New Proposed Puget sound salmon closure

[tinsleystyle]

https://tidalexchange.com/2018/01/04/wdfw-gives-up-puget-sound-fishing-for-nothing/


This is the beginning of the end of recreational salmon fishing. Please read at least a portion of this.

This link will get you to the actual plan if you would like to read that as well.
https://tidalexchange.com/2017/12/06/comprehensive-management-plan-for-puget-sound-chinook/

[Mfowl]

Thanks for Posting! Quite an alarming read! Keep in mind that while we get shut out from Sekiu to Everett for the next 10 years BC will continue to rake in fish before they ever make to us. Soooo time for a change in management. 

[fish vacuum]

The WDFW commission and the public were left in the dark on this. WDFW top brass made this steaming pile of dookie and served it up all on their own.

[Special T]

Well we have been told nobody gives  a  $#!+ about hunting  from the department leadership , how did they botch this up? If sport salmon fishing closes it will impact thier budget in a huge way.

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[JimmyHoffa]

That article makes a good case for more hatcheries.

People will still want to fish, though.  I'm assuming there will be a lot more people headed to the coast.  Lots of boats going to Westport or La Push for the ocean fishery?  More guides to the coast?  See how long that will hold out.  When the WDFW closed a lot of the PS steelhead a few years back, the rivers on the coast seem to have maybe four times as many people.

[cavemann]

I know, I know this is a hunting website..  I am still shocked at how little attention/commenting this has received though.  There is a lot of carryover of fishermen/hunters that understand the significance of WDFW selling their leverage and public interest down the road again to the Tribes.  This was mitigated in secrecy without the Fish and Wildlife Commissioners knowing.  Again, not negotiated or discussed but this was a formal meeting replete with formal mediators.  WDFW and the Tribes are selling us down the river.  This is complete BS!!  Both the Tribes and WDFW have no credibility yet yield all the power..

rant over...  I'll put more effort in letters to WDFW

[Special T]

I know, I know this is a hunting website..  I am still shocked at how little attention/commenting this has received though.  There is a lot of carryover of fishermen/hunters that understand the significance of WDFW selling their leverage and public interest down the road again to the Tribes.  This was mitigated in secrecy without the Fish and Wildlife Commissioners knowing.  Again, not negotiated or discussed but this was a formal meeting replete with formal mediators.  WDFW and the Tribes are selling us down the river.  This is complete BS!!  Both the Tribes and WDFW have no credibility yet yield all the power..

rant over...  I'll put more effort in letters to WDFW

I posted the article on my FB page and have had discussion.

I belive the most amazing part is how disconnected the WDFW is from reality.  This will crush thier fishing revenue. Does anyone in the departments leadership have any vision?

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[JimmyHoffa]

Their largest source from licenses is for freshwater and that is mostly for rainbow trout in stocked lakes.  People might still get licenses for silvers and pinks in salt when it won't impact kings.

[Special T]

That may be. With out a doubt there are many smaller towns that depend on fishing, and a closure would devastate many businesses.

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[JimmyHoffa]

Yes, it is hitting some places pretty hard, as is the reduced halibut and other fish.

[eastsidemallard74]

I don't do much salmon fishing , but seems as an outdoor enthusiast, the state just keeps taking more and more away. My poor kids won't be able to do any of this because of soaring prices and lack of in another 10 years... Sad

[Practical Approach]

Until the sea wolf (seal and sea lion) populations get put in check.  Chinook  and other salmon species will continue to struggle.  In addition the Orca will struggle as well. 

Maybe Sea World could start a program training salmon eating Orcas to eat seals?   

[Skyvalhunter]

When do you think the seal population will be in check?

[Boss .300 winmag]

When do you think the seal population will be in check?

About the time the wolves are. 

[Skillet]

I'm having a hard time downloading the plan from WDFW's website to my phone.  Can anybody else download it?  And maybe email it to me?

https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01947/

[Ridgeratt]

skillet pm sent

[WSU]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  The Dept. really stepped in it by not modeling the impacts of their agreement before signing on the dotted line.  You read that right: they did not know what the consequences to fisheries would be prior to signing. 

[Skillet]

Thank you Ridgeratt 

Really interesting article from Tidal Exchange, and I do agree that habitat loss is a major issue.  However, I thought I would throw this out there-

The Unuk river, a trans-boundary river originating in Canadian wilderness and running through the Misty Fjords national monument in Alaska and into Behm canal, has virtually ZERO habitat loss in the entire watershed.  There are no roads in there at all. Think of it like the Mill Creek watershed from ridgetop to ocean.  Yet still it is seeing the same precipitous decline of kings as the Stillaguamish.

The fishing around the Behm canal is off limits to commercials to prevent incidental catch, and is going to seriously impact our king fishing going forward. Sports (charters) are starting to see some tight restrictions as well...

I think it's important to realize that there are other impacts at play, including fishing (sport, commercial, and tribal).  Apex predators (orca and lions), ocean conditions, high seas harvest, etc.  I believe climate change is also a factor. Putting all of the attention on habitat destruction may divert attention from another, more significant cause.

 

[jmscon]

This might have something to do with it-
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob_(Pacific_Ocean)
Combine that with poor stream conditions for spawning fish (warm, low level waters) all up and down the west coast into Alaska attributes to the recent declines. Longer declines such as the Stillaguamish and other rivers in Washington also have a high rate of habitat loss. Stronger runs to less populated areas of Washington compared to rivers like the Snoqualmie and Sky.

I’ve felt that a break in fishing would help the rivers and I think it will help temporarily but there is no quick fix to all the impermeable surfaces that are in the greater Puget Sound. Newer housing developments have holding ponds for storm water run off but so so many don’t.

[WSU]

My understanding on the Stilli is that the habitat can't really support more fish and closing down fishing in wa would save literally a handful of fish (less than 10). 

It varies obviously from river to river.  I'd be interested to hear where the Unuk River fish are intercepted and in what kind of numbers? 

[Antlershed]

There is a special conference call tomorrow for the Commission to be briefed on the plan. No public input will be taken though.

[jmscon]

I believe there are other thing at play in the salmon decline. 500 million hatchery pinks are flooded into the waters of prince williams sound each year, how do they not compete with food for other salmon in other parts of the North Pacific?! Some of these fish have turned up in the Columbia sooo...?

[JimmyHoffa]

I believe there are other thing at play in the salmon decline. 500 million hatchery pinks are flooded into the waters of prince williams sound each year, how do they not compete with food for other salmon in other parts of the North Pacific?! Some of these fish have turned up in the Columbia sooo...?

The ones that make it out.  Some of the commercial fishermen there have told me that the whales like to hang out not far from the hatchery and feast on all the pinks being released.

[jmscon]

This is from KDLG.org radio program on the 2017 season-
“The forecasted total run of pink salmon to Prince William Sound is about 67 million fish—more than 21 million wild run and the rest from area hatcheries.”

2016 was a dismal year in comparison.

[Skillet]

It varies obviously from river to river.  I'd be interested to hear where the Unuk River fish are intercepted and in what kind of numbers?

The short answer is the ADFG only has a portion of the picture and they truly don't know.  So they are pulling on the only levers they have right now.  Washington is WAY better than Alaska at tracking wild fish, and there are a couple of groups to encourage AK to catch up soon.