Originally Posted By: eyeFISH

The first priority is ESA, and CR upriver spring chinook are managed with a fixed exploitaion rate (impact) of no more than 15%.

The next priority is the treaty obligation.... 50:50.


Folks trying to actually understand CR springer harvest management, should read over and over what EyeFish has written.

One point I will add about catch balancing is this - That 50/50 catch balance requirement, which stems from US-v-Oregon, applies ONLY TO SPRINGERS HEADED ABOVE BONNEVILLE. Got it?

Springers bound for below Bonny trib fisheries, the Willamette system and the lower river SAFE areas are NOT INCLUDED in the catch balancing agreement.

So how many spring chinook are we fighting the gillnetters for?

According to ODFW for 2009, the gillnetters took:

Mainstem Columbia 4150 springers for 53,541 pounds
SAFE areas 4175 54,901 pounds

IF you attributed the highest possible price to those 4150 mainstem fish, $8/Lb., the total ex-vessel value is a meager $428,000.

All this over a half-million dollars.


Edited by OntheColumbia (03/02/10 05:21 PM)
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