OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will recommend on Saturday how much more the sport and commercial sturgeon harvest should be cut in the lower Columbia River.
The panel will meet beginning at 8:30 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday in Room No. 172 of the Natural Resources Building 1111 Washington St. S.E.
Adopting a policy to guide the Department of Fish and Wildlife in negotiating a joint three-year sturgeon agreement with Oregon is the second item on the Saturday agenda.
State biologists are recommending a 30 percent cut in sport and commercial harvest guidelines from 2010, which were a 40 percent cut from the 2009 guidelines.
Final decisions on sturgeon seasons will be made at a joint state hearing on Feb. 8 at a location to be determined, but likely in Oregon City.
After the sturgeon decision on Saturday, the commission will be briefed on Puget Sound crab issues, then have a public hearing on a three-year Columbia River summer chinook policy, including splitting of the catch between sport and commercial interests.
A run of 91,000 summer chinook is predicted to return to the Columbia River mouth in 2011. If that materializes, it would top the 89,543 return of 2002.
Summer chinook are bound for spawning grounds and hatcheries upstream of Priest Rapids Dam.
Washington’s policy for allocating summer chinook expires on Dec. 31.
Changes are likely because of the needs of the new $40 million Chief Joseph Hatchery plus a new analysis showing ocean harvest of summer chinook may be considerably larger than originally thought.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife has drafted three options for 2011-13, a status quo choice plus options favoring either the sport or commercial fishery.
