http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/2015-16_PS_Marine_ProposedRegulationChanges.pdf

Proposed marine rule changes are out.... thoughts?

Some noteables:

MA7 - No more Unclipped Chinook retention all of July. Should make for an interesting (or boring) derby. Also, no more releasing UM Coho in October, finally.

All marine areas - Chinook minimum size is dropping to 20" for blackmouth..... I think this is a horrible idea and recommend commenting as such. With already dwindling quotas and early closures, we should be going to 24 or 26 instead of dropping to 20". That's like a fvking 2 pound fish.

I know for a fact the tribes are pushing hard to stop the 2" size drop. Hoping for status quo.

I see that they opened up fishing in MA9 between the Hood Canal Bridge and Foulweather/Olele starting July 1st. That's great news for me. I normally run all the way out to PnP in my 15 foot Gregor but now I can target fish right in front of my house on Salsbury Point.

Or you could just use the new PnP ramp.....except it is still on hold as the Suquamish Tribe continues to object to its construction. The USACE will not issue a permit in the face of that unsupported tribal objection (that it will adversely affect the Tribe's ability to exercise its Treaty rights).

Just rec’d the following press release. Of particular interest is the link in the press release below. It will let you send comments directly to WDFW about your interest in the various fisheries. I would strongly encourage anyone with interests in the NOF process to use the opportunity to make directed comments. This is the first test of the program and there might be some hiccups, but it has great potential to generate pressure on the decision making process.



Proposed regulations can be found in the link.





From: Public Affairs (DFW)
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2015 1:33 PM
To: DFW DL WDFW Staff
Subject: Strong runs of Columbia River chinook, Puget Sound pink and coho salmon projected

NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
March 2, 2015
Contact: Ron Warren, (360) 902-2799

Strong runs of Columbia River chinook,
Puget Sound pink and coho salmon projected

OLYMPIA – Fishing prospects look promising for chinook in Washington’s ocean waters and the Columbia River, as well as for coho and pink salmon in areas of Puget Sound, according to state fisheries managers.

The forecasts – developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty Indian tribes – for chinook, coho, sockeye, chum and pink salmon were released at a public meeting in Olympia today.

The forecasts mark the starting point for developing the 2015 salmon fishing seasons. The public is encouraged to participate throughout the process by attending various meetings and by using a new online commenting tool, said Ron Warren, fisheries policy lead for WDFW.

The commenting tool, a meeting schedule, salmon forecasts and information about the salmon season-setting process are available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/.

Over the next several weeks, state and tribal co-managers will develop seasons that focus fishing opportunities on abundant hatchery and wild salmon populations, Warren said.

“Ensuring we meet our conservation objectives for depressed wild salmon stocks is the first step in establishing these fisheries,” Warren said. “That is always a challenge, but several of this year’s forecasts suggest we can provide some potentially great fisheries while meeting these goals.”

As in past years, salmon-fishing prospects in 2015 vary by area:

• Columbia River: About 900,000 fall chinook are expected to return to the Columbia River in 2015. That would be the third largest run on record since 1938, said Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator for WDFW.

Roughly 70 percent of the chinook anticipated this year – or about 626,000 salmon – is expected to be “upriver brights” headed for areas above Bonneville Dam.

The ocean abundance of Columbia River coho this year is expected to be nearly 777,000 fish, down from 964,000 in 2014.

• Washington’s ocean waters: About 255,000 hatchery chinook are expected to return this year to the lower Columbia River. Those salmon, which are known as “tules,” are the backbone of the recreational ocean chinook fishery.

The forecast for returning coho also is strong though down somewhat from last year, said Doug Milward, ocean salmon fishery manager for WDFW.

“Coho numbers are down about 20 percent from 2014, but the forecast for lower river chinook is up slightly from last year,” Milward said. “Overall, anglers can look forward to more great fishing opportunities in the ocean this summer.”

• Puget Sound: Another solid run of coho is expected to return to Puget Sound’s rivers this year. More than 891,000 coho, up 20,000 from last year, are forecast to return to Puget Sound.

Central and south Sound are anticipated to be bright spots for coho, said Ryan Lothrop, Puget Sound recreational fishery manager for WDFW.

The forecast for summer/fall chinook is down somewhat from last year with about 208,000 chinook returning, Lothrop said. Hatchery chinook make up the bulk of returning fish.

More than 6.5 million pink salmon are expected to return to the Sound this year, which is comparable to the number that returned in 2013. Most pink salmon return to Washington’s waters only in odd-numbered years.

“A large return of pink salmon provides another reason for anglers to get out on the water and, perhaps, bring someone new to the sport along with them,” Lothrop said.

Meanwhile, the forecast of 165,000 sockeye still falls short of the 350,000 minimum needed to consider a recreational sockeye fishery for Lake Washington. Fishery managers, however, will consider sockeye fisheries in Baker Lake and the Skagit River, Lothrop said.

State, tribal and federal fishery managers will meet March 7-12 in Vancouver, Wash., with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) to develop options for this year's commercial and recreational ocean chinook and coho salmon fisheries. The PFMC establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast.

Additional public meetings have been scheduled through March to discuss regional fishery issues. Input from these regional discussions will be considered as the season-setting process moves into the "North of Falcon" and PFMC meetings, which will determine the final 2015 salmon seasons.

The PFMC is expected to adopt final ocean fishing seasons and harvest levels at its April 11-16 meeting in Rohnert Park, Calif. The 2015 salmon fisheries package for Washington's inside waters will be completed by the state and tribal co-managers during the PFMC's April meeting.

Always makes me wonder.....nothing was mentioned at the March 2, 2015 meeting, in the morning, about the "commenting tool". I think this is a positive step in getting the general public to comment on their feeling and wishes, about seasons/fishing openings/catch totals/etc., without actual being in a NOF meetings.

A concern, I have, how will the "commenting tools" requests/comments be make available to the general public????????

This is the address to go to:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/

Nothing like being in a NOF meeting, when the "sparks start to fly" but I also understand that most people work and it is difficult to get to the meetings. This "commenting tool" might be right up your alley.

Boy how times change. back in the 80s, the South Sound Management Unit (Cedar/Green and south) had over a million coho itself. That is, a million for the net fishery and escapement as the sport catch was not included in that number. Now, less than 900K for the whole Sound?

CM -
As you know the Puget Sound coho abundance over time is just another illustration of the role that marine survival plays in how many fish return.

The latest return information that I have seen (based largely on coded wire tags) indicate that survivals of PS coho over the last 15 or more years is approximately 1/3 of what it was during the 1970s and early 80s. Recent ocean conditions indicate that this year's coho may experience survivals that are even below the recent average. Over all coho forecasted returns for this year are at approximately last year's levels due in large part to some very good wild smolt abundances in the key wild coho rivers.

Curt

I would also suspect that a major reason for the significant decline is a reduction in hatchery releases. Heck, Nooksack was over 200K coho and 100K Chinook; both hatchery supported.

What are they now?

I have been wondering about the status of the Aug 2012 agreement between WDFW and the Tulalips providing for WDFW to double the output of Chinook from the Wallace River hatchery (or, more accurately, return output to where it had been prior to output reductions due to budget cuts) and to provide over 2 million eggs to the Tribe plus coho production.

Article: http://nwsportsmanmag.com/headlines/state-tulalip-agreement-will-double-sky-chinook-release/

So, how is that going and when will we start seeing increased returns to be taken into consideration during NOF?

Just wondering............??

This spring will be the 3rd year of releases .They will need 3200 Chinook back yearly to perpetuate needed egg take for both Tulalip and Department hatcheries.

Getting close to exciting times.

That is good news. I have been asking various WDFW folks and not getting an answer. Plus I've been looking for individual hatchery production figures and haven't been able to locate anything for the Wallace River hatchery. Any chance you know where that data is located? Link?

They need 3,200 returning adults? If the agreement is operational then the question becomes have they been achieving that minimum number to the hatchery?

And, not to be overlooked, how will that increase in clipped fish impact the marked selective fishery in MA 9/10? Any chance of marked selective into 8-2?

Considering that the NOF process is near for PS, I have been conversing with various staff members on a range of topics so sorry I can’t direct you to a particular link that I have looked at.

Some of these salmon are being caught in the blackmouth fishery because a percentage of these salmon are staying in the typical PS blackmouth areas according to the CWT’s collected.

Due to increased plants and depending on survival rate it sounds like the intent is continued opportunity at the terminal area of the Tulalip bubble and Skykomish R. fishery.

Area 9/10 mixed fishery is determined by the weakest ESA stock. Like usual, the NOF process will determine the harvest of these Chinook in these areas.

It would be interesting to see what it would take to get an 8-2 fishery other than the bubble.

I rec'd the following note from Mike Gross, one of the Region 6 fish biologists who lives in the Port Angeles area. If you live on the NOP, we'd like to have you attend the meeting.


Subject: Heads Up - Low N. Coast Coho Forecasts

Hello all,

This is a heads-up that we are expecting a poor return of coho to the North Coast and Strait in 2015. The numbers are low enough that we'll likely need to consider ways to reduce our impacts on the wild coho stocks. The Tribes will be dealing with the issue as well. We'd appreciate hearing your ideas and preferences.

One way to share your thoughts is to attend and comment at the North of Falcon public meeting in Sequim. It is intended to provide a forum for us to share details of opportunities and constraints for the upcoming salmon seasons, and to receive ideas and discuss alternatives for shaping seasons and regulations around those details. It will be held on March 19 in Sequim at 6:00 pm, hosted by the local Puget Sound Anglers chapter at the Trinity Methodist Church located at 100 South Blake Ave., Sequim.

Another place to comment and provide ideas and preferences would be the "Coastal Freshwater" button on the Dept.'s website, at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/ . These comments will be reviewed during the regulation setting process, though you likely won't receive a direct response.

The extremely low snow pack in the Olympics throws yet another twist into what appears to be shaping up to be an interesting season.

Take care,

MG

Mike Gross
WDFW Fish Biologist
(360) 249-1210

For all intents and purposes the "Bubble" fishery has recently been an "on paper only" opportunity. Whether the low recreational production there has been due to localized conditions or the strain being used seems unclear. What little response I received when asking what benefit the recreational angler would get out of the MOU was (1) some augmentation to the blackmouth fishery, (2) that an increase in marked fish would decrease the hooking incidence of wild fish in the existing marked selective fishery (and, theoretically, slow down the impact rate), and (3) that any discussion about how those "new" fish would be utilized would have to be addressed through NOF.

Bottom line, WDFW apparently did not solicit support from the tribes (and particularly those in the 8-1/8-2 areas) for expanding the marked selective fishery into those areas as a part of the MOU. Poor strategic planning?

Anyway, once those fish make the turn into Possession Sound the term "mixed stock" takes on a much smaller and more manageable set of factors. If WDFW does not see that a marked selective fishery is achievable in 8-1/8-2 it would be interesting to have them provide the detailed rationale for their position.

wallace river summer chinook

2014: 4085 6.3 million eggs taken
2013: 4783 about 5.9 million eggs
2012: 6256 4.7 million eggs taken

note: the wdfw Hatchery Escapement Report (found under hatcheries on there site) lists only about 2000 fish were spawned each year. no idea where the rest ended up. oh and I may be reading the year wrong I may be off by one.

my other comment on these fish is they show up in the river before June 1. "Blackmouth" fishing ends April 30th.... I would bet a lot are caught the last few days of the season, but I would love to see a May fishery out there. I would give up all of December for that. but many wouldn't and I have no idea what the shaker to adult rate would become.

My admittedly very little experience with the Tulalip Bubble Fishery is that there are plenty of fish that don't bite hardly at all...but I know that there are limited times when they "turn on", as all salmon do at some point.

The "one" that was landed in a boat I was fishing in was not particularly decent looking tablefare to me for a saltwater salmon...not so sure I'd have even smoked it, for what it's worth.

My sample size is tiny on both counts, hopefully someone with a lot more experience there than me will chime in.

Fish on...

Todd

Reduced plants and earlier release of the net pen fish may have something to due with the south sound coho numbers.
The sound sound has been void of resident coho the past few winters.

By releasing the fish earlier then they used to, they are less likely to residualize to the sound. They seem to head north, which of course gives them more opportunity to be harvested before heading back to the south sound.

Back in the day as you mentioned, there used to be tons of resident coho all winter long in the south sound. The Tacoma Narrows was stuffed with them. I think those days are over.
SF

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/
March 12, 2015
Contact: Ron Warren, (360) 902-2799
Federal council adopts alternatives
for ocean salmon sport fisheries
VANCOUVER, Wash. - Anglers fishing along the Washington coast will likely see a catch quota for chinook salmon similar to last year's and a lower quota for coho, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
Three alternatives for ocean salmon fisheries, approved Thursday for public review by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), reflect a decline from 2014 in the forecast for Columbia River hatchery coho and a moderate increase in Columbia River chinook. The PFMC establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast.
The expected abundance of hatchery chinook and coho salmon should allow fishery managers to provide recreational anglers with some great fishing opportunities off the Washington coast this year, Ron Warren, fisheries policy lead for WDFW.
"With these alternatives in hand, we will work with stakeholders on the coast and Washington's inside waters to develop a final fishing package for 2015 while meeting our conservation objectives for wild salmon," Warren said.
All three alternatives include recreational mark-selective fisheries for chinook in June. Mark selective fisheries allow anglers to catch and keep abundant hatchery salmon, marked with a missing adipose fine, but require that they release wild salmon.
About 900,000 Columbia River fall chinook salmon are expected back this year. If that run comes in at forecast, it would be the third largest since record-keeping began in 1938. A portion of the run - about 255,000 salmon - is expected to be lower river hatchery chinook, which traditionally have been the backbone of the recreational ocean chinook fishery. In-river fisheries will also benefit from the strong return, Warren said.
Additionally, the ocean abundance of Columbia River coho is forecast to be about 777,000 fish. A significant portion of that run will contribute to the ocean fishery as well.
The PFMC is scheduled to make its final decision on this year's ocean regulations and harvest quotas for recreational and commercial fisheries at its April meeting in Rohnert Park, Calif. The recreational fishing alternatives include the following quotas for fisheries off the Washington coast:
• Alternative 1 - 64,000 chinook and 159,200 coho.
• Alternative 2 - 62,000 chinook and 134,400 coho.
• Alternative 3 - 58,000 chinook and 117,600 coho.
The PFMC last year adopted recreational ocean fishing quotas of 59,100 chinook and 184,800 coho salmon.
Under each option for this year, the ocean recreational fishery would vary:
Alternative 1
Selective fishery for hatchery chinook:
• Marine areas 1 (Ilwaco) and 2 (Westport/Ocean): May 30-June 12. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
• Marine areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay): May 15-16, May 22-23 and May 30-June 12. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
Traditional ocean salmon fishery for chinook and hatchery coho:
• Marine areas 1 and 2: June 13-Sept. 30. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, but only one chinook may be retained.
• Marine Area 3: June 13-Sept. 30 and Oct. 1-11 in the La Push late season area. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon.
• Marine Area 4: June 13-Sept. 30. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon.
Alternative 2
Selective fishery for hatchery chinook:
• Marine areas 1 and 2: June 6-19. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
• Marine areas 3 and 4: May 22-23 and June 6-19. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
Traditional ocean salmon fishery for chinook and hatchery coho:
• Marine areas 1 and 2: June 20-Sept. 30. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, but only one chinook may be retained.
• Marine Area 3: June 20-Sept. 20 and Sept. 27-Oct. 11 in the La Push late season area. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon.
• Marine Area 4: June 20-Sept. 30. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon.
Alternative 3
Selective fishery for hatchery chinook:
• Marine areas 1, 2, 3 and 4: June 13-26. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
Traditional ocean salmon fishery for chinook and hatchery coho:
• Marine Area 1: June 27-Sept. 30. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, but only one chinook may be retained.
• Marine Area 2: June 27-Sept. 20. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, but only one chinook may be retained.
• Marine Area 3: June 27-Sept. 20 and Sept. 27-Oct. 11 in the La Push late season area. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon. \
• Marine Area 4: June 27-Sept. 20. Open daily. Daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon.
A public hearing on the three alternatives for ocean salmon fisheries is scheduled for March 30 in Westport.
Chinook and coho quotas approved by the PFMC will be part of a comprehensive 2015 salmon fishing package, which includes marine and freshwater fisheries throughout Puget Sound, the Columbia River and Washington's coastal areas. State and tribal co-managers are currently developing those fisheries.
The co-managers will complete the final 2015 salmon fisheries package in conjunction with the PFMC process during its April meeting.
Meanwhile, several public meetings are scheduled in March to discuss regional fisheries issues. The public can comment on the proposed ocean alternatives as well as on other proposed salmon fisheries through WDFW's North of Falcon webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/ . A schedule of public meetings, as well as salmon run-size forecasts and more information about the salmon-season setting process can also be found on the webpage.
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I thought this thread was NOF for PS. Oh well

Instead of dropping the size limit to 20 inches as proposed by the Puget Sound Chinook winter minimum size limit fact sheet, with one reason being ”to increase harvest in NT sport fisheries will help restore 50:50 sharing of allowable catch where inequities are perceived.”

If the ten-year average of the tribes catching an average of 64% of the PS Chinook is correct, then there is a difference between fact and perception.

A proposed longer season on “blackmouth” running through May 31 instead of April 30, especially in Area 8-2, could result in adult Chinook being put into the boat instead of the proposed 20 inch 2 pounders to restore the 50:50 split.

It would be interesting to see how the numbers would crunch out.