Ocean salmon fishing preview
"Salmon fishermen can generally expect improved prospects throughout the Oregon coast, according to Ron Boyce, who presented an overview of proposed options developed earlier in the week by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which has jurisdiction over fishing regulations in 317,690 square miles of ocean waters off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California.
“We’re pretty pleased with where we’re sitting,” said Boyce, who is the technical resources manager for ODFW’s Ocean Salmon and Columbia River program. “The bottom line is the options look good for both commercial and recreational fishing.”
The fall chinook forecast for the Columbia River this year is 652,000 fish, which is up 30 percent from 510,900 in 2009. The forecast for hatchery coho is 408,000 fish, which is down from more than a million coho last year. The forecast for Klamath fall chinook is 331,500, down from 506,000 fish a year ago.
Boyce said the biggest change for ocean fisheries is the return of commercial and recreational chinook salmon seasons to the Oregon coast south of Cape Falcon. That area has been closed to fishing for chinook the past two years, primarily out of concern for salmon migrating to the Pacific Northwest from California’s Sacramento River. Boyce said PFMC representatives are encouraged by forecast of an improved Sacramento River fall chinook run, which has doubled to 245,000 fish from 122,000 a year ago but is still significantly below the historic average. North of Cape Falcon in the Columbia River areas, Boyce said, ocean sport fisherman will likely see an increase in the allowable harvest of chinook salmon over last year’s quota of 5,400 fish but a reduction in the coho limit of 96,5000 in 2009. The proposed daily bag limit is two salmon of which only one can be a chinook.
PFMC is scheduled to adopt its proposed 2010 salmon fishing regulations at its April 10-15 meeting in Portland. Once PFMC has adopted salmon seasons and regulations for waters three to 200 miles offshore, those rules will be forwarded to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, which normally adopts similar seasons and regulations for state waters within three miles of shore.
Boyce noted that ODFW will hold a series of public meetings in late April to help fishery managers craft seasons for salmon fishing in coastal rivers and the three ocean terminal areas off the Tillamook, Elk and Chetco rivers. Those meetings are scheduled for April 26 in Gold Beach and Coos Bay, April 27 in Newport and April 28 in Tillamook."
