[env-trinity] Article submission: Fish agencies and anglers are optimistic about 2015 ocean salmon season

[Dan Bacher]

Good Morning

Here is a brief summary of the meeting yesterday. I will do a more  
detailed report later.

Thanks
Dan

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/recreational-anglers-are-cautiously-optimistic-about-2014-ocean-salmon-seas/

Fish agencies and anglers are optimistic about 2015 ocean salmon season

by Dan Bacher

State and federal fishery scientists speaking at the annual salmon  
informational meeting held in Santa Rosa Thursday shared encouraging  
news for sport and commercial salmon anglers for the upcoming 2015  
ocean salmon season.
Forecasts, developed in modeling based on the returns of two year old  
salmon, "jacks" and "jills," to the river in the fall of 2014 suggest  
there are 652,000 adult Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon in the  
ocean this year, along with 423,800 adults from the Klamath River fall  
run.

Fish from these runs comprise the vast majority of salmon taken in  
California’s ocean and inland fisheries, according to a statement from  
the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

These forecasts, surprising many anglers at the meeting since they  
were higher than last year, will be used over the next few months by  
fishery managers to set sport and commercial fishing season dates,  
commercial quotas, and size and bag limits.

“The forecasts are encouraging and suggest that California fisheries  
may see salmon seasons in 2015 that have increased opportunities over  
last year,” said Melodie Palmer-Zwahlen, a senior environmental  
scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Palmer-Zwahlen noted that Chinook salmon harvested in ocean fisheries  
in 2015 hatched 2-4 years ago and, as a result, have not been highly  
impacted by California’s drought. "Starting next year, it is  
anticipated that future ocean salmon fishing opportunities may be  
impacted by the ongoing drought," she stated.

Season dates and other regulations will be developed by the Pacific  
Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and California Fish and Game  
Commission over the next few months. Thursday's meeting was a key  
first step in establishing coastal salmon fishing seasons and  
regulations for this year that are expected to be finalized and  
announced by the PFMC and the California Fish and Game Commission in  
April.Pending these decisions, the 2015 recreational salmon season is  
on track to open in most of California on Saturday, April 4, noted a  
news release from the Coastside Fishing Club.

“When it came to salmon projections for the state and anticipated  
ocean fishing opportunities during 2015, the mood at the meeting could  
be best described as cautiously optimistic,” said Coastside Fishing  
Club President and Science Director Dan Wolford, a voting member of  
the PFMC.  “About 212,000 adult salmon returned to spawn in  
California’s Sacramento River and tributaries in 2014 — well above the  
180,000 escapement objective previously set by fishery managers."

Another positive note was the solid number of returning two-year old  
fish, commonly referred to as "jacks" and "jills," according to  
Wolford. Included in the overall returns for 2014 were 25,359 jacks —  
about 25-percent more than returned in 2013. Since the majority of  
these sub-adult salmon tend to stay out in the ocean for another year  
before returning, this is another positive sign for ocean salmon  
numbers and solid fishing opportunities in 2015.

At this time last year, scientists estimated an abundance of about  
600,000 three-year old Sacramento River salmon. Iinitial estimates for  
2015 put the forecasted number of adults a bit higher than last year,  
at 650,000.

"The 2014 returns are a pleasant surprise and point to the success of  
the extraordinary efforts of the Department to truck juvenile hatchery  
fish around the deadly conditions encountered in the rivers and bay- 
delta system," Wolford observed.

Wolford said returning adult salmon numbers on the Klamath River were  
also stronger in 2014 than in the previous year — with the 95,330  
natural adult spawners more than doubling the established minimum of  
40,700 fish. An additional 31,000 adult salmon also returned to the  
Klamath Basin hatcheries.

“We face many challenges in California, not the least of which is our  
continuing drought," said Wolford. "Still, the positive salmon return  
numbers from 2014 and the forecast for the coming season gives us  
reason to be hopeful. "The PFMC will weigh these projections and take  
into account a wide range of considerations as it develops regulations  
that will ultimately decide when, where and how anglers can fish for  
salmon in the state."

Wolford was featured on a panel with Coastside Director Marc Gorelnik,  
who serves on the PFMC Salmon Advisory Subpanel, the body charged with  
developing season options for adoption, and other members of the PFMC  
and its advisory panels.

"Involvement with the PFMC is just one of many initiatives this  
volunteer-driven organization undertakes to benefit anglers and fish  
alike, including the construction, operation and maintenance of salmon  
acclimation pens located in Pillar Point Harbor," according to the  
releasd. "Over the past three years, Coastside volunteers have  
received, fed, vaccinated and released nearly one million juvenile  
salmon into area waters, each sporting a coded wire tag that allows  
fishery managers to track movements of these hatchery fish — as well  
as the program’s overall success — through the eventual capture of  
returning fish."

Fishermen who want to stay on top of developing news and regulations  
can visit the Coastside Fishing Club website at www.CoastsideFishingClub.com 
.

For more information on the salmon season setting process or general  
ocean salmon fishing information, please visit the Ocean Salmon  
Project website atwww.dfg.ca.gov/marine/oceansalmon.asp, or call the  
salmon fishing hotline at (707) 576-3429.


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