. (1) When the director determines that a harvestable amount of salmon is available, but that full-fleet fishing effort has an unacceptable risk of exceeding the available harvest or compromises other specific management objectives, the director in collaboration with the Oregon department of fish and wildlife (ODFW) director, working through the Columbia River compact, may authorize a limited participation fishery in the Columbia River in order to provide additional opportunities for commercial salmon fisheries where they might not otherwise exist. Such a fishery may be authorized for experimental or developmental fisheries, fisheries necessary to refine run size data, fisheries necessary to provide biological information, or in cases where:
(a) Other specific management objectives have been stated for the species and area in question; or
(b) Full-fleet participation with time, space, or gear restrictions cannot achieve the harvest goal.
(2) Only licensed commercial salmon fishers may participate in a limited participation fishery. Fishers who wish to have their name placed on the Columbia River limited participation register must notify the department's Region 5 office, in writing, by December 1 each year for the following year's fisheries. Interested fishers must provide a message phone number at which they can be contacted and indicate the fishing zone(s) (SMCRA 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) in which they can participate.
(3) Each year the department will, from the list of interested fishers, use random selection to create a priority list by fishing zone (SMCRA 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) in the Columbia River. Once the priority lists have been created, sale or transfer of the license shall invalidate the receiver from participation in that year's limited participation fishery.
(4) When a limited participation fishery is authorized, the department will contact fishers from the priority register at least twenty-four hours prior to the opening of the fishery. When a fisher cannot be contacted after reasonable effort, the department will select the next name, until the maximum number of allowable units of gear is reached. If not reached, the fisher's name will remain at the priority position, but the fisher may not participate in that limited participation fishery. Agreement to participate, or declining to participate, will remove the fisher from the priority position, and place the name at the bottom of the priority list.
(5) Fishers may be required to take on-board observers to collect biological information during the limited participation fishery.
(6) Examples of specific management objectives include, but are not limited to:
(a) Reducing levels of incidental catch of wild salmon stocks;
(b) Reducing incidental catch of nontarget salmon species originating from regions other than the fishing area; or
(c) Specific recreational emphasis action.

[freespool]

I like the sound of 6c,we need way more of that going on.


free

[garyk]

Boater, is that a proposed rule change or an approved rule?

[Laserman]

I hate to sat it but this is bad news for our sport salmon fishing next year. This will allow the "compact members" to put gill nets back in the river a any time they feel there is a surplus of fish. This means any time during the spring, summer or fall run. I have been waiting for them to pull something like this. This way they do not have to annouce an opening untill 24 hrs before it starts. It looks like they not only will have the're "selective Fishery" in the lower Columbia, but the whole river if we have a lot of fish.
When I saw that they over estimated both the upper and lower spring chinook run for 2004 I was afraid something like this would happen.

[boater]

Originally posted by garyk:
Boater, is that a proposed rule change or an approved rule?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">it looks like the were going to aprove it at the meeting in port townsand on december 5th, here`s a link

[Pete]

Looks like it will still require Joint State approval through the Columbia River Compact ... and I would doubt that any additional fisheries could take place without the constraints of ESA impacts. The jaw tag survey done earlier this year showed a 24.8% mortality on ESA handle. A PIT tag study will be released in the next few days which will provide additional perspective on the ESA handle mortality. The story is still unfolding and the current 2004 seasons won't be set until early February. Stay tuned!

[Gun Rod Bow]

So Pete,

Just kinda curious. 1 in 4 fish handled, and released with the tooth tangle nets were shown to be killed?

Do you know what number is being used for sport caught handled and released mortality?

How was it arrived at?

Thanks in advance

[Silver Hilton]

If I understand this correctly, it seems like they are talking about the option to have a net fishery with fewer than the full fleet of boats. If that's correct, I see two impacts/effects. One, it will reduce the resistance to opening a small commerical fishery, because of two, it will allow finer grained management of the harvest. Fewer boats means a potentially smaller overrun, if any, of the ESA impacts. If, and this is a non-trivial if, the harvest is well managed, running a smaller fleet to harvest when there is a small amount of excess fish to harvest will be a good thing. For the sportsfishermen, that is. I'd hate to see the fist fight that will erupt over who it is that gets to fish those few days.

[Pete]

GRB,
The number used for sports is 10% mortality, based on several years of test fishing. I'm trying to get a copy of the report so I can provide more details. I suspect that as sports anglers, if we were to keep all fish in the water before release, use barbless hooks and use adequate gear, we might be able to reduce our impact by 50% thus extending our season and doubling our take of the huge hatchery runs expected. It's worth the effort!

[boater]

Originally posted by Silver Hilton:
If, and this is a non-trivial if, the harvest is well managed, running a smaller fleet to harvest when there is a small amount of excess fish to harvest will be a good thing. For the sportsfishermen, that is.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">i guess i dont understand why this would be good for the sportsfisherman, wont this just put more nets in the river where they wouldnt have been able to fish before ?

did you read this part,

the director in collaboration with the Oregon department of fish and wildlife (ODFW) director, working through the Columbia River compact, may authorize a limited participation fishery in the Columbia River in order to provide additional opportunities for commercial salmon fisheries where they might not otherwise exist.

[Silver Hilton]

Boater, the reason I think it might be good for the sportfishermen is that we have always gotten nailed when the commercials go over quota on their impact. If all the commericials fish one day too many, on that last day they can have a lot of impact (and the last day is always the best day, right?). If they go over the line, the overage comes out of our hide, right?

So, if, and I repeat my "IF", if the last day is managed by letting out say, half the fleet, rather than the full fleet, then the overharvest of wild fish may be less than we would have seen with the full fleet, thus fewer fish out of our quota.

The way I read this, it looks like they are looking for a way to allow a reduced commerical fishery. This is to our advantage, because it reduces the leverage that the commercials have to force a full fishery. It's the impacts from that last two or three days of a full gillnet fishery that causes our fishing to get shut down. This looks to me like it could be a tool that would allow the compact to more finely tune the commerical harvest. Finer tuning has at least the potential to help us. However, it will of course depend on how it's used.

But I'm no expert.

[dawhunt]

The best rule and the only rule there should be
is NO GILLNETTING ALLOWED IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER PERIOD !!!!
Bob

[Laserman]

I agree with what "Silver Hilton" says. This is there way to spread the commercial harvest out over a longer period of time. It will reduce there impacts by doing this, but the nets will be in the water longer.
Just for information, even though the commercial fleet has gone over their impacts, they did not go agianst the sport impacts.
I am not against commercial fishing,but I am against gillnetting. I believe in todays time there must be a better way. Unfortunately it is going to take some legaslative changes in order to make the proper changes.
We need more sportsman attending the 'Compact Meeting". If you want more info on these meetimg, E-mail me at northwesttackleresearch@comcast.net with your phone number and I will be more than happy to talk with you.

[slabhunter]

Boater, I belive this proposal was withdrawn by WDFW Staff. They were going to take more comment from the commercial fishers. This was last saturday at Port Townsend.