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PORTLAND -- Oregon and Washington fishery managers met today in emergency session in Portland to review the ongoing Buoy 10 recreational salmon fishery. Effective Monday, August 30 until December 31, all Chinook salmon caught in the Buoy 10 fishery must be released unharmed.
The affected area for chinook includes Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River to 16 miles upstream to a boundary from Tongue Point on the Oregon shore and Grays Point on the Washington shore. Furthermore, it will be unlawful to fish in the restricted Buoy 10 area while in possession of a chinook salmon. However, anglers may continue to catch fin-clipped coho salmon and fin-clipped steelhead in the restricted area until the season ends December 31, 1999.
The Buoy 10 salmon fishery opened August 1 and has experienced high participation and excellent catch rates for chinook salmon. "River conditions have been optimal, causing an early chinook run and excellent angling opportunities this year, better than in past years. There is no question that Buoy 10 has become a very popular chinook salmon fishery. Last week the catch rate for chinook was .44 chinook per angler, a near-record rate. Fin-clipped coho catch rates are also improving and will remain good through mid-September," said Steve King, ODFW salmon fishery manger in Portland.
Biologists reported that the Buoy 10 chinook catch will reach 11,500 chinook by Sunday evening, August 29, exceeding the planned catch by almost 3,000 fish. If angling at Buoy 10 were to continue, the large projected catch would cause other non-Indian chinook salmon fisheries that occur upstream in the Columbia River to be severely reduced to compensate for the high success at Buoy 10. "We^re having a good season at Buoy 10. With Indian treaty responsibilities and anglers hoping to enjoy this chinook fishery further upstream in the Columbia, we had to be fair and curtail the Buoy 10 chinook fishery," said King.
Columbia River chinook seasons are carefully managed under a court-ordered fishing agreement signed by Oregon, Washington, the federal government, and the Columbia River treaty Indian tribes. All non-Indian and treaty Indian fisheries are managed within the limits established by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act. Further catches between non-Indian and treaty Indian fisheries must be shared according to the treaties that preserve the fishing rights of the Columbia River Indian Tribes.
Biologists will continue to monitor the strength of this fall^s salmon and steelhead returns and report ongoing non-Indian and treaty Indian fisheries. Additional public meetings to review salmon and steelhead run status and fisheries are scheduled for 2 PM September 2 and 10 at the ODFW Commission Room in Portland. The public is welcome to attend and testify. Season dates for the Buoy 10 chinook fishery for 2000 will be decided in April 2000.
Uploaded: 8/27/1999
Uploaded: 8/27/1999