NEWS RELEASE
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091
Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

3406 Cherry Ave NE, Salem, Oregon 97303

Internet address: http://www.dfw.state.or.us


January 30, 2004



Contact: WDFW: Cindy Le Fleur, (360) 906-6706

or Margaret Ainscough (360) 902-2408



ODFW: Steve Williams, (503) 947-6209

or Anne Pressentin, (503) 947-6020


Allocation set for Columbia River
spring chinook fisheries



Following the direction of the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissions, the directors of the states� fish and wildlife departments today announced that sport anglers in the Columbia River spring chinook fishery will be allowed 60 percent of the incidental impacts to upriver fish listed under the Endangered Species Act and commercial fishers will get 40 percent.



In reaching their decision, the officials noted that fisheries managers are to approach season planning with these percentages as hard targets. Both states directed the sport and commercial fisheries to be closely held to the agreed-upon percentage allocation. However, as in any fishery, a minimal amount of flexibility will be allowed to respond to unanticipated changes in run timing, river conditions or other factors, the commissions agreed.



�These fisheries are set very conservatively to protect wild fish�while allowing harvest opportunity for healthy, hatchery stocks,� said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Jeff Koenings, Ph.D. �As always, conservation is paramount in conducting sustainable fisheries.�



The allocation figures will be used to set fishing seasons for what is expected to be the second-largest spring chinook run on record. Those seasons will be determined Thursday, Feb. 5, in a Columbia River Compact meeting in Oregon City, Ore.



In addition to setting the upriver-impact allocation, the directors reiterated the importance of avoiding conflicts between recreational and commercial fishers when setting seasons. The directors agreed pre-season planners need to emphasize commercial fishing opportunities earlier in February and March to avoid gear conflicts, as much as possible, with anglers during recreational seasons in April.



The allocation figures reflect how the allowable impact on wild fish is shared between non-tribal sport and commercial fishers. Although all fishers target hatchery-produced chinook, some wild fish are inadvertently caught and die from handling stress. Upper Columbia and Snake River wild spring chinook are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and the allowable �impact� on wild fish is limited to 2 percent of the wild run in non-tribal fisheries.



Koenings and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Director Lindsay Ball stressed that pre-season planning for the spring chinook fisheries also should be based on a federally-established limit of 2 percent incidental impact to wild steelhead. This figure reflects incidental catches of wild steelhead that occur as the steelhead co-mingle with spring chinook during a portion of the fishing season.



Koenings and Ball credited past efforts to develop selective fisheries for the opportunities that await anglers this season. Noting that avoiding impacts on wild steelhead will be emphasized in setting upcoming fishing seasons, the directors called on commercial spring chinook fishers to step up efforts to avoid handling wild steelhead.



�The commercial fishery has come a long way in becoming selective, but we want to continue to work with the industry to be creative in finding ways to avoid handling steelhead,� Koenings said. �In doing so, we are creating the stable, sustainable fishery so necessary to develop high-value harvests.�



This year�s total run of Columbia River spring chinook is predicted to be the second-highest on record since counting began in 1938 at Bonneville Dam. More than 497,000 wild and hatchery spring chinook are forecast to enter the Columbia River this year.



Koenings also credited federal funding for Columbia River hatchery operations as an important factor in providing overall fishing opportunity, but noted the federal Mitchell Act funding that mitigates negative effects of the hydropower system is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

# # #

Dave,

Do you consider this a win for the sports fisherman? If my memory serves me correct I thought the original proposal was for a 50/50 split. It's hard to believe there is still commercial netting going on when you look at many of the depressed and endangered runs and also how much more the sport fishing contributes to the economy. When will the states of Washington and Oregon wake up and pull their heads out. If I ever win the lottery I will be sponsoring a bill to get rid of the nets all together.

Don't get too excited about 60 - 40. It'll be the same as last year when the commercial boys over shot their allocation by a mile. Those nets can't tell the difference between fish with an adi fin from them that don't.

WDFW and ODFW were shamed into this arrangement. Cindy has been reassinged and Steve is retiring early over their intial plan to allow commercials 3 times the mortality take on wild fish and ESA listed fish. Their plan sought to ask NMFS for the exemption to allow a 7% mortality instead of the 2% normally allowed.. Most WDFW and ODFW personnel were blind sided by the proposal Cindy and Steve tried to force through. Director Koenings had his name on the letter asking for the triple kill ....He was pissed as were people on the commission and in ODFW...Oregon had already gone against preliminary plans and caved to the plan to give commercial the lion;s share of the fish but the public outcry was tremendous...so here we are with what we deserve after all...

Remember that the tribes mortality level is 13% or more than 6 times what the rest of us get away with....They get that ridiculous kill rate on wild and ESA listed salmon and steelhead because they threaten to sue over the dams if they don't get their way....So we cave in again.

Bottom line is that the commercials can still overharvest like last year and shut the sports season down but if they do the uproar would be unbelieveable...We'll see what happens...At the end of the day the tribes will get their 50% along with mass amounts of wild steelhead and we may get a month long season or we might get shut down in a week.

The good part is that the people who tried to pull a fast one and tip the scales towards their commercial cronies will be punished. ....for a change.

The silver lining in all this is what can be accomplished if we sporties get good & pissed!

I think (hope) that they finally woke the sleeping bear. Now if can just keep it awake..............................

POS Clerk,

That dosent supprise me a bit. If WDFW can co-manage with he tribes and still try and keep a straight face I have no faith in them whatsoever. In fact I expect them to be just as currupt as the tribes. Birds of a feather flock together.

POS Clerk.....I think we are doing something about this..had we not done something I think we would no way be seeing the decisons we now see concerning allocations. What this amounts to on both sides of the Columbia is a fish grab on behalf of commercial interests with total disregard for the ongoing and successful efforts to protect ESA listed salmon and steelhead. WDFW director Koenings was made to look foolish and, in fact, reckless. ODFW was equally guilty. The fact that both departments had factions in charge of the Columbia fisheries willing to try to sneak something so egregious ( conspicuously bad) through with little or no notice to staff is more than enough justification for Cindy LeFleur to be reassigned out of fisheries to hydro and Steve King to take early retirement. There are probably others who should go to the woodshed but suffice it to say both ODFW and WDFW have mass egg on their red faces and the sports fishing community needs to dig a little deeper to root out the rest of the irresponsible fisheries managers who are willing to jeopardize our fragile fisheries to provide a windfall for commercial netters who, in my opinion, have no business on the Columbia River or any other body of water anywhere near the migration path of wild and endangered or threatened salmon or steelhead.

This whole affair has been a big slap in the face to all the groups who have been working so hard on habitat and conservation projects to save the very fish WDFW and ODFW were so willing to sacrifice by the thousands for their commercial buddies. We're watching closely now so I hope these people rethink who they really work for.

Thanks AuntyM.....

Right on Grandpa and Aunty M!!!!!!!

AAAWWWW Shucks Ed....

Great work guys. keep up the fight!!

I wrote to everyone I could a while back and just received this in my email this morning. This is from State Rep Ruth Kagi. She makes no bones about who's shoulder's this is to fall on ultimately. Please note the Feb 5th date!!!!

Dear ,

Thank you for your email. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me.

As you may know, The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has determined that, in the 2004 and 2005 Columbia River spring Chinook fisheries, sport anglers should be granted 60 percent of the allowable impacts to wild fish, and commercial fishers should get 40 percent, with in-season flexibility of up to 5 percent.

The commission delegated authority to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Jeff Koenings to work with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on a joint agreement between the states. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission recently ruled that sport fishers should have 50-to-60 percent of the allowable impacts to wild fish, and commercial fishers 40-to-50 percent.

The final allocation decision will be announced in a Feb. 5 meeting of Washington and Oregon fish managers, known as the Columbia River Compact, after the directors from both agencies have reached an allocation agreement.


I understand that this isn't the 70% you would like to see, but it is better than the 45-50% proposed earlier.

Biologists expect 360,700 upriver-origin spring Chinook, including both hatchery and wild fish, to enter the Columbia River this year. This year's run is expected to be the second-largest on record since construction of Bonneville Dam in the late 1930s. Another 26,900 fish are predicted to return to the Cowlitz, Kalama and Lewis rivers.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional comments or concerns. I value the input I receive and hope that you will continue to share your thoughts with me.

Best Regards,

Ruth

Very educational thread...

Do we know yet when the sport springer season will open on the CR? April 1st?

Iam pretty sure it is open right now Slab. The leading edge of fish are trickling in with a few caught in January. No need to wait until April!

Ramon....In the latest press releases made jointly on behalf of Directors Koenings and Ball there is strong reference to adhering to the 2% benchmark. They took so much heat for the letters asking for 7% or triple the kill of ESA fish that I think they would be crazy to go back to the table and ask for that again. Especially in light of statements being made lately they would look not just hypocritical but downright criminal in so doing.

I would like to see the exact text of the biological justification for a threefold increase in motality. But then again I would like to see the same biological justification for the mortality rates sanctioned for the tribes. The tribes are at something over 13% or almost 7 TIMES the sensible level set as the current benchmark.

Ramon..Your efforts in this area are appreciated. I am sure that you and your organization are not pleased to see such a reckless policy as increased kills of ESA fish when so many people are working so hard to improve conditions for these fish. So many billions of dollars are being spent to save the same fish that would be lost to higher allowed mortality. For What? For an increased commercial harvest? So a tiny minority of commercial harvesters can enrich themselves? You tell me what sense any of this makes.

Gramps,

The tribes are entitled to 50% of the harvest regardless of their impact on wild fish. If they chose to release the wild ones their impact would be around 2% or equal to that part of the wild catch that would have died if they had been released. They get their half but choose not to realease the wild ones thus the higher impact.

I think that it is important to notice that the press release appears to hold the commercials to 2% of the ESA steelhead allotment. This precludes tangle nets, as they will exceed that in one drift using steelhead size gillnet, which is all a tangle net is. If they don't use tangle nets, like last year, they are going to have to be watched very closely or they are going to catch OUR share of the 60% of the 2% of the wild springers like they did last year. Impress upon the Director and the Commission to have the fish management folks watch this like a hawk - mistakes like last year are inexcusable. The bright side is that there is NO WAY that they can approach 40% of the total catch before getting 40% or more of the 2%. We will get the lions share. I will for sure get mine.

Ramon, an ESA lawsuit would be very appropriate if 2% catch of wild steelhead is exceeded. And you are dead on - the important work is ahead if WDFW really attempts to justify upping the ESA allotment to 7% to accomodate a troglodite gillnet fishery that should have gone away years ago. NOAA needs to hear from all of us and will from me.