Sturgeon/Rescheduled Public meeting 1/15/04

[Fshklr]

Vancouver Wa /info, Address

[ 01-13-2004, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[Pete]

I'll be there, will you? I can't believe they plan to allocate the majority of the fishery to the below Wauna area, while the majority of sturgeon anglers are in the Cowlitz to Bonneville Rescheduled public hearing focuses on legal-size
Columbia River sport sturgeon fishery

A public hearing on the 2004 sport season for legal-size Columbia River sturgeon has been rescheduled to Jan. 15, after an earlier scheduled hearing was cancelled due to recent inclement weather.

The hearing, hosted by the Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife, will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Southwest Washington regional office at 2108 Grand Boulevard in Vancouver.area.

[slabhunter]

TTT

[Pete]

Here's my notes on today's decision ... this isn't gospel, only my notes. Watch for a press release very soon.

The Sturgeon fishery will be split at the Wauna power lines.

Above Wauna (to the east):
Allow retention of sturgeon three days per week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) from February 1 to July 31 and October 1 to December 31, 2004.

Below Wauna:
Allow retention of sturgeon seven days per week from January 1 to April 30. Season re-opens May 15 to July 23.
Starting April 1, Washington goes to a 5 fish annual retention limit.
Keeper size below Wauna changes to 45-60 inches as of the re-opener date.

[fish_on]

Originally posted by Pete:

Above Wauna (to the east):
Allow retention of sturgeon three days per week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) from February 1 to July 31 and October 1 to December 31, 2004.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Once again we get screwed, I wonder why they don't want people with weekday jobs fishing sturgeon on Sunday? Was there any mention of how the allocation would be split? From the looks of the fish days I would guess 70% or more is going to the estuary. Did they mention oversize fishing?

[slabhunter]

The Commissions' guidance was 60%downstream 40%upstream.