Columbia River Gillnetter, Spring-Summer 1996: Vol. 27, No. 1

36 Pages·1996·6.8 MB·English

by  Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union

Columbia River Fishermen’s Protective Union
Fishermen's Groups and Environmental Groups File Suit Again
Sally the
The lawsuit accuses the National Marine Fisheries Service, U S Army Corps of
Engineers and U S Bureau of Reclamation of failing to operate the eight dams on the Salmon Says...
lower Snake and Columbia Rivers in a manner that will help fish survive.
It asks the Court to order the fisheries service to develop a better recovery plan “Selfish thinking by all the
and the order agencies to follow the old one in the meantime. users of the Columbia River
are making it impossible for
The lawsuit took specific aim at the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates
me to survive. No one wants
most of the dams. The Corps has long been a critic of the practice of spilling water
to give in.
over dams to help fish down-river. Instead, the Corps favors collecting the smolts Irrigators should be more
sensitive to my needs and be
upriver and barging or trucking them past the dams.
willing to make greater
The lawsuit accuses the Corps of:
sacrifices in their water use
1) Abandoning research and testing of reservoir drawdown measures; during times when smolts are
2) Undermining the spill program at the dams; making their journey to the
ocean.
3) Failing to provide money for devices to hold down the levels of nitrogen gas
Power users, too, need to
bubbles below the spillways; make sacrifices. The Columbia
4) Scaling back its program to monitor gas bubble disease; River Alliance constantly puts the
blame on commercial fishermen
5) Abandoning a requirement that it study possible changes in operations of the
and wants to put them out of
reservoir at John Day Dam. business so they can have cheap
The plan they are using now is the fourth developed by the fisheries service and power for the aluminum
repeats the key errors of the past. companies and other industries.”
Fisherman Repels 19 Sea Lions Invading Boat! - Waves from the Past - See page 16
COLUMBIA RIVER
On deck Columbia River Fishermen’s Protective Union
Associate Membership 1995
Salmon Counts, page 6
Edwin L. Luoma, CPA Mr. John Karamanos
Sunshine Dairy Foods, Inc.
SFA News, page 12 2703 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR 97103 801 NE 21st Avenue
Youngs Bay, page 16 Hump’s Restaurant, Inc. Portland OR 97232
Jovanovich Supply Co.
P. O. Box 1136
Sea Lion Invasion, page 19
Clatskanie, OR 97016 11227 18th Place SW
Conestoga Corporation Seattle, Washington
Journey of the Kings, page 22
P. O. Box 1109 Martin Knutsen & Son, Inc.
Insurance brokers & Agents
Columbia River Collosus, page 24 Clatskanie, OR 97016
Oregon Coast Marine Services 968 Commercial St
Changing Markets, page 25 Post Office Box 2048 Astoria, OR 97103
Newport, Oregon 97365 Quincy Store
Tide Point Delemma, page 27 West Coast Propeller Service 19667 Hermo Road
827 East Harbor Drive Clatskanie, OR 97016
The Dammed Columbia, page 30
P. O. Box 190 Clatskanie Marina
Warrenton, Oregon 97146 79145 Quincy-Mayger Rd
Sundial Travel Service Clatskanie, OR 97016
750 Marine Drive Beaver Valley Marine
Astoria, OR 97103 79145 Quincy-Mayger Rd
Hunt’s Home Furnishings Clatskanie, OR 97016
1535 Commercial Street Link’s Outdoor
People who have donated money Astoria, OR 97103 1254 Commercial
towards mailing and production costs Astoria, OR 97103
are listed below. Special Thanks for
helping us contine production of the
Columbia River Gillnetter Publication. Support the Columbia
River Gillnetter
Fishermen
Robert Stieman - Astoria publication!
Newton - Warrenton
Sprague - Astoria
The Columbia River Gillnetter is the only remaining publication on
Farnsworth - Vancouver, WA
the west coast devoted exclusively to gillnetting. We have been
making a difference for more than 27 years, but our continued
John Mc Gowan - Warrenton
existence is threatened by increasing production and mailing costs.
Hipen Steel, - Astoria
Ed Feary - Astoria Now more than ever, we need a voice to represent our side of the
Dean Groth - Bremerton issue, and the Gillnetter is our only contact with fishermen,
Robert Conyers - St Louis, MO lawmakers and the general public.
(Hjorten) Shirley Richards - Portland
Herb Johanson - Silverton If you would like to help, send donations to Columbia River
Harold Nelson - Portland
Gillnetter , P. O. Box 511
Mrs. Carl Riese - York, PA
Astoria, OR 97103
Laurence Newell - Astoria
Alan Moberg - Keizer Your help is greatly appreciated
Photos in some issues courtesy:
Columbia River Gillnetter
Publishing Crew
PHOTOGRAPHER
EDITOR Don Riswick
The Store For
PRODUCTION Tom Wynn
Your Camera
& Tamara Walker
Kodak Camera Museum
The Columbia River Gillnetter is
1 Hour Photo published seasonally for the Columbia
River Fishermen's Union. Articles,
475 14th St., Astoria letters and photographs are
Open 6 Days a Week #325-0759 © 1-800-754-0759
welcome for submission.
GILLNETTER
New Sturgeon Regulations
Set for 1996
Editorial
Anglers will only get to keep one figures. Fishing dropped off to about
sturgeon instead of two this year. 15,000 sturgeon by 1990 but climbed
This year was the year of the '96 flood.
And no "high grading": the practice as the harvestable population built back
Almost as bad as the Vanport flood back
of catching one sturgeon and tying it up.
in the late 40's.
alongside the boat only to catch a Reducing such boom and bust cycles
We were given a 3-day winter season bigger fish later in the day and letting is their goal, state managers say.
but that was before the flood came. High the smaller one go. Sturgeon are hardy, Potentially thorny negotiations be-
water and debris and mud made net fish- but the resulting rope scar steals protec- tween the commercial fishing fleet and
ing dangerous and almost impossible. tive fish slime from the big fish. the state to hammer out sturgeon fish-
The commission set the new limits to _ ing quotas for the next few years also
About 45 fishermen tried but only 102
head off potential over-fishing on stur- commence this year.
salmon were landed.
geon. The point of the new restriction Commercial fishermen were held to
Sea lions and seals are once again on
is Maintaining a consistent level of le- an 8,000-sturgeon ceiling in 1995 and
the lower Columbia River. Some have
gal-sized sturgeon between 42 and 66 again in 1996, a number many gillnet-
made it to Willamette Falls and they are inches. ters argue is too low.
also in Youngs Bay and wibutaries and [following paragraphs from newspa- The gillnet fleet is allowed to catch
sloughs on up the river. Something has per clipping - no credit given] sturgeon only while fishing for salmon.
Last year's sport fishing bonanza While gillnet salmon fishing on the
to be done to control their ever-
snagged 45,100 sturgeon before the main-stem Columbia all year in 1995,
increasing numbers. These are Califor-
State limits were instituted. Some fish- local commercial fishermen caught
nia sea lions. They crawl up on naviga-
ermen said that anglers actually caught about 6,200 sturgeon.
tion buoys, floats in the marinas and yet
close to twice that number. Gillnetters were allocated 1,200 stur-
the environmentalists don't want to con- Intense fishing in 1987 caught more geon during a 3-day February salmon
trol them. They are becoming like the lo- than 60,000 sturgeon, according to Ore- season but caught only about 500 in
cust plague - eat everything in sight - gon Department of Fish and Wildlife muddy flood-chumed waters.
even the flounders have disappeared in
the lower river. Just think how many en-
dangered Snake River fish are eaten eve-
ry day to sustain thew voracious
appetites.
No one seems to care and no one is do-
ing anything about it here on the Colum- 2703 Marine Drive
Astoria 325-5102
bia River. Think about it.
862 Broadway
Seaside 738-6441
Don Riswick
\ Fr.
~~ Ge
|
Tou u County
VAN DUSEN
Floors & More
BEVERAGES
CARPET / VINYL* CERAMIC TILE
WOOD FLOORS « SPAS
GAS / WOOD / PELLET STOVES
176 Marine Drive supporting the
Kitchen & Bath Remodeling
Astoria, OR 97103 | fishing industry
|
Larry Hemeon
500 29th Street
325-1632 |
Astoria 325-2362 1044 Marine Drive Astoria
1-800-826-7724 |
325-0195
COLUMBIA RIVER
eee Tae
SECRETAS
=
( “umbia Ri fishermen on the Co-
lumbia River have been placed in
an unfair position. Their fishing
seasons on the Columbia River in recent
years has been cut back to near zero.
They have been a group that has done all
possible in their power to help build up
salmon runs on the river and even giving
up all harvest, which was getting the
blame for a long time.
the things that needed to be done to im-
prove the fish runs, for one reason or an-
other, were just not being done, such as
increase river flow during late spring and
early summer when smolts are coming
down river as nature would provide in
early years. Then do something to con-
trol the increasing population of mam- T his picture was taken August 15, 1935, at a dock in Fairbanks, Alaska shortly
before Post and Rogers met their deaths while flying out of Nome, Alaska in
mals on our river. the National Marine
their quest to fly around the world. Leonard Seppala was from Astoria, Ore-
Fisheries Service is the agency that has
gon and he worked and fished in Alaska. He is standing to the left of Will Rogers.
the power to make sure these problems
It is unknown who Joe Crosson was. This was one of the last pictures taken before
are improved, but they have been drag-
they crashed in bad weather.
ging their feet on doing so.
Commercial fishermen have been part
of a study on mammals for the best part
of fifteen years and we are worse off now
than when it started, so bad that it's not
safe to go down to the mooring basin
ASTORIA TRANSMISSION
where you tie your boat.
- FREE ESTIMATES - North Coast
These are just some of the reasons why
+ FREE TOWING -
in 1994 the Columbia River fishery was
Chiropractic Center
declared a disaster area. Federal money .
was sent to the Northwest to help fisher-
men in their hard times. Oregon was to ie
33
get $5 million, $2.7 million for habitat Appointments: [phone]
restoration and $2.3 million for data col- MASTERCARD = VISA Fax [phone]
lection jobs. Washington: $7 million,
$350,000 for data collection jobs, $1.5 857 HWY 101 679 E Harbor Dr, Suite C
million for habitat restoration and the oth- ASTORIA, OR 97103 P.O. Box 279
er $5 million for a salmon permit buy- Warrenton, OR 97146
back program. 503/325-2318
Oregon decided not to use any disaster 1-800-879-7975
money for buyback, although the pro-
gram asked that a part should be used for
that purpose. We have been working PROn ena ASRGRORAIRE ANE UARENEPIAASISNARIRASANRNSSRASENRESELRNNSS AN NHRNENRAEAIASRTAIKSOR NASAN RK NRREAERRS LAAAESKA SNA NARRERARRRRSRGLEARA RNNEMARRAAANAUANRRAENUNSNANEMAA
with the different fish agencies for years
trying to make changes to improve fish
runs. No improvement has been seen
happening in fish runs up to now. Now
the National Marine Fisheries Service is Pendants * Watches * Earrings * Charms
looking at listing more fish runs as en- Rings * Idents * Pearls * Sterling silver jewelry
dangered, so commercial fishermen on
Black Hills gold * Frank’s Original Designs
the Columbia have no choice but to make
their #1 priority for 1996 to push for a Layaway accepted
voluntary buyback program. 1360 Commercial, Astoria OR 97103
M-F 9:30-5:30 Sat. 9:30-3:00
—Jack Marincovich
AANA RN APARNA NESS ANS AAS ANAAASARA SSA ARRARNSA ANE
GILLNETTER
5
Dear Don Riswick Spare sea lions and steelhead neering.. The Academy is located on
To the Editor: If the Washing- Long Island next to New York City.
ton Department of Fish and Wildlife The family is planning on to at-
I read about old friends in the paper tend graduation with the exception
thinks the only way to save the
who have crossed the bar and every one dwindling steelhead population is to of brother Mikko; architect student
hurts, some more than others. It is diffi-
at Tulane University who will be
kill sea lions, its analysis is insuffi-
Cult to express our sorrow or sympathy to
those left behind. ciently global or imaginative. boat pulling in Bristol Bay.
Heikki has been accepted to be-
The salient facts are: (1) the
I wrote this poem for all the fisher- sea lions are taking advantage of gin Naval flight training in Florida .
men, but especially for the families. And steelhead herded by human dams Mark Laukkanen, Cathlamet
especially for Clarence and Hazel De- and locks; (2) the disappearance of WA.
mase.
salmon is due largely to human
Overpopulation and consumption;
A NEEDLE
and (3) humans possess a range of
A fisherman carves a needle, from
wood of his own fibre. He shapes it with choice unavailable to sea lions who WARRENTON DEEP SEA, INC
care and love, smoothing and polishing it can't go vegetarian.
for the web it is to weave. The web has Instead of killing sea lions at Charter, Cannery & Market
many hazards and where the current the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder, bet-
takes it will ultimately decide how rough
ter solutions would be: (1) build
it will become. 45 NE Harbor Place, Warrenton OR
many more locks and/or artificial
Some web wears needles more, and
why we'll never know. We patch and rivers; (2) encourage humans to Market: 861-3911
shape to try to smooth the tangle that the give up eating steelhead, because Cannery & Charter: 861-1233
needle seems to make. Some needles last they can and sea lions cannot; and
and last but others snag and catch the (3) feed excess humans to sea lions.
web at every turn. David J. Loftus, Northwest Port-
Sometimes it is the needle and other
land
times the web that will decide how long
the needle lasts. We will never know
which strand may stay or go. For God Fishing Tradition
creates the web and chooses how and Oho! fellow fishermen;
where the twine we clothe the needle with “WESTPORT DRIFT”
will hold or slip away. fishermen will have two of their off-
The web of life and all its tangles are spring as graduates of the United
not for us to see until we cross that River
States Merchant Marine Academy.
and God reveals his plan for every needle
Heidi Gann, daughter of Butch &
was really His and you have helped him
Marie Gann graduated from the
shape it to fit into that Plan.
Thanks for publishing the paper. A Academy in the 80's. Heikki Lauk-
small check is enclosed. Hope it helps. kanen, son of Mark & Mirjami
Laukkanen passed his Coast Guard
Ted Farnsworth, Vancouver WA Marine Engineering license in May
and will graduate June 14th with a
Bachelor degree in Marine Engi-
Sturgeon Bottom Fishing & Salmon
Re Come talk to us about:
y | JP PLUMBING
Dan Roberts
Mark Hedeen Co.
¢ Tax-Deductible Retirement Accounts
& SHOWROOM
¢ Capital Construction Accounts
503-325-2830
FULL SERVICE INVESTMENTS INCLUDING:
CD’s - ANNUITIES - STOCKS - BONDS - MUTUAL FUNDS Repair - New - Remodel
LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE Commercial - Pipe Welding
im: INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH, INC.
155, 11th St, Astoria, OR 97103
y 905 COMMERCIAL ST., ASTORIA, OREGON 97103 325-0677
COLUMBIA RIVER
SALMON COUNTS (From CEDC Newsletter)
ot z
“a SCELLS A mately 200,000 coho at each site occurred in two years of the program. The first group of
dive May. The first fishery to harvest adults at fish were received in June from Bonneville
4
it Blind Slough and Tongue Point will be the hatchery and released in mid-July from the net
~_»” SPRING CHINOOK fall of 1996. Other Columbia River sites be- pens. The first year of adult harvest of these
Ni 1995 was the fourth year for a spring ing studied for suitability of rearing and re- fish will be the 1997 fall fishery in Youngs
' A £ .» chinook season in Youngs Bay. lease of salmon are Steamboat Slough, Bay. In addition to funding the upriver bright
: S1 l“¥ y The seatabson opened May 1 for a Cathlamet Channel, Clifton Channel and Wal- program, PSMFC also approved funding for
24-hour period and continued for lace Slough. the 1996 releases of Rogue stock fall chinook,
five more 48-hour periods through June 7. discussed in the next section. The disaster re-
Two hundred chinook were landed, and based Acknowledgement of the value of terminal lief funding will provide a break for the Resto-
on visual stock identification, 76% of the fisheries continues to increase, and it appears ration & Enhancement program which has
catch was lower river origin. Total assess- to be one of the only consistent providers of suffered recent cutbacks.
ment money received from the fishery was fishing oppotunities on the lower Columbia
$912. There were no fish landed in the ‘95 since drastic season curtailments these past ROGUE FALL CHINOOK
spring chinook sport season. 1995 was the two years. Specific rearing and release sce- 1995 release of Rogue stock chinook was
first time in history that there was no commer- narios incuded in the terminal fishery proram 1,267,545; the largest ever. Since the Rogue
cial salmon or sturgeon gill-net fishery on the are: overwinter rearing and release of program’s inception in 1991, which proposed
mainstem Columbia during the winter, spring 925,000 Willamette stock spring chinook per the release of up to 900,000 Rogues from the
or summer, making the Youngs Bay season year for ‘94 and ‘95 brood years (425,000 Youngs Bay net pens, it has been plagued
the only game in town. from Youngs Bay net pens; 50,000 from SFK with a shortage of egg availability and fund-
Klaskanine pond; 250,000 from Tongue Point ing cutbacks. Funded by the restoration and
Projections for the ‘96 season, according to a net pens; and 200,000 from Blind Slough net enhancement program initially, until severely
Joint Columbia River Management Staff re- pens); 750,000 Rogue fall chinook per year curtailed commercial seasons caused funding
port, are for best ever landings based on ex- for ‘94, ‘95 and ‘96 brood years (all from shortages, various funding sources which saw
pected good retums of 4-year-olds. The ‘96 Youngs Bay net pens with various rearing re- the potential success of the program stepped
season will be much the same as last year with gimes); 800,000 early stock lower Columbia in to fill the gap: BPA, Clatsop County, and in
13 total fishing days (2 days/week) beginning River coho per year for ‘94, ‘95 and ‘96 brood 1996, PSMFC. What is exciting is that the in-
April 29 and continuing through the first week years (200,000 from Tongue Point, 200,000 itial release goal was finally reached for the
in June. from Blind Slough, 200,000 from Youngs first time in 1995 and will be again in 1996.
Bay, and 200,000 from Deep River, WA). As Because this year’s funding will come from
FALL FISHERY you can see, a healthy total of 2,475,000 fish PSMFC, salmon fishermen will be hired for
On the heels of an exciting 1994 fall season released in terminal areas has a potential of the program as part of the Federal disaster re-
was a very disappointing fishery in 1995. substantial contribution to the harvest of lief.
strong anadromous salmonid stocks while pro-
Less than half the number of coho landed in
“94 materialized for the’95 harvest. The sea- viding the necessary protection of depressed The PSMFC portion of the program funds the
son was vexed by a combination of low catch- stocks. A bonus benefit of the terminal fisher- release of 800,000 brood year ‘95 fingerlings
es and bad prices, partly due to freezers full of ies program is the contribution of the data col- from the Youngs Bay net pens in August of
Cwaillidf oarnndia ,f aOrrmeegd onc ohaon d fArloams kac.o astTahle wpartiecres woafsf olevcetriwoinn tfeorri nign,v aleufafbelcet s reosne arhcohm iinngf oramnadt iosnt raoyn- y‘e9a6.r s oAfd dai tsitoundayl lyto, evBaPlAua te cothmem ietftfeecdt s toof tvharreie-
at 70¢, compared to $1 in ‘94. As of this ing, and various target release sizes and densi- ous rearing regimes on survival, contribution
ties.
printing, $10,411 in assessment money result- to fisheries, and straying. This portion sched-
ed from a catch of 823 fall chinook and ules a release of 750,000 additional rogues
22,389 coho. One bright note, despite the low UPRIVER BRIGHT FALL CHINOOK from the net pens. All Rogue eggs come from
catches, was an average weight of 8 pounds Disaster relief to fishermen came in different ODFW’s Big Creek hatchery, which testifies
each for the coho. forms in 1995, one of which was the first up- to the success of this cooperative program be-
river bright fall chinook (URB) program at tween ODFW and CEDC facilities that first
TERMINAL FISHERIES CEDC facilities. The Pacific States Marine teleased 50,000 of the Rogue stock from Pro-
Proposed expansion of the terminal fishery Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) funded the ject facilities and 56,700 from Big Creek
concept initiated in 1994 with BPA funding fi- rearing and release of 200,000 URB chinook hatchery in 1983, to a projected release in
nally occurred in 1995 with the first transfer from the Youngs Bay net pens for two consec- 1996 of 1.5 million from the Project’s Youngs
of fish to three additional net-pen sites on the utive years. Criteria for the program was es- Bay net pens, and 1 million from Big Creek
Columbia River: Blind Slough, Tongue Point tablished to hire a qualifying salmon Hatchery.
and Deep River, WA. Releases of approxi- fisherman for a 3-month period for each of the
Knutsen
Th M Stereo
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968 Commercial Street, Astoria P. O. Box 830, Seaside, OR 97138 Astoria, OR 97103
1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside [phone] [phone]
738-8455 FAX: [phone] Fax [phone]
GILLNETTER
Despite the multitude of studies on restoring the chinook caught were Willamette fish. fourth consecutive year below that objective.
salmon stocks, and all the reasons given why Willamette fish are dominant because of earli- Willamette Falls escapement was 20,600.
the stocks are so severely depleted, there is er migration patterns and a greater abundance
hope; not that the resource (fish and habitat) of early entering S-year-old fish than are CLACKAMAS RIVER RUN: The run entering
can be restored to historical levels--for we found in other spring chinook runs. Of the re- the Clackamas River has increased from an
would have to return to those times in history maining chinook landed, most are destined for annual average of 2,700 chinook in the
before there were dams on the river and a lim- other lower river tributaries such as the Cow- 1970's, to 8,700 in the 1980's, to 9,900 in
ited number of user groups of the resource-- liz, Kalama, Lewis, and Sandy, and the upper 1990-95. The run size increase is attributable
but rather to “healthy” levels, with all user Columbia. Upriver chinook destined for above to not only the new Clackamas Hatchery at
groups involved in the give and take that is Bonneville Dam begin entering the Columbia Mclver Park, but also to an increase in pas-
unquestionably necessary for that to take in substantial numbers after mid-March and sage over North Fork Dam above Estacada
place. The regional parmerships formed to generally peak in the lower Columbia near and subsequent natural production. The dam
pursue terminal fisheries development mid-April. count probably includes some hatchery fish.
(Bonneville Power, Northwest Power Plan- The dam count has increased from an annual
ning Council, National Marine Fisheries, Ore- WILLAMETTE RIVER RUN: _ Historically, average of S00 in the 1970's, to 2,600 in the
gon and Washington Departments of Fish & wild spring chinook spawned in nearly all east 1980's, to 3,060 in 1990-95.
Wildlife, and Clatsop County) are endeavor- side tributaries above Willamette Falls. From
ing to create a “big picture” where the health 1952-68 dams were completed by the US The return of spring chinook to the Clackamas
of the entire ecosystem can be maintained. Army corps of Engineers (USACE) on all the River in 1995 totaled 6,600 fish. The North
major east side tnbutaries above Willamette Fork Dam count totaled 1,660 spring chinook.
CEDC Fisheries maintains a staff of seven Falls, blocking over 400 stream miles that The 1995 Clackamas return was below the ob-
people and welcomed our newest addition to were originally the most important spawning jective of 12,400 average annual run size stat-
the Project in January, Daniel Dunn. With all and rearing areas for wild spring chinook. ed in the Clackamas Subbasin Fish
of the added sites we continue to be stretched Some residual spawning area remains, includ- Management Plan. The 1995 sport catch in
and challenged. It will be exciting to see the ing about two-thirds of the McKenzie River the Clackamas River was 1,700 and the har-
results of the first harvest of adults at the new and about one-quarter of the North Santiam vest rate was 26%.
pen sites at Blind Slough, Tongue Point and River. However, these areas are affected by
Deep River. Although local support remains upstream dams through alteration of flows and SANDY RIVER RUN: The fish returning to
high with the voluntary assessment program, temperature. the Sandy originate from transferred hatchery
stocks produced in the Willamette system.
we still look forward to the day when on-
Current runs are predominantly hatchery pro- The run has increased due to increased releas-
going funding can be committed to this suc-
duced. Four large hatcheries above Willa- es of hatchery smolts. The final estimate of
cessful program. We celebrate our 20th year
mette Falls currently produce up to 4.4 million the 1995 Sandy run size is currently not com-
in 1996 of rearing fish for economic develop-
smolts each year, plus additional fingerlings plete, but the preliminary estimate is 2,500
ment. From our first release of 50,000 coho
to seed reservoir and stream areas. About fish. The 1995 preseason forecast was 4,300
in 1977 to a combined total of 4,329,896 in
three-quarters of this hatchery production is fish. The 1995 Marmot Dam count was 1,503
1995 of coho, Rogue fall chinook, spring chi-
funded by USACE as mitigation for the lost fish.
nook and upriver bright fall chinook, we be-
production areas. Below Willamette Falls
lieve much progress has been made and that
hatchery releases on the Clackamas River to- COWLITZ, KALAMA AND LEWIS RIVER
there is still a future for the salmon industry.
tal about 1.0 million smolts annually. Recent RUNS: These runs are essentially supported
estimates place the percentage of wild fish in by hatchery production and are closely related
current Willamette spring chinook runs at 5- genetically. These fish migrate earlier than
15%. upriver stocks, with the majority passing
STOCKS OF SPRING CHINOOK through the lower Columbia River from mid-
Accurate run size estimates prior to 1946 are March to mid-May. In 1995 the three runs
INTRODUCTION: Spring chinook entering not available. During 1946-89, it was general- totaled 6,100 adults. This was down from the
the lower Columbia River from mid-February ly believed the 1953 run was the largest on combined 1994 return of 7,400 and considera-
to mid-March are predominantly large, 5- record at 125,000 fish. The 1953 run was pre- bly below the recent 5-year average of 16,700.
year-old fish from lower river tributaries. dominantly wild. A new record run size was
Five-year-old chinook are dominant through- established in 1990, with a run of 130,600. Cowlitz River: The adult return to the Cow-
out March, and reach peak abundance in the The 1990 run was predominantly hatchery litz River in 1995 was 2,100 adults. This was
lower Columbia by late March. Smaller 4- produced. down from the 1994 return of 3,100 and be-
year-old fish enter in increasing numbers after low the recent S-year average of 7,900.
mid-March, reaching peak abundance during 1995 Run: The 1995 Willamette run entering Hatchery escapement was 1,800 adults. The
April. the Columbia was 42,600, the lowest return escapement goal of 1,700 adults was
since 1975. The return was 87% of the pre- achieved. Natural spawning escapement was
Results of genetic stock identification (GSI) season forecast of 49,000. The 1995 return 280 adults. The 1995 sport catch was 50
analysis and recovery of marked hatchery fish was 43% of the Willamette Fish Management adults with a 2% harvest rate.
during past winter seasons and March Colum- Plan (WFMP) objective of 100,000, and the
bia sport fisheries indicated the majority of
Mike Tloyses 6
LNUPPOMOWAZS,
FISHERIES, Inc.
Salmon for All Member
UNION SHOP
PROCESSOR OF FRESH & FROZEN SALMON
SPECIALIZING IN
TOYOTA AND CHRYSLER ASTORIA NEWPORT, OR
209 7th Street Foot of 4th & Water 875 SW Bayshore Blvd
503 325-5252
Next to McGregor’s in Astoria 503 265-3638
FAX [phone]
Call 325-8811
COLUMBIA RIVER
STAFF REPORT
Kalama River: The adult return to the Kalama
River in 1995 was 700. This was less than the 1996 Youngs Bay Spring Chinook Fishery Recommendations
recent 5-year average of 2,200. The hatchery es-
capement goal was achieved. Natural spawning Preface: This report is prepared for the public, Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) staff, and
escapement was 400 adults. The 1995 sport
the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (OFWC).
catch was 25 adults, with a 4% harvest rate.
Lewis River: In 1995 the adult return to the Commercial Season
Lewis River was 3,300. This was slightly better
than the 1994 return of 3,000, but well below the Dates: Noon April 29 (Mon) to 6pm April 30 (Tues) (1 day)
recent 5-year average of 6,600. The hatchery es- Noon May 6 (Mon) to 6pm May 8 (Wed) (2 days)
capement of 1,000 adults exceeded the goal of Noon May 13 (Mon) to 6pm May 15 (Wed) (2 days)
750. About 250 adults were provided to the Noon May 20 (Mon) to 6pm May 22 (Wed) (2 days)
tribes as part of the 10,000 fish minimum cere- Noon May 27 (Mon) to 6pm May 29 (Wed) (2 days)
monial and subsistence (C&S) entitlement and Noon June 3 (Mon) to 6pm June 7 (Fri) (4 days)
more than 400 were recycled into the sport fish-
ery. The natural spawning escapement of 270 - A 1-day opener (April 29-30) will minimize chances of intercepting upriver spring chinook.
adults was 8% of the return. The 1995 sport
catch was 2,000 adults, with a 61% harvest rate.
- The last 4-day fishing period (June 3-7) is designed to harvest in total the remaining local
UPRIVER RUN: Upriver spring chinook begin spring chinook during the time frame when upriver stocks are absent.
entering the Columbia River in late February and
early March, reaching peak abundance in Apmil Gear: No mesh restriction (in effect since 1992)
and early May in the lower river (below Bonne-
ville Dam). All chinook passing Bonneville Area: Open waters extend from the lower boundary, which is a line 150 feet above and parallel
Dam from March through May are counted as to the new Highway 101 bridge, to the uper boundary at a marker at Battle Creek Slough. Waters
upriver spring chinook. Upriver run size is cal- southerly of a line from Bouy 11 easterly and westerly to markers on the bank are closed (Lewis
culated as the Bonneville count, plus the number and Clark River sanctuary--slight modification from previous boundary).
of fish of upriver origin caught in lower river
fisheries, February-May. Other: Only licensed wholesale fish dealers or fishermen with preauthorized permits ¢ee+e(at-
tachment)+*e** and following the conditions of the permit may possess or transport outside of the
The upriver spring chinook mn is compnised of Youngs Bay fishing area any salmon taken during the Youngs Bay season when commercial tak-
stocks from three geographically separate pro-
ing of salmon in the main-stem Columbia River is closed.
duction areas: the Columbia River system above
the mouth of the Snake River, the Snake River
Since 1979, transportation of catch by fishermen out of the bay during the main-stem closed sea-
system, and Columbia River tributaries between
son has been prohibited. This recommended transportation rule was initiated during the 1995 fall
Bonneville Dam and the Snake River. In each of
season. A total of 17 permits were issued with three fishermen utilizing their permits in 1995.
these areas, production is now a mix of hatchery
and wild/natural fish. Although no estimates of No problems were encountered with the permit system.
hatchery contribution to upriver runs prior to
1977 are available, it can be assumed the runs RELEASES OF WILLAMETTE STOCK SPRING CHINOOK
were predominantly wild. Hatchery production
INTO YOUNGS BAY
in the 1960’s and early 1970's was very limited
in comparison to current production. Since the
1970’s, spring chinook hatchery production in YEAR OF RETURN
the upriver system has expanded to the point that BROOD FINGERLINGS SMOLTS TOTAL AGE 4 AGE 5
in recent years about two-thirds of the run is
hatchery produced. With considerable numbers
of hatchery eggs, fry, smolts and adults being 1988 263,300 54,300 317,600 1992 1993
outplanted in recent years, it is likely that some 1989 370,700 Oo 370,700 1993 1994
of the current natural production is also an indi- 1990 330,500 31,700 362,200 1994 1995
rect hatchery product. In May 1992, the Nation-
al Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed Snake 1991 376,300 Oo 376,300 1995 1996
River wild spring/summer chinook as a threat- 1992 oO 411,300 411,300 1996 1997
ened species under the ESA. 1993 Oo 450,200 450,200 1997 1998
The Columbia River Fish Management Plan
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(1986) and the Lower Granite goal has not been
achieved. The management goal, as measured at Reepieten 1996 Seame Cuinook
Bonneville Dam, based upon agreed-to aggrega-
Run Components Entering
tions of individual escapement goals as de-
scribed in the subbasin plans has not been me Cotumerar River
developed.
1995 Run: The preseason prediction for the Comiva 1800
1995 upriver spring chinook run was 12,000. 660
The actual run entering the Columbia was
Tora Y
10,200, the smallest return on record. The 1995
em = Raw
age class components were 6,900 4-year-olds, 87,900 "y
2,900 S-year-olds, 200 6-year-olds, and an im-
proved count of 2,500 jacks (including 200
large-size jacks counted as adults). The 1995
Snake River wild spring chinook run size was Youwes Tae
1,841 fish, compared to the preseason prediction
Bay
of 1,278 fish. 2,000 41,000 y
The Copper River prices only roughly in-
dicate what red salmon fishermen in
Cook Inlet and in Bristol Bay -- the
state's largest red fishery -- get for their
catches, said fisheries economist Gunnar
Knapp. The size of the catch statewide is
the biggest factor in deciding prices, he
Said.
Still, everyone's watching the season un-
The Copper River salmon run fold, hunting for any indicators of what's
ahead for the industry, Knapp said.
By Helen Jung, Anchorage Daily News Looking at the past few years, fish caught
This year’s Copper River harvest, a in Bristol Bay fetched fishermen opening
Jun. 12--The Copper River salmon run strong early chum run in Prince William prices of about $1 a pound less than the
may shape up to be the hugest ever, with Sound and initial red catches from Kodi- Copper River's opening bids, he said.
commercial fishermen already netting the ak could plug some of the demand for Cook Inlet reds tend to get initial prices
1996 projected catch for that area in just fresh salmon, said Ken Roemhildt, super- of 40 cents to 50 cents higher than Bristol
half the season. intendent of Cordova-based North Pacif- Bay's opening prices, Knapp said.
ic Processors.
That flush of fish and higher-than- One of the less-tangible indicators is how
expected showings in other early salmon Stull, it’s difficult to predict this year's wholesalers from Japan, the world's
fisheries have softened Copper River overall market for reds, the most valu- biggest salmon market, are responding.
prices; however, it’s still unclear what ef- able of Alaska’s five salmon species. If Initially, they aggressively bought up
fect the teeming Copper River run -- a those runs and others continue strong, Copper River catches, Knapp said, show-
tiny percentage of the statewide catch -- the industry is going to have a lot more ing that their supply has been depleted.
will have on the rest of the season, with fish to sell -- at potentially lower prices -- But more recently, they and Lower 48
the bulk of fishing yet to come. than it thought, Roemhildt said. wholesalers have been less aggressive,
holding back as they see the run come in
By Tuesday afternoon, Copper River Alaska's fishing industry has seen several higher than expected, said Roemhildt.
commercial fishermen already had years of slumping salmon prices for all
scooped up close to the 1.2 million reds its species, as huge production worldwide Even a record Copper River harvest
predicted for the year and may catch as -- from foreign salmon farms, other wild shouldn't deflate Cook Inlet fishing once
many as 2.5 million reds by the end of the salmon and Alaska’s own large runs -- it starts up at the end of the month, said
season, said Slim Morstad, a biologisfto r glutted the market. The situation had Theo Matthews, executive director of
the Alaska Department of Fish and grown So critical that the state and the in- United Cook Inlet Drift Association.
Game. dustry have been preparing for a crisis When you're talking about a projected
this summer if markets for salmon don't Statewide catch of more than 54 million
The fishermen are getting $1.25 a pound improve. reds, he said, an extra million from the
for their fish, down from $1.75 a pound Copper River shouldn't impact later fish-
on opening day a month ago, according Although the industry has somewhat eries too hard.
to local processors. Last year at this scaled back its gloom-and-doom fore-
time, fishermen were getting $1.50 a casts for the red salmon market recently, "Fishermen are like farmers. They're for-
pound, down from as much as $3 a pound there is still concern about how the sum- ever hopeful,” he said.
early in the season. mer will turn out.
Columbia Travel
Putman
CLATSOP COUNTY'S FIRST PEM
TRAVEL AGENCY PRO-L
FOUNDED 1934
COMPETITIVE FISHERMEN’S FARES
OIL CHANGE CENTER
AIR CRUISES TRAINS LODGING
Kenny and Rose Marie Paavola
PUTMAN PRO-LUBE, INC. [phone]
382 Twelfth Street
969 S.E. MARLIN AVE., WARRENTON, OR 97146 fax [phone]
Astoria, Oregon
James C. Putman, Manager / Owner [phone]
325-1531 or 738-3352
COLUMBIA RIVER
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