The News Tribune (Lite) - Commission to consider allotments of Columbia River salmon

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Commission to consider allotments of Columbia River salmon

The News Tribune
New catch-sharing plans for Columbia River spring and summer chinook salmon will be considered for adoption during the state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Friday and Saturday.

The Washington commission will meet today with the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in Portland to discuss recommendations developed by a joint working group for apportioning fishing opportunities for chinook salmon between sport and commercial fisheries in the lower Columbia River.

Goals of the plan are to provide greater stability for spring and summer chinook fisheries, while meeting conservation goals for wild salmon.

These are the four principals for spring chinook allocation, according to a story from The (Vancouver) Columbian:

• The highest priority is a 45-day sport fishery in March and April.

• Next priority is protecting the off-channel commercial fishery in places like Youngs Bay and Blind Slough in Oregon and Deep River in Washington.

• Allowing at least a little gill-netting in March or April in the lower Columbia is desirable if the run is large enough.

• The split among sports fishing is 75 percent downstream of Bonneville Dam and 25 percent upstream.

The principles are paired with an allocation matrix which factors the strength of the upper Columbia and Willamette spring chinook runs when determining percentages. The sports share can range from 55 percent to 85 percent, depending on the forecasts for the two watersheds, the story said.

The base allocation is 65 percent sport and 35 percent commercial. Sport allocation was targeted to be 57 percent in 2007 and 61 percent in 2008.

Also part of the agreement is a 35 percent buffer early in the season.

The joint meeting will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Embassy Suites Portland Airport. The public can attend, but there will not be a public comment period.

The Columbia River Fish Working Group was created by the two state commissions to develop policy recommendations on joint issues, starting with allocation policies for spring and summer chinook salmon, said a news release from WDFW. Three commissioners from each state serve as voting members, joined by top fishery managers and citizen advisers representing sport and commercial fisheries, as well as local communities.

The Oregon commission is scheduled to consider adoption of the group’s recommendations on chinook salmon Friday.

The Washington commission also will consider extending the current sturgeon-management policy on the lower Columbia River through 2009.

Where: The first floor of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E., Olympia.

Agenda: available at wdfw.wa.gov/com/meetings.htm.