Pacific Fishery Management Council chooses options for 2017 ocean salmon season

Council sets three options for Washington coast for sport, commercial, tribal fisheries

The Pacific Fishery Management Council Monday adopted three public review alternatives for the 2017 salmon seasons off the West Coast, offering modest recreational and commercial ocean coho and Chinook seasons.

“The salmon runs this year will present a challenge for ocean fishermen and managers throughout the West Coast,” said Executive Director Chuck Tracy. “In the north, several coho runs will keep ocean quotas lower than normal.”

Northern Oregon and Washington (north of Cape Falcon)

Sport season alternatives: Ocean sport fishery options north of Cape Falcon in Oregon and off the Washington coast are focused on Chinook salmon this year. One alternative includes a mark-selective (clipped adipose fin) Chinook fishery in June, while all alternatives include Chinook fishing opportunity in June or July-September, which are not mark-selective. Chinook recreational quotas range from 40,000 to 54,500.

For coho, two alternatives allow modest coastwide opportunity. One allows opportunity for 58,800 hatchery coho in late June through September; the other projects 50,400 hatchery coho in late June through September. A third alternative permits limited coho fishing only in the Columbia River area between Cape Falcon and Leadbetter Point, with a coho quota of 18,900 hatchery coho that starts in July and runs into September.

As an example of the range in the three alternatives listed for each fishery, take the mouth of the Queets River to Leadbetter Point. The sportfishing alternatives are: 1. Two salmon daily, no more than one of which can be a Chinook, marked coho only, July 1 through either Sept. 30 or 21,750 marked coho or 21,900 Chinook are taken. 2. June 24 through either Sept. 17 or 18,650 marked coho or 21,400 Chinook are taken. 3. July 2 through either Sept. 7 or a subarea guideline of 19,000 Chinook, open five days a week (Sunday through Thursday).

Commercial season options: Non-Indian ocean commercial fishery alternatives north of Cape Falcon include traditional Chinook seasons between May and September. Chinook quotas for all areas and times range from 40,000 to 50,000, compared to 35,000 in 2016. Two commercial fishery alternatives allow retention of coho, with quotas of 5,600 and 9,600 marked coho (compared to only one alternative in 2016 with a quota of 7,200 marked coho). A third alternative prohibits coho retention in the commercial fishery.

Tribal ocean fisheries north of Cape Falcon

Chinook and coho quotas for tribal ocean fishery alternatives range from 30,000 to 50,000 for Chinook salmon, and from 12,500 to 40,000 for coho. Seasons open May 1 and run through Sept. 15.

Public comment on the alternatives will be received at a meeting Monday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at the Chateau Westport Beach Room, 710 West Hancock in Westport. The council will select a final alternative at its next meeting in Sacramento, Calif. April 6-11. Detailed information about season starting dates, areas open, and catch limits for all three alternatives are available on the Council’s website at http://tinyurl.com/salmon2017.