PFMC Approves Unclipped Ocean Coho Season for the first time since 1993

[Twise95]

Originally found at: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/arti...|text|Sports|s

For the first time since the early 1990s, Oregon ocean anglers off the central coast will be able to keep nonhatchery coho salmon.

Members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council approved a split season with six any-coho days in early September between Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, south to Humbug Mountain near Port Orford for waters 3 to 200 miles offshore. Approval of the seasons and bag limits for ocean salmon seasons within 3 miles of the coast is on the agenda Friday when the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meets in Salem. Commission decisions almost always conform with those set by the council. A coho-conservation closure was imposed beginning in 1994. Beginning in 1998, coho season reopened for hatchery fin-clipped coho only.

"This is the first time we've tried an unclipped season," said Mike Sorensen, an Oregon Charter representative on the council's Salmon Advisory Subpanel. "Oh, yeah. I'm really excited about it. I'm really glad we were able to get this season."

Biologists say good ocean conditions have played a large part in healthy coho returns.
They agree with Sorensen that it's also the payoff for all of the conservation efforts and habitat work since federal listing of coastal coho salmon.

"Exactly. That's what it is," said Sorensen, the skipper of Miss Raven out of Newport Marina Charters who attended the weeklong series of council meetings the past week in San Mateo, Calif. "We're hoping that this season works really good and we'll be able to keep it up.

"Because the OCNs, the Oregon coast naturals, for the coho are doing so much better."

Here are the Falcon-to-Humbug seasons approved by the council:
-Chinook fishing is open now through Sept. 30.
-The first half of the coho season for hatchery fin-clipped fish only is open seven days per week from July 2 through Aug. 13 but will close early if anglers reach the 15,000-hatchery coho cap.
-Coho reopens for clipped and nonclipped coho Sept. 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10 (Thursdays through Saturdays), or until a catch ceiling of 3,000 fish is reached. The kicker is that if any of the 15,000 hatchery coho are left after the first half of the season — and Sorensen predicted that there will be — those roll over into the second half and could extend that season based on the potential impacts on nonclipped fish.

"With all the predictions of the fish that are out there, we probably won't hit the 15,000 mark," he said. "There probably will be some fish left over."

I visited and observed the Pacific Fisheries Management Council in early March when they met in Vancouver, WA, and it was a really intriguing meeting, watching how different congregation of groups work towards managing the oceanic fisheries. They do mostly commercial management but they also set the sport regulations as well, everything from salmon to halibut and offshore ground fish. And this article is one of the many results that have been decided from this council meeting.

[Metal Slinger]

Interesting, I'm always for more opportunity for the sport angler but 15k fish sure seems like a lot. this raises a theory that I hear often that we might actually have a lower mortality on wild coho if we are just allowed to kill the first 1 or 2 fish we catch regardless of adipose status. anyone who's fished ocean coho know's how aggressive they are and even though we are using barbless hooks out there, the fish hit so hard and swallow the bait as they are in a feeding frenzy, often times they end up bleeding and/or losing a lot of scales in the process of being released. Often you have to hook 30+ fish to boat 15 or so to get limits for 3 guys. So if we just kill the first couple we boat instead of beating up a couple dozen extra fish, we might actually end up killing fewer nates. just a thought.

[Spade]

Exactly Jack! I'm excited about this because that means a lot quicker limits and a lot less dead Native coho that get butchered up by the Charter boats looking for clipped fish.

YAY!!!!

[Osmosis]

absolutely excellent decision by the "powers that be" on this one!! I am very happy to hear this, Im always shocked at how many fish we had to sort through (kill and throw back) to get ours. I have frequently talked about this.
The ocean salmon are such a weak fish that nearly all the fish c&r no matter how careful end up dying as a result, and some days you gotta go through a bunch to get the hatcheries!