When Area 11 closed, only about 24% of the harvest quota had been caught. it wasn't' that fishing was bad. it was because so many of the adult chinook had adipose fins or were unclipped. I fished pretty much every day when Area 11 was open and only 25% of the adult chinook I landed were fin clipped. I have a avid fisherman friend who fished Area 11 every day and the last eleven adult chinook he landed all had adipose fins.

Do the tribes keep tract of the wild/ hatchery ratio. I wonder what they will do if they see themselves going over the projected percentage of wild fish? They probably will declare that the run is larger than anticipated with a higher survival rate, and actually increase their take.

I wonder if the tribes keep track of the wild/hatchery ratio. Fishing wise, to them a fish is a fish. Fish are there to be caught. So, they are not concerned with the amount of wild fish. They are going to fish just as hard whether the wild run is strong or not. The rec fishermen are the ones who carry the burden of protecting the wild fish.

Lifter,

You are correct. As I have said before, there have been a lot of wild encounters this year (far more than normal), not too many sublegal encounters, and yet we were closed for sublegal encounters. If we were closed due to wild encounters it would be much more believable, but clearly there is something fishy going on.

Here we are now with the preponderance of chinook to arrive in the next couple of weeks, and recreational fishermen are not allowed to fish for them. This better not be the new norm. I would much rather have recs fish in August than in June, but the tribes certainly wouldn’t like that. So here we are.



Streamer

the tribes dont clip fish because of potential ESA listings...

if they get listed, they dont get to fish either, so they pump out unclipped fish out of their hatcheries, that obviously their nets kill regardless of fin or not, all while we have to release them to protect them....

till they swim into their nets...

It would be interesting to see the communication between the Tribe and the State. I believe the tribe, as a result of indiscriminate fishing, gets the lion share of the wild encounters, to ensure their 50%. Now, if the non-tribal side is being shut out of the fishery due to the number of wild encounters, the allocations will need to be corrected. If the state were to admit that they closed it down due to too many wild encounters, before the recs could get their share, they would need to redo their allocations, which would reduce the tribes numbers. Granted, it would have to be next year, but since this is two years straight, something would need to be done, but, since that can't happen ....

It should work that way. Imbalances in allocation is corrected the next year. But, if the state agrees to the plan knowing that there will be an imbalance there is noting owed; it is foregone opportunity.

I am pretty sure that the state does not push for 50:50 sharing but "opportunity". I recall back when Phil A was the agent negotiator and it was pointed out that the NI side did not get their share of steelhead in a particular river that "we got the fishery we wanted". It was never explained who "we" was or why they wanted a fishery that was planned at less than 50%.

like i said before Area 11 was closed to chinook fishing July 14 because of sublegal chinook caught. Only 24% of the harvest quota was caught. I think Area 10 will close real soon because of sublegal chinook caught. Only about 17% of the Area 10 chinook harvest quota has been caught. These closures are getting very disturbing from a rec standpoint.
There are no sublegal or wild encounter quotas in the Ocean and Straights of Juan de Fuca areas. Only harvest quotas in those areas. The Puget Sound anglers are the ones suffering the burden of these sublegal and and wild encounter quotas. Wild unclipped chinook can also be kept on the coast (in a mixed stock fishery) which is difficult to understand when the river systems on the coast (Grays Harbor for example) are closed to chinook retention (hatchery or wild). WDFW needs to make adjustments in the chinook harvest if the tribes will let them.

like i said before Area 11 was closed to chinook fishing July 14 because of sublegal chinook caught. Only 24% of the harvest quota was caught. I think Area 10 will close real soon because of sublegal chinook caught. Only about 17% of the Area 10 chinook harvest quota has been caught. These closures are getting very disturbing from a rec standpoint.
There are no sublegal or wild encounter quotas in the Ocean and Straights of Juan de Fuca areas. Only harvest quotas in those areas. The Puget Sound anglers are the ones suffering the burden of these sublegal and and wild encounter quotas. Wild unclipped chinook can also be kept on the coast (in a mixed stock fishery) which is difficult to understand when the river systems on the coast (Grays Harbor for example) are closed to chinook retention (hatchery or wild). WDFW needs to make adjustments in the chinook harvest if the tribes will let them.

Seems scientifically nonrepresenative to use encounter data to manage seasons from only one source per MA, if that. I'm not sure the number WDFW research boats that are fishing in every marine area every day. I do know that for years one WDFW research boat fished out of Edmonds in MA9 & 10. I knew the guys on board. That one boat dictating my seasons, in 2 marine areas? I don't think so. It's one piece of the puzzle. Data from creel checks at the dock are used also. The launch at Everett and around the sound are loaded with checkers, asking what I released whether fish or birds etc. Just in case that info is also utilized for in season management, I keep my trap shut at the dock on how many encounters the boat had for the day. What's in the box is what I encountered. I imagine for you boy scouts out there that's tough to do, but at least I am making an attempt to level the playing field with the co-managers, by keeping the area I'm fishing open longer. If they can be unscientific, so can I. Like I said ealier. If you provide details on how many encounters you had for the day to a checker. You get what you deserve, lost opportunity.

Minijacks were encountered. I was using 2.25 candle fish jigs dropping to bottom 135ft and drifting with the flow. Backed the boat with the kicker to provide a vertical presentation. All fish were hooked in the jaws and the barbless hook was removed below the surface.

I'm okay giving WDFW the information. The increased hatchery minijacks are an indicator of year class survival.

RnG, I know in Area 11 there is one WDFW test boat and one Puyallup tribal fishing each day it is open. The WDFW test boat fishes even on days the area is closed to rec fishing. I ma not sure about the tribal boat. I think Areas 7,8, 9 and 10 also. have test boats fishing.I think the catch data is coming from these test boats. i know when I returned to the dock the fish checkers only asked me what time I started , some asked if I fished Area 11 and then took a scale sample, length measurement and checked for a coded wire tag off any harvested fish I had. They never asked me if I released any sublegals or wild fish. The other guys I know who fish Area 11 regularly said the same thing.

One more thing. The only reason we still have chinook to argue about is the tribal harvest obligation.

One of these days the Tribe's should make the argument that the state has chosen to take its share of salmon as development, dams, logging, shift funds to homeless, etc. and claim all the harvest.

I guess I should get on my hands and knees and thank the co-managers for the 17 days last year and the 16 this year in 11 with limited/no terminal area harvest for mature fish.
A couple observations.
On the way back from 13 Wednesday, saw a WDFW test boat picking up their gear Wednesday off the cook shack. Did not see them fishing. Point being, how skewed is any data that one boat fishing the slot without 150 other boats all vying for the same troll/mooch. To me, results would be more relative fishing open days and enjoying the same crowd we all do.
I have never seen a test boat at say, Dash Point, Point Piner, Quartermaster, Redondo, etc. The catch rates in those areas vary considerably from Pt D. To apply data area wide from the only boat fishing a closed area seems a just bit suspect.
Lots of cutthroat fishing going on from a couple beaches in my area. Pink is the hot new color for cutties. No enforcement, no surveys, no checks.

What's the deal? They said they wanted to close it to give us opportunity in August, well its August and still nothing? Can't even open it for humpies and coho?

Deadly, when Area 11 closed in July WDFW said there was very little left on the sublegal quota so they probably should not have said anything about any chinook opportunity in August. Also they are worried about about the sporties catching sublegal chinook when fishing for pinks and coho. So, right now there is no word from WDFW on when coho and pinks will open in Area 11. Stay tuned.

The word from WDFW is that Area 11 will be closed all of August to ALL salmon fishing. That means if they open 11 in September , the pinks will be pretty much gone and the coho will already be here. Welcome to the new age of salmon fishing in Puget Sound. Enjoy.

You saltwater guys already have your licenses having chased Chinook. Pile pinks into the river so the freshwater guys will but licenses. Makes economic sense to sell more paper.

In the last nine months in Area 11( 12/22-9/31) Area 11 got total of sixteen days of salmon fishing. Opportunity? Thanks a lot.