Just thought you all might like an update on the closures. I talked with Chad Jackson, biologist for region 4, on friday. Last week he had informed me that they needed at least 1.3 million eggtake to reopen the terminal areas and when this goal is attained they would immediately reopen the terminal fisheries. Well I guess that is not true! As of last weeks spawning they have already collected 1.3 million eggs and they have 387 adults on hand in the various hatcheries awaiting spawning. Also, this does not include any fish that they are currently holding in the wallace and reiter facilities as these hatcheries are not included on the WDFW winter run hatchery support. I asked Mr. Jackson about this and he said that they just decided that they were going to collect 2 milliion eggs before reopening with no justification of why...just because.
CM

P.S. I also have heard from a very reliable source that the hatchery workers at the wallace have said that they have an additional 200 adults on hand between the wallace and reiter facilities as of last thursday. This should give the region well over 2 million eggs.

I can understand that this will frustrate those who want to get back in at Reiter and Tokul, however, I for one am all for them getting all the eggs they can while the getting is good. We've got other areas that we can fish, too.

S.H. I totally agree with you about getting as many eggs as possible....however I do not like getting straight out lied to by anyone. Just speak the truth and your credibility will increase tenfold! Also, as S.H. pointed out there are still quite a few fish in the open areas and there are some new fish that have come in this week! Good luck to all.
CM

Hmmm interesting here is SW Washington it has been a very good year for hatchery steelhead. Whats causing the sound so much trouble??

It has been a very good season on the Snoqualmie at least. I have a number of freinds who have caught more fish this season than they have in quite some time. I understand that some of the problems have come from low flows in the hatchery creeks, and also pressure at the mouths of those creeks. Once the pressure is off, I am sure they will get the eggs they need or want. Hopefully the restrictions will be lifted soon.

Canyon Man, maybe he didn't just "straight out" lie. Maybe they decided after your original conversation they wanted to take more eggs. Things do change sometimes, and that doesn't necessarily make people liars. If they take more eggs they'll plant more fish, and I can deal with that.

Ditto Salmonbelly.

This is the second low winter year in a row (although much better than last year). Hatchery runs in Puget Sound streams are suffering from lower survival rates than their counterparts in SW WA and the coast. Native run size has also been lower in Sound streams over the past several years. Similar lower run sizes have been observed on Vancouver Is streams that flow to the Sound (Strait of Georgia) compared with those streams that flow out onto the Strait of Juan de fuca and continental shelf.

Something is going on in the Sound that is lowering steelhead survival. Perhaps its natural and cyclical, perhaps its not; no one knows (its certainly not affecting PS salmon runs). Hatchery and early nate showings this winter suggest that things maybe getting better, but we really won't know until the end of the season.

Its easy to see Fish Mgmts thinking: it only took us a week to get to 1.3; lets see if we can ensure a normal years egg take by keeping it closed thru the next high water. Given whats going on, I think being conservative on their egg take is the way to go.

Of course the heavy netting in the Green and Puyallup rivers have nothing to do with low fish returns.

I personally never fish the big eddy on the Snoqualmie, but between the eddy and the falls is some great bank access. The bank access below Plum Landing just pales in comparison. Hell, most of it's frog water. Sure, you can catch fish, but the whole fishing experience changes.

I have friends who catch a lot of fish from the bank on the Sky in Sultan and Monroe, but I just don't like fishing there.

Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091

January 27, 2004


Snohomish basin rivers reopen
to fishing this weekend

Action: Re-open to all game fish fishing, including steelhead in sections of the Skykomish, Snoqualmie, and Wallace rivers and Tokul Creek.

Effective date: January 31, 2004

Species affected: All gamefish, including steelhead

Location:

Mainstem Skykomish River from 1,500 feet upstream to 1,000 feet downstream of the Reiter Ponds outlet.
Mainstem Snoqualmie River from the Plum Access boat launch (located approximately one-quarter mile downstream of the mouth of Tokul Creek) to Snoqualmie Falls.
Tokul Creek from its mouth to the posted cable boundary marker (approximately 700 feet upstream of the mouth).
Upper Wallace River from the railroad trestle (downstream of the Highway 2 Bridge) upstream to the mouth of Onley Creek.
Cascade River - Remains Closed from the mouth upstream to the Rockport Cascade road bridge.
Reason for action: These WDFW hatchery facilities have trapped adequate numbers of hatchery winter-run steelhead to meet egg take requirements.

Other information: Wild steelhead release remains in effect. Hatchery steelhead are identified by a missing adipose or ventral fin and a healed scar in the location of the missing fin. The Cascade River (mouth upstream to Rockport Cascade Road Bridge) will remain closed to allow the Marblemount Hatchery to continue collecting hatchery winter steelhead adults to fulfill broodstock requirements. If the egg take goal is met before late February, the Cascade River will reopen to recreational fishing.

Information contact: Chad Jackson, District Fish Biologist, (425) 775-1311, ext. 113

Thanks for the info. Kent...I just saw it on the WDFW site. I hope that keeping them accountable through the various phone conversations and emails by a lot of us has helped. Not matter what the reason we should still have a couple good weeks of brats left!!!
CM

I have heard that the reason that they closed the areas was that they are not going to get the extra eggs they need from the bogie like they always have. PS eggs only.

Yeah, they didn't want to mix genes. Which is unfortunate. I think one of the reason the P.S. fish have such a low survival rate is that they're so inbred now. It'd be nice to get some new genes in there to mix things up.