Coho forecast best indicator for off-coast season

The salmon fishing season setting process begins next month, but news is already brewing about what anglers up and down the West Coast can or can't expect this year.

While it is way too early in the ballgame to know exactly when anglers will be able to wet a line off the coast, the Oregon Production Index, which provides ocean coho abundance forecasts was released this past week.

The forecast calls for 556,000 coho to arrive off the Washington coast, compared to an actual return of more than 1.3-million (1.2-million was predicted) last year. Ilwaco, Pacific County, Westport, Grays Harbor County, La Push and Neah Bay in Clallam County, experienced a banner coho-fishing season last year.

"I'm not impressed by the forecast, but it isn't the end of the world figures, and we've seen worse," said Doug Milward, a state Fish and Wildlife coastal-salmon manager. "I would expect coho fisheries like we saw in 2006 and 2007, which were OK seasons, although it was tough fishing in some areas."

Milward did provide some good news to look forward to this summer off the coast.

"We are going to see a pretty good chinook year, and it could shape up to be a nice fishery, but how much of it we can access is still up in the air," Milward said.

The expected good chinook fishery off the coast is due to a strong forecast of Spring Creek tule fall chinook and Lower Columbia River tule hatchery chinook.

The news for salmon fisheries inside Puget Sound gets a little more complicated as the need to protect wild salmon, including those like chinook listed under the federal Endangered Species Act are the highest priority.

"Definitely one of our most important objectives during the salmon season setting process is to meet our conservation goals and concerns for Puget Sound chinook," said Pat Pattillo, a state Fish and Wildlife salmon policy coordinator. "We have made some really strong successful strides forward with marked selective fisheries (where anglers target healthy populations of hatchery fish)."

"The theme for this year is to hang onto what we've got, and then to look at changes that might enhance the conservation picture," Pattillo said. "And by that I mean put more wild fish on the spawning grounds. The flip side of the coin is to catch more hatchery fish."

Two areas where selective fishing hasn't been implemented are Elliott Bay and Hood Canal in the summer.

"Maybe this is the year to make that move (in those two areas)," Pattillo said.

One of the most frightening things Pattillo pointed out was the record low number of wild chinook spawning in the Green River where only 1,000 adult fish were seen last year. The Green River is managed to put 6,000 fish on the spawning grounds.

"We got our hatchery fish back to Soos Creek, but the puzzling thing is we don't know why we had such a low number on the spawning ground," Pattillo said. "We're going to be more cautious. It might turn out we promote changing the Elliott Bay chinook fishery to a selective fishery to provide more protection to wild chinook."

There could be changes made in the Skokomish River where anglers could be allowed to keep only hatchery-marked chinook (those with a missing adipose fin), and possibly in the marine waters off Hood Canal to reduce wild chinook catches.

While last year's figures for the summer Skagit River chinook returns haven't been finalized it appears that a fishery isn't going to happen again this summer.

"I think there is some positive news for (Puget Sound) coho stocks, and a few that could be higher this year including some in North Sound," Pattillo said.

Pattillo says there will not only be a pinch from the Puget Sound sport fisheries, but for commercial fishing as well.

The first meeting to discuss Strait of Juan de Fuca sport fisheries is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Trinity Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave. in Sequim.

State Fish and Wildlife will unveil their preseason forecasts 9 a.m. March 2 at a public meeting in the General Administration Building Auditorium, 11th Avenue and Columbia Street in Olympia.

Other meetings will follow in March and April, and final seasons will be set April 10-15 at the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, 8235 N.E. Airport Way in Portland. For a complete list of meeting dates, go to wdfw.wa.gov/fish/northfalcon.

Sacramento chinook returns are dismal

For the third consecutive year, the Sacramento River fall chinook returns have fallen into an abyss.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) released their 2009 review of West Coast ocean-salmon fisheries late this past week, and found that only 39,530 hatchery and wild fall chinook were estimated to have returned to the Sacramento River basin for spawning.

The 2009 adult escapement estimate is the lowest on record, and continues the declining trend despite the 2008 and 2009 closures of nearly all ocean chinook fisheries south of Cape Falcon on the northern Oregon boundary line and Central Valley chinook fisheries.

The conservation goal in the Sacramento is 122,000 to 180,000 hatchery and wild chinook.

It is hard to imagine that just a decade ago this return to the Sacramento River was well over half-a-million fish.

In 2001, the wild fall chinook return was 537,415 and the hatchery return was 59,360, and in 2002 that number shot up to 682,695 and 87,173 respectively. Since then totals have plummeted to 523,016 in 2003; 286,885 in 2004; 396,005 in 2005; 269,190 in 2006; 87,940 in 2007; and 64,456 in 2008.

This will further complicate how salmon-fishing seasons are shaped in the ocean again this year for Oregon and California.

The PFMC's first meeting to discuss ocean fisheries is March 6-12 in Sacramento.

Notes

• The Washington Fly Fishing Club meeting is Feb. 16 at the Seattle Tennis Club. Jim Klug with Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures in Bozeman, Mont., will present Making of Drift and Rise. Details: www.wffc.com.

• The South King County Puget Sound Anglers meeting is 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at 19802 62nd Ave. S. in Kent. Tom Pollack with Salmon University will discuss fishing in Lake Washington. Details: 253-854-9290.

• The Cascade Bicycle Club's Chilly Hilly Ride is Feb. 28 on Bainbridge Island. Details: www.cascade.org.

• The Washington State Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society banquet is 5:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Red Lion Inn, 11211 Main St. in Bellevue. Cost is $65. Details: 425-649-5194 or www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

• The Ride Shakedown Snowboarding Competition is March 12-13 at Summit West at the Summit at Snoqualmie. Seattle-based Ride Snowboard and Summit at Snoqualmie team rider Austin Hironaka will be among the participants. Details: www.summitatsnoqualmie.com.

• Lake Sammamish State Park and Issaquah Paddle Sports is offering kayak nature tours at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. March 7 and March 27. A state park ranger will present an on-the-water program about the great blue heron and other wildlife viewing. Cost is $5, plus $10 for single kayak or $15 for doubles. Preregistration is required. Details: 206-527-1825 or 866-306-1825.

• The Issaquah Alps Trails Club hosts weekly hikes and meets in downtown Issaquah. Details: www.issaquahalps.org.

• The sport fishery for white sturgeon between Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River will close to catch and keep from Feb. 21 to Dec. 31.

Washington and Oregon fishery managers estimate that the harvest-catch guideline of 1,400 fish will be reached by Feb. 20.

Catch and release of sturgeon will still be allowed between Bonneville and The Dalles dams.

The section of the Columbia River and tributaries between The Dalles Dam and McNary Dam remain open to sturgeon retention until catch guidelines for each reservoir are reached.

The spawning sanctuaries from the Highway 395/Interstate 82 bridge upstream to McNary Dam and from the Rufus grain elevator upstream to John Day Dam will be closed to all sturgeon fishing May 1 through July 31.

• The Washington Sea Grant and Port of Seattle Fishermen's Terminal are hosting a Coast Guard-approved First Aid at Sea course 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 22. at the Nordby Building on Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. Cost is $80. Details: 206-543-1225.

• Boaters considering a cruise to Southeast Alaska can attend a workshop 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Seattle Yacht Club, 1807 E. Hamlin St. in Seattle. The event is co-sponsored by Washington Sea Grant and the Seattle Yacht Club. Cost is $20. Details: 206-543-1225 or 206-325-1000.

• The Washington Sea Grant and Port of Seattle Fishermen's Terminal are hosting a Coast Guard-approved First Aid at Sea Course 8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 23 at the Nordby Building in Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. Cost is $80. Details: 206-543-1225.

• The Everett Blackmouth Derby hosted by the Everett Salmon and Steelhead Club is March 20 in Marine Catch Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9. Cost is $100 per boat, with a maximum of four anglers per boat. Largest fish is worth $3,000. Details: www.everettblackmouthderby.com.

• The new nonprofit Cascade Musky Association is looking for members. Cost is $25 or $35 for a couple/family membership. Details: www.cascademuskyassociation.com or www.wafish.com.

• The Washington Fly Fishing Club meeting is 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Seattle Tennis Club. Please RSVP to attend meetings. Details: www.WFFC.com.

• The Western Bass Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Thursday at the Kennydale Hall in Renton. Details: www.westernbassclub.comor www.nickbarrfishing.com.

• The Washington Trails Association offers statewide trip reports and trail conditions. Details: www.wta.org.

• The Northwest Fly Anglers offer various public classes through the year. The public also is invited to club meetings on the third Thursday of each month, at the Haller Lake Community Center, 12579 Densmore Ave. N., in North Seattle. Details: 206-684-7524.

• The Emerald Sea Dive Club offers year-round activities, including the big buddy program and weekly and monthly dives. The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month, 7-9 p.m. at Alfy's Pizza, 4820 196th S.W. in Lynnwood. Details: 425-775-2410 or www.emeraldseadiveclub.org.

• The Seattle Audubon Society offers field trips and classes every month. Details: 206-523-4483 or www.seattleaudubon.org.

• Northend Bassmasters is accepting new members who want to learn more about bass fishing. The group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the Crystal Creek Cafe, 22620 Bothell-Everett Highway (Canyon Park) in Bothell. Details: 206-789-4259 or e-mail Gary Millard at glmillard@comcast.net.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com