Canadian Fishing

I saw this on another forum.
Might be of interest to those considering a trip up north this summer.
SF

https://www.thenorthernview.com/news/dfo-contemplating-sweeping-north-coast-salmon-fishery-closure/

This, combined with the closures looming to the south Vancouver Island chinook fisheries (to reduce prey competition with the SRKW's), are going to really chop up the BC salmon fishing this summer. We Americans are going to be getting our own dose of these measures soon enough

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Still waiting on the AI #'s in SE AK as I'd have already booked a late May early June trip and a late August trip already> Not good!

I would suggest we have already seen significant restrictions and those Northern fisheries are merely "catching up."

Will those restrictions free up Northern impacts on our several stocks that were highlighted in the 10 Year Chinook Harvest Plan? As I recall one of the major complaints of that Plan was that it included an 8% cap on Southern impacts to Stilly Chinook out of a max overall 24% impact and that even if Northern impacts dropped our 8% cap could not be adjusted upward (yet staying within the overall 24%).

Staying tuned.......

Ha you think you're restricted now Larry, wait til the whale zealouts get momentum on this side of the border, and the pie-in-sky chinook hatchery dreams don't pass ESA muster!

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So where do you find the current and historic AI numbers on the PSC website?

Geez, sure didn't take long for you to let out what little air I had pumped into my balloon.

Guess I'll have to go down to the Narrows Brewery at Day Island or cross the bridge and swill beer at the Tides.

I think the 5 year future looks tough for us in Puget Sound salmon reg's-wise. Come on over we can both cry in our beer!

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Don't know what I would do with myself but it would be an interesting experiment if all fishing up and down the coast was shutdown.

Next year is likely to be worse due to the drought of 2015. Bring on 2020 for a glimmer of change.

At least their tribes are shutdown if everyone else has to feel the pain. Around here the tribes would just mop up our share and there would be no benefit to anyone.

AK needs to step up and start reducing their catch by all parties. Especially out in the in open water,"salmon hwy" travel areas.

We should all concentrate our fisheries on only the fish actually spawned in our waters, at least until we have a handle on just what the ecosystem needs to function for all the resources in it.

Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I viewed 2018 as the year of concern at least in regards to coho.
All we heard towards the end of 2015 was drought, small fish, no returns, blob and doom & gloom, but the PS coho forecast for this year is surprisingly 500K +. Based on all the negativity in 2015, you'd think it would be a lot less then that.

2016 offered stellar early season coho fish though some would deny that until we got shut down early. That was a total knee jerk reaction to 2015 and wasn't needed in my opinion.
I guess you'd actually have to go fishing for them to actually have experienced it.
I think 2019 could be an excellent year as far as coho goes.

Last summer the coho showed up strong right after MA 9 closed at labor day. It fished well prior to the closure but we didn't get to fish primetime.
Being restricted to shore fishing is a joke but will likely be a management tool in the future moving forward.
MA 10 fished great in September last year if you had a boat.

We've had better ocean conditions since the blob disappeared, so I hope for better returns in the future.

Make sure to submit your NOF comments on the salmon seasons you want.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/2018/index.php

SF

Since this is no longer directly a Canadian Fishing thread let me throw another scintillating reading opportunity your way.

Here is a link to the Agenda for the most recent meeting of the WDFW Budget and Policy Advisory Group:

https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/advisory/bpag/agenda_030218_BPAG.pdf.

Seems there is a lot of effort being expended in trying to respond to Legislative mandates regarding justification for future funding (presumably GF $) and at the same time trying to assess what and where to find program/cost cuts.

How that integrates into immediate and future fishing opportunities is yet TBD but I have a feeling that the downward spiral is gaining speed.

That said, the Governor's new Orca initiative will certainly come into play and we need to ensure that the politicos see us and our license fee supported hatchery output as assets to be augmented. Usurp that output and watch the license fee monies dry up (faster).

Okay, off my soap box for now.

+1 on that, and as for chinook, our local fishery was exceptionally good last year. . .might be even better this year.

CM is spot on. . .all the mixed stock fisheries out there are going to keep us tied to the dock, even if our local stocks are doing well.

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With little salt fishing, that might mean the rivers could be full of fish? Might be time to sell the boat and buy a new set of waders. It all started from the bank, might as well end up from the bank. Oh how we regress with age.