NOAA Fisheries Announces Inseason Actions in the
2017 Commercial Salmon Fishery



NOAA Fisheries has taken the following inseason action that affects the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries north of Cape Falcon:

Effective August 10th there is a quota transfer of 2,600 coho from the north of Falcon commercial fishery to the recreational fishery in the Westport subarea. The adjusted coho quota for the Westport subarea is 18,140. The adjusted coho quota in the north of Falcon commercial fishery is 3,000.



All other restrictions and regulations remain in effect as announced for 2017 ocean salmon fisheries and as modified by inseason actions announced on the NOAA Fisheries hotlines.

Complete regulations are posted on the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Website.
For more information, please call: 206-526-4323.

These inseason actions are announced on the salmon hotline and via USCG broadcast.
Ocean Salmon Hotline:
1-800-662-9825
or
206-526-6667

At the rate WP is burning coho, the extra 2600 will be lucky to feed ONE weekend... no way the season will last thru Labor Day without some sort of in-season restriction on the coho bag.

Possibly?

But more likely a reflection of FEW chinook... much less than forecast.

When folks can't tag out with kings, the 2 fish bag gets filled with coho. That eats the original coho quota a whole lot faster than usual.

As of this past Sunday the coho quota was 60% consumed. The king guideline, less than 25% consumed... even with the enticement of a 2 king bag.

Yup. Kings aren't there, and charters want to send as many people home with limits as possible. Much like the enhanced Chinook bag, this is likely to end up looking like lip service, after the coho prove to be in similarly sad shape.

This is how bad years always seem to go. Rather than acknowledge the reality that poor catch rates are in indicator of poor returns, WDFW sees an opportunity to entice more anglers to waste time and money chasing a higher limit of fish that don't exist. It's as if their work performance is measured on their ability to make the forecast number of fish end up dead.

If enhanced ocean fisheries don't meet quotas, the next move will be to add a few non-tribal commercial days to the schedule, guessing that maybe, just maybe, those net days will complete the planned catch. After the majority f the commercial season is over, and the fish still aren't showing, they'll declare overfishing and close the rivers.

Hope I'm wrong, BTW.

I was told today that Westport I shutting down on the 21st

I believe that WDFW pushes as hard as it does in the ocean to ensure that they don't have to deal with the inside tribal fisheries. The gist of How v. Baldridge was that catch had to be shared. The tribes get to match what the state has allowed to be taken. If fish were "left on the table" there would a call to reduce tribal fisheries because "the run isn't there".

So, catch is front loaded so later fisheries can occur. If the tribal catch is poor, then it is "obvious" the run is in trouble so we close the in-river guys.

Escapement? Who cares, the fisheries occurred.

Uncle Phil is chartering again, fyi...

Ah, the backstory

I don't think that has much to do with it. It's strictly a numbers game at this point. Once the quota is consumed.... fishery closes.

Seems there is no overwhelming support to reduce bag to slow the quota consumption.

It will close after this weekend.

Ilwaco (MA 1) likely to follow suit soon.

Ocean salmon at Westport and Ilwaco closes after Tuesday... only 5 fishing days left to go!

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2025

OK, ok......So let's assume that its the 8/23/2017, charter boats are "booked" for salmon fishermen......do the paid customers get there $$$$$ back ???????

OR do the Charter offices try to convince the paid customers to fish for bottom fish?????? Is there a penalty for charter boats that continue to fish in their normal ways, but release all salmon??????

Just asking......

2 years ago, the Chehalis and the Wynoochee were completely shut down, and the Humptulips and the Satsop were only open "up river". The complete closing of the Chehalis and the Wynoochee had legal fish that could have caught.....summer run steelhead on the Wynoochee and Chum in the Chehalis.....

Maybe its time, when there is a closing, that it be a full closing, shut it down!!!!!!!

Its the damdest thing. A prediction is made and the season starts. Fishermen catch a lot of fish. Why? Because there are a lot fish is the most likely reason. WDFW worried but wont update their numbers with this very good emphirical data. Scenario #2. Season starts. Fishermen not catching a thing. WDFW content. Lets the season run its full length. See where I am going here? If the propagation of the resource is what matters here, they worry when they should not worry, and do not worry when they should.

There is a third scenario. Forecast made, season set based on it, and catch rates are slow. Rather than updating WDFW increases the bag limit. It is fishing to a number. That number must die.

Unless, of course, you fish in a river in which case you get closed for conservation.

So, how many chinook were involved in the trade?

as a puget sound fisherman, I had to ditch facebook because i got tired of all the kids and coho memories reminding me of what we used to have 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 years ago... Thanks WDFW...

cant wait for the day when my kids and coho picks are of redfish, snook and tarpon