California/Oregon salmon closures

[Bryan/BC]

Wonder how our GG buddies Bill and Sal are going to survive this year and next... maybe stripers and sturgies? :(

[Bryan/BC]

Realised that some of you "easterners" may have missed the story. BC is expecting a lot more visiting anglers this year as it has the fewest number of restrictions on the west coast.

Council approves salmon fishing ban By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press Writer
Thu Apr 10, 10:34 PM ET



SEATAC, Wash. - West Coast fisheries managers voted Thursday to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts this year. The Pacific Fishery Management Council decided to allow limited recreational fishing of coho salmon on holiday weekends off the Oregon coast, but no recreational fishing off California after several members of the panel argued that every salmon counts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Scientists and government officials are expecting this year's West Coast salmon season to be one of the worst in history, because of the collapse of Sacramento River chinook, one of the West Coast's biggest wild salmon runs.

Although commercial salmon fishing off the Washington coast is scheduled to begin May 1, fisheries managers do not predict a good season off either the north or south Pacific coasts.

"For the entire West Coast, this is the worst in history," Don McIsaac, executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said before several close votes led to the fisheries plan for 2008.

The council's decision still must be confirmed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency in charge of salmon management.

Even before the vote, however, officials were on to the next step: disaster relief for fishermen, said Mariam McCall, an attorney with the fisheries service.

The governors of Washington, Oregon and California have already signed letters seeking a disaster declaration. Congress will be asked to make a fast decision on money to alleviate the suffering of fishermen and any other negative effects the cutback might have, said Brian Gorman, a NOAA Fisheries spokesman.

Scientists are studying the causes of the Sacramento River chinook collapse, with possible factors ranging from ocean conditions and habitat destruction to dam operations and agricultural pollution. But a proposal to allow limited fishing for scientific purposes was struck down by the panel.

In 2006, the salmon season extending from Cape Falcon, Ore., about 30 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River, south to the Mexican border, also was severely restricted. Congress granted disaster relief totaling $62 million for fishermen in Oregon and California, Gorman said.

Although the nature of the problem is different this year, the impact will be at least as broadly felt, McCall said.

"This is such a difficult situation," she said.

In 2007, average quotas for the southern coast were allowed, while fishing was restricted north of Cape Falcon to the Canadian border.

The Sacramento River chinook run is usually one of the most productive on the coast, but counts last fall found a record low number of chinook returning to California's Central Valley.

San Francisco commercial fisherman Barbara Emley said the signs of this year's problems with the chinook run have been obvious for a few years.

"This has unmasked the issue behind the problem," said Emley, who has fished for salmon with her husband for more than 20 years. Too few juvenile fish survive to swim out to the Pacific Ocean, she said.

Two years ago, busloads of fisherman attended the Pacific Fishery council's meetings to protest the proposed cutbacks, McIsaac said. This year, little opposition has been voiced.

"I believe that the council is doing what it has to do," Emley said, adding that the real problem is out of the hands of the council, which can only regulate fishing, not other industries and government agencies affecting the salmon.

Emley said she saw this action coming while out on her boat last year, when she and her husband saw so few juvenile salmon.

"That's one of the reasons you may not see a lot of resistance in the building today," she said. "We know it's real."

Consumers can expect to have a hard time finding chinook at stores later this year, but they will still be able to buy farm-raised salmon, as well as wild sockeye from Alaska.

[Zane]

Report in Seattle times that the price of wild Chinook will reach $40.00 a pound because of the lack of wild salmon. It was $29.99 a pound at the Pike street market last week for blackmouth. The price is expected to drop down to around $20 a pound as the Alaska season starts and the alaskan fishermen start stealing canadian fish. I purpose that we bar the canadian hiways to them wetback mercans that come up there to fish. EXCEPT for them that owns property up there:cool: :cool:

[Bryan/BC]

Its truly sad what has happened to many west coast salmon stocks. When fish come up against broccoli and tomatoes in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere-- they lose. Cruising some of the Ca. fishing boards, its apparent that California is bound and determined to divert even more water from the Sacarmento River basin to southern California. One of these days our societies will realize what irrigating deserts and lawns has cost us..

Bet our old GG buddy Patrick is turning over in his grave right about now. When I think back to the fantastic chinook fishing I had with him not that many years ago just outside of the Golden Gate bridge, I just have to shake my head in disbelief.

But its not just about Oregon and California. Washington and BC also have major problems too-- in spite of major attempts to rectify past mistakes.

Ther are major closures in the Fraser River for sportsfishing for salmon. These closures extend into the saltwater for sportsfishing too. In the area that Zane has grandfathered fishing rights, he will see slot limits to protect local chinook stocks that are not responding to previous restrictions... and guess what! The damn salmon farms that our "money-talks" short sighted government have allowed are now being identified as part to the problem to declining local wild stocks.

Crap :mad: Where did I put that rum bottle...........:(

[Lost Shaker]

The lack of salmon (Chinook) is hitting our local charter fleet.....and thusly the sport fisherman too. Charters can only fish 4 poles (usually 6) and keep one king and one halibut. Personnally, I'd like to see the charter fleet regulated as commercial fisherman but thats another story.

The total number of kings alotted to sportfisherman is down by almost 50% from last years alotment and after August first a legal king has to be 48 inches or better.

Oh well, when I get the boat out this year (still stuck behind a wall of snow) I'll concentrate on dungies, king crab, and shrimp instead.....and when the season comes I'll harvest a deer or two to help fill the freezer.



Just a short update on the lost one....I'm homeless and moving south. Okay, technically I suppose I'm homeless because I'm in between selling a house and purchasing a new one. Moving south....only about ten miles. Changed jobs, busily raising a VERY active child, and still enjoying life. Unfortunately, life doesn't slow down very often and when it does I'm usually filling it with a nap. I'm suppose to be launching a boat about now going after some pesky dungies but the weather is blowing 30 and mixed rain and snow, not a lot of fun for an open 16' river skiff so the trip was cancelled.

[~~Snakeman~~]

I can understand canceling the trip. Small open boat, winds & 2 varieties of precipitation..yeah, I'd find something else to do as well. No sense looking like those guys on Deadliest Catch.

Glad all's well with you, Shaker. I hope the job change increased your income a bunch.

[Zane]

Lost Shaker, Hmmmmm seems like I remember some guy with that name :D How is everyone Selman???? I still have fond memories of fishing up there with you in Juneau. Do you still have the red tin boat??? How old is that kid now??? Come on Shake, inquiring minds want to know. :D :D Good to hear from you again

[Bryan/BC]

Selman?? Is that you????? Welcome back! Second what Zane said-- nosy pople want to know... so fess up. :D

[Lost Shaker]

Kid is 4, pushing 5, weighs 60 pounds and is in the 90th percentile in height and weight.....not bad for a premie. He's FULL of energy and seems to have gotten Mrs Shakers brains (which is VERY good). I don't have an engineering type mind but he's already telling me how bridges\roads\buildings are built and the equipment that is used to build them. If only he wanted to know about how computers and networks work.

The "red tin" boat is still with me, new power but same boat. Its the best boat in the world....paid for. I think this season's improvement will be new curtains but since it never rains up here I'm not sure if I'll invest in those or not.:D

As for what I'm doing....I've left the public trough and moved to the private world. Pay is better for sure but the hours are significantly longer too. The fun of what I'm doing is instead of using existing network infrastructure I'm building SO I get to spend time in weird places like the 2800 foot level of mountains while its snowing, zero degrees (not celsius Bryan), and blowing 20 or so. In all seriousness I LOVE what I'm doing right now I just wish it left more time for fishing.