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The Washington Fish and Wildlife has just come out with their predictions for salmon runs this summer. They are predicting well over 5 million pink salmon heading up the Straits of Juan de Fuca this summer, 2 million more than in 2007 (they only run on odd years). If you fished 2007 like we did--out of Sekiu--you know how remarkable the fishing was. We typically couldn't get all our poles out before we had a pink (humpie) on. The last few years you could head out at dawn and have a limit of 4 each coho and/or pinks and be back on the docks cleaning them by 8:00. The F and W also called this year's coho run "amazing". Kings are also going to be numerous. The ocean conditions were near perfect. This also means big fish. Better make your reservations quick! Mike
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Global warming
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Here;s the rest of the story....
[font "Times New Roman"]Western salmon numbers up, but not enough
By Jeff Barnard The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS, [/font][font "Tahoma"]—[/font][font "Times New Roman"] West Coast salmon fishermen can expect another lousy fishing season [/font][font "Tahoma"]—[/font][font "Times New Roman"] the third in a row.
Forecasts call for twice as many salmon as last year overall, but barely enough chinook returning to California’s Sacramento River to spawn a new generation, the Pacific Fishery Management Council said Wednesday.
That will likely mean no sport or commercial salmon fishing off California and little off Oregon, for fear of unintentionally killing too many Sacramento fish swimming with more prevalent stocks, said Chuck Tracy, head of the salmon section for the Portland-based council.
Meanwhile, returns are forecast to be some of the best ever for coho and chinook returning to Oregon and Washington rivers, particularly the Columbia, which will mean a general improvement in fishing north of Cape Falcon on the northern Oregon Coast and into Washington.
"The only comfort is it’s an upward trend, but not upward enough this year to expect anything but closures all the way up to Cape Falcon," said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, which represents California-based salmon fishermen.
Ocean seasons were generous in 2007, but the catch was poor. In 2008, the seasons were practically shut down coastwide for fear of wiping out the Sacramento chinook run after it took a sudden drop. Both years Congress voted disaster assistance to salmon fishermen.
California has traditionally had the biggest fleet, followed by Oregon and then Washington.
The average economic impact of the fishery dropped from $66 million between 2003 and 2007 to $6.9 million in 2008.
Last year’s collapse was blamed primarily on poor ocean conditions producing little for salmon to eat. Fishermen and conservation groups also pointed to large irrigation withdrawals from the Sacramento Delta as juvenile salmon were migrating to the ocean in 2005 and 2006.
Scientists have said a switch in climatic conditions in recent years has produced more food in the ocean, setting up more abundant salmon returns in 2010.
In coming decades, salmon are expected to have it tougher, as warming temperatures reduce the amount of water stored in mountain snowpacks, diminishing flows in rivers where salmon spend the first part of their lives.
A draft report on 41 potential factors in the Sacramento decline is to be delivered to the council in April, when it meets in Milbrae, Calif., to set the final ocean salmon seasons.
Proposed seasons are to be set in Seattle next month.
Actual returns regularly fall short of forecasts, but this year’s prediction for the Sacramento calls for 122,196 salmon if none are caught by fishermen [/font][font "Tahoma"]—[/font][font "Times New Roman"] just 196 more than the minimum for spawning a new generation. Tracy said up to half of those fish would be taken if coho fishing is allowed off Oregon, leaving even fewer to be caught on purpose.
The Klamath River forecast was also up, but marked the fourth straight year below what is needed for a new generation. Low returns to the Klamath have been a perennial headache for fisheries managers due to dams, logging and poor water quality.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said he would work to see that any leftover 2008 disaster assistance is made available to fishermen.
A coalition of 100 outdoor gear and recreational fishing businesses called on President Barack Obama and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to reverse the policies of the Bush administration on salmon in the Columbia Basin, where 13 salmon runs are on the threatened and endangered species lists.
"With the Obama administration and a new Congress, we now have our best opportunity to end the political and legal deadlock of the last eight years and bring our salmon back from the brink of extinction," Gareth Martins, marketing director for Osprey Packs, said in a statement.
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Yes, while things look better in Washington and B.C., California and Oregon have serious problems. The whole Sacramento system is on life support. The only encouraging thing is the last couple of paragraphs in your article. Everything I have read says the Obama administration is truly committed to bringing back the salmon. Let's hope so. Mike
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