States approve two days of sturgeon retention
Fisheries managers from Oregon and Washington have approved a two day recreational white sturgeon retention season for Saturday, Oct. 21, and Thursday, Oct. 26. The open area is along the mainstem Columbia River from the Wauna powerlines about 40 miles above the river mouth to the Bonneville Dam.
This is the first retention season along this reach since 2013. Legal-size sturgeon numbers had dropped to the point managers felt the need to protect these fish by closing retention. Legal size sturgeon have rebounded to the point that the two day season could be allowed.
The limit is one white sturgeon per day between 44 and 50 inches fork length and two for the year. If anglers have already kept two legal sturgeon elsewhere in 2017 they may not keep sturgeon during this season.
The Willamette River and the Multnomah Channel remain closed to sturgeon retention. The Gilbert River is closed to all angling.
For more information visit the WDFW website or call the Region 5 Headquarters at (360) 696-6211.
WDFW seeks input on management of salmon, steelhead fishing guide industry
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on management of the state’s salmon and steelhead fishing guide industry.
In response to legislative direction, WDFW is evaluating whether the current approach to managing the guide industry ensures the conservation of wild steelhead and salmon while providing a high quality angling experience for both guided and non-guided anglers.
The Legislature directed WDFW to hold public meetings on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Klickitat River area. At these meetings, WDFW will discuss current management and take suggestions for potential regulatory changes for the fishing guide industry.
Those meetings are scheduled for:
Forks: 6 to 8 p.m., Oct. 25, Rainforest Arts Center, 35 N. Forks Ave., Forks.
Lyle: 6 to 8 p.m., Nov. 8, Lyle Activities Center, Hwy. 14 and Third St., Lyle.
WDFW also is working with an outside contractor to develop and conduct a survey to capture feedback from those who cannot attend a meeting in person.
The department will provide a summary of its findings to the Legislature by the end of the year.
WDFW to stock more than 100,000 trout in Washington Lakes
The WDFW will stock at least 45 Washington lakes with catch-able size trout this fall.
“Fall can be one of the best times of the year to reel in a nice-sized trout, and fishing should be terrific over the next few months,” said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW’s inland fish program manager. “Most of the stocked trout are 13 to 15 inches long, with a few larger ones in the mix.”
The fall fish plants are in response to anglers’ requests to increase fall and winter trout fishing opportunities, said Thiesfeld.
The effort also includes stocking lakes across the state for the Nov. 24 Black Friday opener, which offers anglers the opportunity to skip the shopping malls, get outside and enjoy fishing on the day after Thanksgiving.
For up-to-date stocking information this fall, anglers should follow the department on Twitter or Facebook, accessible from http://wdfw.wa.gov, or see the department’s weekly catchable trout stocking report at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/weekly/
Cooke Aquaculture to import Atlantic salmon eggs from Iceland
The WDFW has issued Cooke Aquaculture a permit to transport 1.8 million Atlantic salmon eggs from its facility in Iceland to the company’s hatchery in Rochester, Washington. The eggs met health standards required by law.
The company operates net pens at eight locations in Puget Sound. A collapsed pen at the Cypress Island site released tens of thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon into the sound on August 19.
The incident is under investigation.
Gov. Jay Inslee directed that no permits be issued for new aquaculture net pens while the incident is being investigated. However, WDFW does not have the authority under current regulations to deny Cooke’s request to import healthy Atlantic salmon eggs. The fish will eventually be raised to maturity n net pens.
The eggs were expected to be moved this week.
