WDFW News Release: Two Columbia River sturgeon fisheries to close; no decision y

[Pacific NW Ron]

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

January 31, 2018
Contact: Laura Heironimus, 360-906-6716

Two Columbia River sturgeon fisheries to close;
no decision yet on Cowlitz River smelt dipping

OLYMPIA – Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon has set closure dates for sturgeon fisheries on two sections of the Columbia River, while deferring consideration of a recreational smelt fishery until more is known about the size of this year's run.

Starting Feb. 4, anglers will be required to release any sturgeon they intercept from Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam under one action approved by the two states yesterday. In addition, the retention fishery for white sturgeon from John Day Dam to McNary Dam will close effective Feb. 12.

Both areas will remain open to catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon after those dates. That is also the case in the John Day Pool, which closed to retention fishing Jan. 20 after reaching its annual harvest quota for the year.

Laura Heironimus, a fishery manager at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said closing the retention fishery in the Bonneville Pool upriver to The Dalles Dam should allow – as in recent years – for a summer fishery under the annual catch guideline.

Heironimus said there is also the possibility of providing a summer sturgeon fishery from The Dalles Dam to the John Day Dam, where retention fishing for sturgeon closed Jan. 20.

"That fishery closed with a fair number of fish still available for harvest under the catch guideline," she said. "We'll be discussing the options for additional fishing opportunities in future meetings with our counterparts in Oregon."

The possibility of a recreational smelt fishery on the Cowlitz River will also be a topic of future discussions, Heironimus said. In 2017, fishery managers approved a one-day recreational dip-net fishery on the Cowlitz River in 2017, based on the strength of last year's commercial catch figures. However, current projections indicate that the 2018 run will be smaller than last year's run.

As in previous years, fishery managers approved a limited commercial research fishery during specific dates in February to monitor the annual abundance of eulachon smelt, which were listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2010.

"These fisheries have a limited impact on the overall smelt return, while providing essential biological data on the species' abundance," Heironimus said.

If commercial catch figures average 250 pounds per delivery, fishery managers may consider a limited recreational fishery in 2018, she said.

[Lipripper]

Another day another change. How do y'all keep up with all of them.

[Pacific NW Ron]

It's almost like a full time job. 

[Mike Cork]

On one had an angler can appreciate their efforts but on the other, if I got a ticket I'd have to fight it in court and blame the ever changing rules ignorance is never and excuses but dang...

[Lipripper]

On one had an angler can appreciate their efforts but on the other, if I got a ticket I'd have to fight it in court and blame the ever changing rules ignorance is never and excuses but dang...

You would have to spend several hours reading all the rules for the spot your going fishing to make sure your not breaking any laws. 

[Pacific NW Ron]

For some species it is almost a gamble.  It's really hard to keep up with the changes.  Some anglers take multiday trips and they could be legal the first day and illegal the rest of the trip and unless you check the updates you wouldn't know.  I don't think there is another state that has rule changes like we do.

[Lipripper]

For some species it is almost a gamble.  It's really hard to keep up with the changes.  Some anglers take multiday trips and they could be legal the first day and illegal the rest of the trip and unless you check the updates you wouldn't know.  I don't think there is another state that has rule changes like we do.

Not that I know of.