Smelt are no more....

[ICEMAN]

Not good news at all. Wildlife has closed the entire state to smelt fishing it appears.

For those of you who have never smelt fished... I will share my experience

When I was young, we used to occasionally go and hit the cowlitz for a bucket of smelt. Not every year, but just occasionally. We would go down, scoop them out of the river with a dip net on a long pole. There would be other guys doing the same. I do not recall it being incredibly crowded. We would get a bucket for the home, and take em home and smoke them in the smoker, or pan fry them.  This was in the late 70's and early 80's. I got busy with life thru the 80's and did not harvest any at all for years. Early 90's I would hear of smelt in the river and go hit one of the popular spots and dip net a bucket for my personal consumption. I was shocked to see so many people with nets. I forget but as I recall you could harvest four to five gallons per person?  No license needed for smelt. 

I remember two years in a row where I would go down for a bucket of smelt, maybe mid 90's. Both years the rivers edge was so crowded. No license needed, I never saw any enforcement checking your take. The rivers edge was crawling with large extended families with many many kids, with dads scooping and scooping until everyones bucket was full. It was actually difficult to find riverspace to dip at my favorite spot in Woodland. Wow, things have changed.

Now, it has been a few years since I have been able to dip at all. No fish returns. Not enough it appears for sport harvest.

OK, here is the reason for my post.

Q? Why are we at the point of closing this fishery down?

Commercial overharvest?

Overharvest by sport fishermen?

Environmental factors man caused?

Environmental non man caused?


I would argue that we should not have any commercial harvest of any species until an excess of resource is verified after the sport fishermen harvest. Sport fisherment first, then maybe commercial harvest. I would also argue that the basically unregulated "sport harvest" with little to no enforcement, literally huge extended families taking home trunk loads of fish day after day when the fish do return to the river has damaged the local resource.

I would also like to know if the rivers systems to our north are suffering the same as ours. What does the answer to this question indicate?









Statewide closure of eulachon smelt

Action: Closes sport fishing for eulachon (Columbia River) smelt statewide.

Effective dates: Dec. 15, 2010.

Species affected: Eulachon smelt (Thaleichthys pacificus )

Location: Statewide, all marine and freshwater areas.

Reasons for action: Eulachon smelt are listed under the Endangered Species Act as “threatened”.  There are no harvestable populations within the state and the statewide fishing closure will provide additional protection.

Information Contact: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program,   (360) 902-2700, FISHPGM@dfw.wa.gov .   

[runamuk]

We raked smelt on the beach on Camano in the 70's and 80"s tasty little fishes it was fun havent done it since I was a kid/teen.

[gotshot]

I too used to love to dip smelt. When I was a boy they used to sell them on street corners 3 lbs. for a buck. It has been at least ten yrs. since I have seen any come out of the river. It is a shame my grandkids will never get to experience it because of what I believe is from over harvest. I saw an old friend last year who hit the coast at just the right time and dipped ten pounds right out of the surf. That is usually in June or July around Klahlock so I don't know if this closure includes ocean dipping or not. Sad case either way.

[gasman]

Me too, we used to to the Cowlitz every year as kids with my uncle's family and dip for smelt. As kids we had a blast but when we got home and had to clean the smely, that changed our tune 

I would like to do it again some time, but dont look like i will 

[Huntbear]

We too used to go dip smelt when I was a kid.  Pan fryed in a cast iron skillet in butter..... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


To bad that it is closed, however, not surprising.  Maybe they can rebuild the runs, and once again, the runs will be in the billions.

[singleshot12]

1. Environmental factors man has caused 2. Commercial overharvest - in that order..

Smelt are one of the main food sources for sturgeon too especially on the Columbia (NOT GOOD!)

[woodrat]

1. Environmental factors man has caused 2. Commercial overharvest - in that order..

+1, although I wouldn't exempt sport harvest from the equation either. The Elochoman River near me has been closed to smelt for as long as I've lived here, but locals still catch them anyway, and mostly they use them for bait, they don't even eat them!   

Harvest should have sharply restricted a long time ago, instead of waiting for an ESA listing to do something about it. Sad. Hopefully this is not too little, too late.

[cohoho]

Never did it, but would see the guy and girls along the hwy dipping at Twenty-Mile river in AK.  They would get five gallon buckets full in no time...  Did something close in Michigan for I thought were also smelt with the yoppers...

[shoot-em-dead]

We used to catch them with our hands in Michigan as kids. We could never cook enough either. They were great. When I moved out west I got my limit in Kelso and just couldn't wait to chow down. Holy cow they tasted like $hit. I tried them again the next year and same deal. I think the taste has something to do with being straight from the ocean over here. In Michigan they are in fresh water for a long time before harvest. So I am a firm believer that they are good for sturgeon bait and that is it. Too bad they had to shut it down but I can't argue that the runs have been steadily decreasing over the years. 

[PolarBear]

We use to dip them out of Totten Inlet in the 80's by the bucket.  This is the first year in at least 15 that my Dad has seen signs of smelt in the bay and there were very few at that.

[chester]

Did it out of the Copper a couple times when i was little. never did in washington tho

[huntergreg]

We raked smelt on the beach on Camano in the 70's and 80"s tasty little fishes it was fun havent done it since I was a kid/teen.

Me to we did it when I was younger also. Fun to rake in. But haven done it in years

[Sumpnneedskillin]

Aunt and Uncle used to live in Kelso.  I remember visiting once in a while during the run.  We'd stop and get some smoked smelt on the way home.  Haven't had any in about 30 years or so.

[Alchase]

We use to rent the nets at the Pacific beaches every year when I was a kid back in the 70s. We could even catch them by hand back them. Still can't believe we use to play in that freezing cold water all day, lol.
Fried smelt with Johnny's seasoning, yum 

[Boss .300 winmag]

My grandpa used to get them from the columbia and have everyone over for a smelt fry, miss those days.

[BIGINNER]

my dad took us out smelt dipping a couple times,.....  pretty fun,   had to change my pants once when a sealion popped up out of the water about 2 yard away!!! 

[NRA4LIFE]

We used to smelt dip in Lake Michigan when I was young.  We used huge 8' X 8' dip nets that you winched up and down off the breakwater in Port Washington, WI.  There was no limit and some night we caught 2 or 3 garbage cans full of them.  Good times.  We'd come home and zip smelt open until the sun came up.

[xxlx7]

Is this different than the smelt we catch in places such as deception pass?

[ICEMAN]

Is this different than the smelt we catch in places such as deception pass?

I don't believe so. Wildlife only listed the one type on their webpage for smelt....

[300UltraMagShooter]

1. Environmental factors man has caused 2. Commercial overharvest - in that order..

Smelt are one of the main food sources for sturgeon too especially on the Columbia (NOT GOOD!)

What exact "Man Caused Environmenatl Factors" are you speaking of?


p.s.
I've never even seen a smelt so have no idea and can't relate to any of this.

[ICEMAN]

1. Environmental factors man has caused 2. Commercial overharvest - in that order..

Smelt are one of the main food sources for sturgeon too especially on the Columbia (NOT GOOD!)

What exact "Man Caused Environmenatl Factors" are you speaking of?


p.s.
I've never even seen a smelt so have no idea and can't relate to any of this.

Over sedimentation of riverbeds due to logging practice etc....the normal complaints associated with salmon spawning grounds.... just my guess....

[singleshot12]

Since smelt spawn on certain beaches I would say silt and algae bloom from nitrates could be detrimental to their eggs.
Smelt are mainly plankton feeders so contaminated plankton from pollution maybe?

[JimmyHoffa]

and pulp mill discharge, light pollution, rising ocean temperatures due to climate change.....
Still somewhat on topic.  I'm not trying to determine the impacts as much as trying to make sure my timeline is somewhat on.
So maybe a few of you can correct me where I'm wrong on this....but back when logging was first practiced here in the northwest (late 1800's/early 1900's), it was much less environmentally conscious----built roads, crossed streams, cut every tree standing.  They pretty much kept similar logging practices until what the 1960's?  1970's?  And huge runs of nearly every kind of fish were still reported year after year.  These declines in fish stocks they keep talking about all seem to focus on mid-1990's on.  So....the fish were still doing great during, what 90 years of 'horrible' logging practices; but in the years (more than 5 cycles of runs worth) with 'better', eco-friendly logging methods the fish are now not hacking it? Is my timeline off?  Were the runs dropping noticeably back in the 30's? Or the 70's?

[singleshot12]

Good point Jimmy, then I would have to say most of it would be the herbicides,pesticides and fertilizers associated with logging and agriculture that are used now.

[Antlershed]

I wonder how many the commies will still get....

[D-Rock425]

Is this different than the smelt we catch in places such as deception pass?

I believe there are two different kinds of smelt.  The kind you catch at deception pass Are not the same as the Columbia river smelt.

[280ackley]

and pulp mill discharge, light pollution, rising ocean temperatures due to climate change.....
Still somewhat on topic.  I'm not trying to determine the impacts as much as trying to make sure my timeline is somewhat on.
So maybe a few of you can correct me where I'm wrong on this....but back when logging was first practiced here in the northwest (late 1800's/early 1900's), it was much less environmentally conscious----built roads, crossed streams, cut every tree standing.  They pretty much kept similar logging practices until what the 1960's?  1970's?  And huge runs of nearly every kind of fish were still reported year after year.  These declines in fish stocks they keep talking about all seem to focus on mid-1990's on.  So....the fish were still doing great during, what 90 years of 'horrible' logging practices; but in the years (more than 5 cycles of runs worth) with 'better', eco-friendly logging methods the fish are now not hacking it? Is my timeline off?  Were the runs dropping noticeably back in the 30's? Or the 70's?

Your point seems to be spot on.  If silt was is a major factor why are there any fish in the Tutle-Cowlitz-Columbia after May 18th 1980.  Personally I think overharvest by all and the fact we don't have a clue what is going on in the Pacific has more to do with it then anything.  Pollution (all forms) is greatly lower now then in the industrial age yet the fish populations aren't growing.

[280ackley]

A couple more things to think about.  Dredging the river probably is helping anything either.  And what about the man made islands that the have become Turn havens.  Seems like alot more opportunity for predation. 

[woodrat]

Things were not all peachy in the early days of logging either. Runs were damaged, but there was such a much larger number of fish and healthy runs to begin with the decline wasn't as drastic as it was in later years. Salmon runs were in noticable decline in the 1890s, which was the motivation for the beginning of the hatcheries.

Also the kinds of pollution we are putting in the water now is way beyond simple sediment. And the logging practices are just as bad as ever, and they are clearing things way faster and on a larger scale than was possible in the pre-chainsaw and heavy machinery days.

[BigGoonTuna]

you didn't have thousands of miles of rooftops and asphalt going up in the early part of the 20th century either.  we are just starting to get to the bottom of the damage done by bad logging practices, though(it's been said it takes 40 years to truly see the results in many cases).

[JimmyHoffa]

I figure that whatever is hammering the smelt is probably what is getting all the different fishes.  When I talk to the 'older' generation out here on the OP they all talk about how widespread the fish were, similar to the wild game.  Most cases the timeframe they refer to is 60's to the 80's...though there are a few that say the same thing from about 1946 until the 80's.  Just happens that logging was fairly widescale during that timeframe.  Now, with seemingly less logging (and supposedly better practices--riparian corridors, road drainage, etc.) apparently the fish are now declining even faster?  I know that correlation is not causation.  I'm just led to believe that there is something non-logging related probably doing even more damage.  I would guess pollution, but I'm not sure....there are so many factors--like 'light pollution'.  I've read a few things about how the glow of the cities has affected fish which primarily travel at night (steelhead).  But would agree that if the decline was a fixed number even if beginning in the 1890's...that fixed number wouldn't be as noticeable in percentagewise in the early years, but would grow in the later ones.  Hopefully it all gets figured out in time.

[FC]

My guess is massive over-harvesting. I had a lot of fun catching the tasty little things on Camano in the 80's, playing with the dogfish was just an added bonus. 

[h2ofowlr]

We used to hit the smelt each year as well.  Used to fill 5 gallon buckets until the went to about a 10 lb max.  Used to smoke them and save them for bait.  We would fish the Cowlitz and the Lewis when the run was big enough.  Good times.

[bobcat]

Obama Administration lists Pacific smelt under Endangered Species Act

Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 8:46 PM
Updated: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 8:47 PM

By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
 
These smelt were caught in the Sandy River in 2003. The fish used to have huge runs in the Sandy and Columbia rivers, but their numbers have declined in recent years.Into the mid 1900s, Pacific smelt arrived in such abundance this time of year in Washington's Cowlitz River that tribal fishermen could rake them out of the water.

This year, the smelt, or "eulachon," appeared on one Friday afternoon, said  Nathan Reynolds, Cowlitz Indian Tribe ecologist. For the tribe's annual eulachon ceremony on March 6, there were no smelt to catch.

That alarming trend is the backdrop for the Obama administration's decision, announced Tuesday, to list the Pacific smelt population that frequents the Columbia River as threatened, adding another fish to the Columbia's 13 listings of salmon and steelhead under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The smelt decision doesn't pack the drama or economic wallop of the salmon listings. But it will affect river habitat plans, fishing seasons, water flow from dams and permits for dredging and other work in and around Northwest rivers.

It also will force the government to take the small forage fish into account when regulating smelt bycatch in the ocean shrimp fleet.

Pacific smelt once swarmed from the ocean up the Columbia, Cowlitz, Lewis and Sandy rivers in massive spring migrations, attracting legions of dip-net-toting anglers.

But their numbers are at or near historical lows, and the fish is at at "moderate risk of extinction," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

In 2007, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe in Washington asked NOAA to list smelt populations in Oregon, Washington and California for protection.

They're important to Native American tribes, to ocean and river food chains and -- when they're abundant -- to recreational and commercial fishermen, who sell them as food and fish bait.

The government hasn't kept close tabs on smelt, a fact that commercial fishing groups cited in opposing the listing.

Smelt populations are unpredictable, said Garth Griffin, a NOAA fishery biologist. Historical evidence indicates they dropped precipitously from 1830 to 1860, for example, then rebounded.

"They are a mysterious fish -- they're a species that can have booms and busts," Griffin said. "But what's happened in modern history is that the booms are much less abundant than the busts. That's very worrisome."

Pacific smelt typically spend three to five years in saltwater from Northern California to Alaska before returning to freshwater to spawn from late winter through midspring. They acted as a "salvation fish" for tribes, bringing badly needed fat after long winters.

In the portion of the species' range that lies south of the U.S.–Canadian border -- the population addressed by Tuesday's listing -- most smelt originate in the Columbia River basin.

The Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union opposed the listing, saying the fish have shown resilience.

Gary Soderstrom, the group's former president and a commercial fisherman, said reports he got from fishermen indicated the fish were abundant in Grays River and other spots this year.

"I can see some reason to be conservative," Soderstrom said. "But this (downturn) is nothing new. Even when nobody fished them, this happened."

This year, the two states stopped smelt fishing, once year-round, on March 11. It's still allowed on the Sandy River. But smelt haven't shown up in numbers there since 2003.

NOAA's announcement didn't list fishing among the threats to Pacific smelt. It did include climate change, which Griffin said seems to be diminishing the plankton the smelt feed on in their traditional range.

Threats also include reduced water flows, bycatch in the shrimp fishery, water management and habitat changes in the Klamath and Columbia river basins, and predation by seals, sea lions and birds.

-- Scott Learn
© 2010 OregonLive.com. All rights reserved.

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Netting in the ocean hasn't helped. And commercial neting in the columbia hasn't helped either.
I remember reading about the commies last year getting 4000 pounds and the sports getting less than 1000 in what was a horrible return year.

I remember dipping smelt when i was a kid in kelso under the lewis street bridge. Limit was 20 pounds. And we would have a blast at night.

Last time i dipped smelt was in 2001-2002 off of rocky point and my brother saved a russian kid that fell in.

[BIGINNER]

Netting in the ocean hasn't helped. And commercial neting in the columbia hasn't helped either.
I remember reading about the commies last year getting 4000 pounds and the sports getting less than 1000 in what was a horrible return year.

I remember dipping smelt when i was a kid in kelso under the lewis street bridge. Limit was 20 pounds. And we would have a blast at night.

Last time i dipped smelt was in 2001-2002 off of rocky point and my brother saved a russian kid that fell in.

LOL  NO WAY!!!  I WAS THERE!!  I KNOW THE KID THAT FELL IN TOO.      

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Biginner, do you know how many smelt they took??? I turned them in but i am sure nothing came of it. Fill a bucket take it to the truck come back down for more...

Some of the problem has been people overharvesting.

[jeepster]

sooooooo.....................

no smelt jigging in cornet bay?


does the ban go to just netting or jigging too?