The following was posted on the WDFW/NOF mailbag page. Do you agree?

I'm happy that public input is now really part of the North of Falcon (NOF) process. I generally can't make the public meetings but do have some different ideas that I feel are worth consideration. I've sport fished in Puget Sound for over 20 years now. I've seen the declines in stocks, the cod, salmon, sea-run cutts and rockfish, the reduction in average size of salmon, the loss of some runs, the loss of opportunity to fish for others. In all of this time, the NOF and the WDFW have managed these stocks and opportunities with a perspective that I would like to see changed. That perspective is always the same year to year. It's obviously getting harder each year to make the tough choices about who gets to fish, and where, and for how long, and for what species because we are always using the same perspective and that is the perspective on HARVEST!

As an avid sport fisherman in Washington, I would gladly trade any of my allowable harvest for opportunity to catch and release in areas that once were choked with big beautiful fish but are now closed to sport harvest, but not tribal harvest during the best times. For example Sekiu. I used to plan for weeks in advance to go there during the June and July runs, man what a great time that used to be. We've had several years of block closures during the summer now, and the town is nearly dead, only surviving because of the diving. Yes, I know that we get to do some blackmouth fishing during the spring but then it closes in April. Some of the best fishing in Sekiu can be in April and May, bigger blackmouth and early summer run kings.

My Area 4 & 5 proposal is to allow catch and release (C&R) during a longer sport season including the best/peak periods for an area and count the accepted mortality rate of C&R against the sport harvest quota for the area. If that means that we can't harvest any fish, not a problem, no big deal. I just want to fish! I'm totally in favor of zero harvest in most areas of the state, especially the rivers! Enhanced C&R opportunities are a future we can all live with. Opportunity enhancement can be an economic boom for the state. Remember the salmon charter business in the 70's? Harvest allocation will bankrupt everyone eventually and the salmon will be GONE!!!. FOREVER!!!

In the South Sound areas 10 and 11, my proposal is for an 8 month catch and release season from October to May, and a 4 month sport harvest season from June to September with a 1 punch card season limit and a 1 one fish per week limit during the harvest season. This approach conserves fish by reducing peak run harvest and limiting anglers to a 1 punch card season bag limit. This approach can reduce the harvest during the peak of the run by limiting harvest to 1 fish per week per angler. This approach allows for increased opportunity to fish, creating economic opportunities. This run may enhance future stocks by closing harvest of smaller/juvenile fish for 8 months of the year while still allowing for sport fishing C&R opportunity on those same stocks. Exactly where do the 3 million hatchery blackmouth we release each year go? Many are harvested at the 22" mark. I would rather harvest that same fish at the 22 lb. mark! We can let the blackmouth grow and still have C&R during the winter months with minimal C&R mortality impact.

Embark in a new direction this year. Manage the resource wisely, in a way that allows for the survival of stocks and gets the greatest economic return from the resource at the same time. Conservation, sport season bag limits, sport weekly bag limits much smaller than current limits, enhanced sport C&R are all ideas that will help to in the effort manage wisely if given a chance. I know that the commercial interests will be allocated opportunity and it's all about harvest. Real sport fishermen are tired of harvest allocation. Give us opportunity, C&R opportunity, PLEASE!!!

C-n-R is better than not fishin @ all.That would work for me but would need more enforcement for the others that need to harvest every time out.BAN ALL NETS.Good luck
STRIKE ZONE

I agree! I think they should sell a catch and release liscense. The holder gets longer seasons at peak times, with no take. I'd pay way more for that, then what we have now.

the only thing that sucks about a total c&r season is the idiots that will throw one up under the bow----------have witnessed the slaughter on ling 3 weeks before season opens and have called in boat #s but have no idea of what came upon of the reports---seen the same boats out on the fields the next weekend----------for this point yes would be nice to get a licence to fish and release but there are not enough f&g peaple to enforce during the season

Hey Seacat,
Haven't seen ya post in a while. Read this a few days ago and can't quite see all the logic in it. Understand why the author likes C&R in 4 & 5, but with more and more hatchery fish being clipped why the total C&R, why not just a hatchery only target fishery?? As for the rest of the proposal, why not add area 6 to 4 & 5, all of the fish have to pass through there to. What about areas 7, 8 and 9?? That is where the majority of the endangered runs are now. I do not know much about 10, but can't see the logic in a 1 fish per week retention rate in 11. The vast majority of the fish that go through 11 are headed for hatcheries in 13 anyway. Why put a limit on hatchery fish??
In my mind the way to go is to continue with the marking of all hatchery fish and manage the seasons using retention of these hatchery fish and C&R on the wild fish. I enjoy fishing to include C&R of wild fish, but sure do like to put fresh filets on the table too!!! Can't say that I agree with anything in the proposal except C&R of wild fish. One positive to the closures of the salt for a few months during the winter is it seems like the blackmouth fishing has been better than it has for a few years. Went to Elliot Bay a few weeks ago and picked up a couple of nice fin-clipped keepers.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

------------------
"Never be afraid to try something new."

Remember, amateurs built the ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.

[This message has been edited by salmonhead (edited 03-27-2001).]

I am in full support of C&R opportunities being a higher priority than they are. A catch-and-release license sounds like a great deal to me, send me mine right now and I'll hit the Sky this weekend! For the record, I agree, especially with the emphasis on C&R in rivers!

Strike zone,
Remember that C&R fishermen can be excellent enforcers of C&R regulations. The poachers who are a real problem are those who can sneak down to where no one will see them, where a warden is unlikely to nab them. For example, in my opinion, the loss of the C&R season in the Puget Sound rivers will actually hurt steelhead more than it helps them, precisely because these cunning poachers won't have C&R fishermen to watch for. This is of course a theory, but I believe there is logic behind it. I've heard it spread around before.

Thanks to all that replied. My apologies for not responding sooner...

My comment about C&R poachers appies to C&K too. Without proper inforcement and more WDFW ramp checks, how do we really know if someone is poaching now? The answer is, we don't. IMO, the current 'honor system' doesn't accurately reflect the number of fish being taken out of the sysytem. Does everyone punch their fish on the catch record cards? Most probably do, but certainly not all. Do some people exceed their daily limit when the fishing is really hot? Some probably do, but certainly not all. Does the WDFW take this into account when determing run-size forcasts and sport impact? Probably, but how accurate are they?
So the way I see it, C&R or C&K, the enforcement problem stays the same.

If ramp checks, or on the water checks were practically guaranteed through increased staffing, I think that the poaching would dwindle and a more accurate count of fish actually being taken would be possible. I realize that this isn't going to be possible to do everywhere in the state, but I agree that the state can still do more.

Hi Jeffhead, formerly know as salmonhead! Well, as I am the author of the NOF post I can comment on what the author was thinking.


When I wrote to NOF, I really wasn't making a distinction between hatchery and wild, because I don't think that they are getting the real message. See the last paragraph of this reply...

I totally agree that we should be taking full advantage of hatchery origin fish, but here's my questions. If we reduce the impact of harvest during the peak of the run, and in the end exceed escapement goals, is this not a good thing? Can't these stocks be used to replenish extinct runs? Do we know for sure that these excess fish won't spawn naturally in the rivers and increase the size of future runs? And how many 25 pounders do you eat in a week anyway? I know that I can live with punching 1 a week, as long as I can continue to have the bigger thrill of C&R. If you still want to keep the smaller blackmouth too, whatever. I'm looking at it from a point of view that I want to catch bigger fish, so if we let 'em grow in the winter instead of taking them home when they are 22", we can catch 'em later in the summer when they have graduated from the barely legal size to the 10-20 pound size. As for the other areas you mention that I didn't, I can only comment on the areas that I consider myself to be knowledgable of.

Why don't they get it? Take a look at the proposed season for Sekiu this year. I know it's not final, but it's probably pretty close to what they will approve. They have proposed opening that area on July 16th until 2000 Chinook, WILD or HATCHERY are taken. How long is that? 2 weeks? The problem I have with this is why not have a longer season by making it a C&R opportunity for the wild fish. You see, I think that they still want to manage with a "Harvest" mentality and THEY aren't making a distiction between wild and hatchery. To me and you, C&R on wild fish is so friggin' obvious and simple, but these guys still don't get it! So if they can't make a distinction, then at least C&R 'em all so we can fish that area longer.

P.S. Jeffhead - I've scratched a couple of small blackmouth this year in 2 tries. Nothing too spectacular though. Heading for Kelso this weekend. What about you?

[ 04-04-2001: Message edited by: seacat69 ]

Hi there SC,
If things work out right I'll be back down at Cathlamet on Saturday. Hopefully this week we'll get the hooks on the Kwikfish to stick (3 takedowns without a hookup) and get one with a missing fin. Not complaining though, the nate I caught last Saturday was full of spunk and a blast to play (hooked on a cutplug). It took off like a rocket when we unpinned it!!! Which day are you headed down there??
As for the Sekiu season if there is not enough clipped fish around to make it worth while to have C&R on wild and C&K on clipped than wait another year or so til' there is enough clipped fish. I am in total agreement on C&R of wild fish!!! I guess my view on the blackmouth is that we pay to have an opportunity to fish for these and yes I do enjoy fresh salmon in the middle of the winter. I guess my question would be if we did have a C&R on B'mouth for 8 months, would we target those during the summer anyway??? With a 1 fish per day limit and returning kings staying suspended when they move, most people would not target the bottom hugging B'mouths or would not know to fish at those depths for them.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Jeffhead,

I'm planning on a Saturday trip. Maybe we can hookup down there...

>>As for the Sekiu season if there is not enough clipped fish around to make it worth while to have C&R on wild and C&K on clipped than wait another year or so til' there is enough clipped fish. I am in total agreement on C&R of wild fish!!!<<

I think there probably ARE enough clipped to have both wild C&R and clipped C&K. I don't understand why they want to let us keep up to a 2000 WILD/clipped mix exactly!

As for waiting another year, well what's another year when it's been how many now? 6 or 7 years of summer closures for Kings? I CAN live with it, but I don't want to.