Make sure salmon, crab are legal

[Jennie@ifish]

Make sure salmon, crab are legal



NEWPORT – After numerous incidents of illegally taking coho over the Labor Day weekend, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reminds anglers to make sure the only salmon they keep south of Cape Falcon are chinook.

“We took in around 25 illegal coho this weekend,” said Sgt. Bill Vanderberg of the Oregon State Police Newport office. “There are a lot of large coho out there right now and they are fooling people. It’s important that people check the gum line. If there’s any doubt whether it’s a chinook, throw it back.”

Fishing for chinook salmon remains open until Oct. 31 from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain. But fishing for coho is closed south of Cape Falcon, near Manzanita.

Usually chinook, or king salmon, are bigger than coho, or silver salmon, but that is not a reliable way to differentiate the two species. The best method is to look in the fish’s mouth at the gum line. The lower jaw of a chinook at the base of the teeth is black while on coho the lower jaw at the base of the teeth is a band of white sandwiched between a dark outer band and a dark band inside of the teeth.

More information and photos are available on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/salmonID.html or on page 14 of the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.

“People should check the Web site,” Vanderberg said. “If they have any questions they can call OSP and we will walk them through it.”

Another problem that OSP officers encountered recently were catches of undersized crab and people crabbing in the ocean, Vanderberg said.

For sport crabbers the minimum size for Dungeness crab is 5 ¾ inches measured in a straight line across the back immediately in front of, but not including, the points. For a photograph and diagram see page 96 of the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.

“People have to understand that it is not the spines that they are measuring,” Vanderberg said.

Only male Dungeness crabs are allowed to be taken. Crabbing in the ocean closed on Aug. 14 and is now only allowed in bays and estuaries. The ocean recreational Dungeness crab fishery will open again Dec. 1.



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[Elkhunter]

I wonder if anyone has a good gumline color picture of both fish they could post. I have had a few guys on my boat that thought if the tounge was black they were keepers. I would have to admit my first few times catching big Coho I had to do a double-take.

Doesn't seem like the description and pictures in the Oregon/Washington Reg's is good enought for most. Folks keeping these natives is very bad for all of us.

[fish-on]

also check for spots on the tail and large spots on the back by the dorsal thats the best way to tell if its a nooker or silver , silver dont have spots on tail or large spots on back , only nooks

[Rift123]

I'll take the camera to work next week and see if I can get a couple of pics to post. Even the commercial trollers that I check (I work for ODFW) have been having bringing in a few coho - which they're not allowed to have either. Saw a real pig of a silver yesterday that, after being dressed, went 15 pounds! If even the professional fishermen are having trouble with id at times, I can understand how many sport fishermen can have the same problem. I know that the literature we pass out is helpful, but maybe a couple of color pics would help some folks out more than those black and white diagrams. When you see them up close and side by side, its a pretty unmistakable difference. A good rule, though is "If you don't know, let it go" since there isn't a fish out there that's worth the ticket for a coho out of season. I suppose we should be thankful the coho finally did show up at all, even if it was too late for the south of Falcon fishery. It was looking pretty grim there for a while.


Geoff

[Filet of soul]

Them things are tricky,they look like chinook!
I thought they sometimes had spots on upper tail???