JEFFREY P. MAYOR; jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
Published: March 5th, 2008 01:00 AM
Anglers should see few changes in salmon fishing opportunities in Tacoma when the 2008 season framework is finalized early next month.
That is the assessment of Pat Pattillo, who helps negotiate season setups for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. He spoke at the annual salmon forecast meeting held Tuesday in Olympia.
The session was the first in a series of meetings that make up the North of Falcon process during which federal, state and tribal fisheries managers negotiate the upcoming salmon fishing season. The process will conclude with the Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings April 6-11 in SeaTac at which ocean and Puget Sound salmon fishing seasons will be set.
Forecasts by the state call for run sizes on local rivers to be at or near typical levels.
Summer and fall chinook runs on the Puyallup River are expected to be 5,014 fish, including 3,614 hatchery fish. The Green River should see runs reach more than 27,600 fish. To the south, the Nisqually forecast calls for a return of 30,226 fish, including 26,349 hatchery fish. A run of 7,260 chinook is expected to return to Chambers Creek.
Coho runs are a similar story.
On the Puyallup, the forecast calls for a return of 36,861 fish, with 33,561 expected to be hatchery fish. The Nisqually return is forecast at nearly 3,000 fish, while the Green is expected to see a run of 42,438 fish.
Fall chum runs are another positive story. The return to South Sound rivers is forecast at 514,937 fish. In Hood Canal, the chum run is expected to be 668,397 fish.
"I don't expect there to be many changes for anglers in Tacoma," Pattillo said.
He said he expects the summer selective fishery for chinook in Marine Area 11 that was put in place last year to continue.
One possible change the department is considering is lowering the size limit for summer blackmouth in Marine Area 13, the area south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Chinook must be at least 22 inches long before they can be kept.
"People were catching a lot of small jacks there last year. And there's not a quota in the area, so it's something we're considering," he said.
The biggest concern is the South Sound is the Skokomish River. A return of just 2,109 chinook is expected this year, down 31 percent from last year.
"The numbers are going to be down a significant amount which will impact sport and tribal fisheries," Pattillo said.
Another river of concern the Stillaguamish. The chinook run is forecast at just 1,132 fish, down 41 percent from last year. Such a decline could have implications for a number of North Sound fisheries, said Phil Anderson, deputy director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The coho return to the Columbia River also is expected to be poor. The forecast calls for a return of 196,700 fish, down from the actual return of 462,100 coho in 2007.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640
blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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