Local wildlife club to hold monthly meeting
The Vancouver Wildlife League will hold its monthly members meeting at 7 p.m. March 6 at the new Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife building at 5525 S. 11th St., in Ridgefield. The guest speaker will be DFW officer Tom Moats. The public is welcome to attend.
Raffle tickets for the steelhead and salmon rod and reel sets are still available.
Anti-gill net bill moves out of committee
Washington legislatures passed SB 5617, a bill that would ban the use of gill nets in rivers, out of committee, although it was amended and underwent a reduction of scope in the process. However, bill sponsor Sen. Jesse Salomon, (D-Shoreline) was able to amend it for a shortened timeframe. Implementation would happen in 2021 instead of 2022.
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet in Spokane
The public will have an opportunity to provide input on new hunting seasons proposed through 2021 for deer, elk, waterfowl, and other game species at an upcoming meeting of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in Spokane.
Other issues on the agenda include an update on the Columbia River Policy Review, proposed land acquisitions, and other topics.
The commission will meet March 1-2 in the Inland Empire Room of the Ramada by Wyndham Spokane Airport, 8909 W. Airport Dr., Spokane. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. both days.
The commission will receive a briefing and potentially give guidance on 2019 policies and regulations for Columbia Rivers salmon fisheries. The Joint Washington and Oregon Columbia River Salmon Fishery Policy Review Committee is working to find common ground on ways to achieve policy goals adopted in 2013 for jointly managed fisheries.
Clatsop Beaches reopen for razor clams
Razor clamming will reopen on Clatsop Beach (from Tillamook Head in Seaside to the mouth of the Columbia River) on Friday, March 1.
This area has been closed to protect undersize clams and give them a chance to grow, after 2018 fall surveys found mostly small clams with shell lengths between 2-3 inches.
“The small razor clams on Clatsop Beach we observed this fall have grown at a rate we anticipated,” said ODFW Shellfish Biologist Matt Hunter. “Currently, the dominant size of clams is between 3.5 and 3.75 inches with few larger clams available. As the spring progresses and we get longer days, more food will be available and the clams will continue to grow.”
Clatsop Beach is Oregon’s most popular area for razor clamming and can be open Oct. 1-July 14 each year, provided ODA testing finds clams are safe to eat. Recent tests show razor clams from Clatsop Beach are safe to consume.
Call ODA’s Shellfish safety information hotline at 800-448-2474 or visit ODFW’s Recreational Shellfish Safety Page or ODFW’s Recreation Report to check for any closures before clamming or crabbing.
ODFW hunter reporting deadline extended to April 15
ODFW has increased the number of staff available to take hunter reports by phone and encourages hunters to report their big game or turkey tag(s) as soon as possible.
Call 1-866-947-6339 (the reporting number printed on all 2018 tags) to report your hunt, or report online via MyODFW.com.
As of Wednesday, more than 108,000 hunters still need to report hunt results, including for about 207,000 deer or elk tags which must be reported by April 15 to avoid a $25 penalty fee.
ODFW extended the reporting deadline to April 15 this year (from Jan. 31) after hunters attempting to call in and report their hunt by phone experienced longer hold times. The extension was also meant to give hunters more time to get familiar with ODFW’s new licensing system that launched Dec. 1, 2018.
Any hunter who purchased a 2018 deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, cougar, bear or turkey tag is required to report their hunt results by April 15 — even if they were not successful or didn’t go hunting. Not reporting a deer or elk tag results in a $25 penalty (for 2018 tags, the penalty is assessed when purchasing 2020 hunting licenses).
For more information: visit the ODFW website at: https://myodfw.com/articles/report-your-hunt
