Although the region’s salmon fisheries are well into their summer seasons, much turmoil remains concerning the management of the state’s fisheries.
Fishermen lost time on area rivers and lakes this spring because the state and tribes had trouble reaching an agreement on seasons and allotments.
Those in fisheries-related businesses were hurt because of the uncertainty over whether fishing would be allowed at all.
Others feel the fisheries conflict drowned out other issues, such as the battle to bring a catch-and-release steelhead fishery back to the upper Skagit River.
This year marked the first time in about 30 years that the treaty tribes and the state Department of Fish & Wildlife, which co-manage the region’s fisheries, failed to reach an agreement on seasons and allotments by their usual deadline, putting the summer fisheries in doubt.
With an agreement reached in mid-May and approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in mid-June, the summer seasons started at their usual time. That was good news for fishermen.
More good news is that the sockeye salmon runs came earlier than expected and in larger numbers than forecast, Fish & Wildlife fisheries planner Kirt Hughes said.
Baker Lake is a hot spot for those sockeye, with dozens of boat trailers parked at campgrounds around the lake on any given day.
This is a good lake for it. Well, the whole upper valley is good for fishing, said Leslie Bates after coming in off the lake July 21 with her husband Lawrence Bates.
Jay Van Putten, a fisherman from Bow, said the salmon opportunities now available at Baker Lake and in Puget Sound are a relief to area fishermen.
They were talking about not opening it at all, and that really had people upset, he said.
That frustration over how the seasons and allotments are set remains.
Things need to change. Our state needs to do a better job of catering to the hunters and fishermen … We seem to be getting less and less every year, Van Putten said.
Sen. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, who chairs the state Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee, said he heard from many fishermen and fisheries-related businesses while negotiations for the salmon seasons dragged on.
There was a lot of concern from those on the business side, he said. To have that fishery (opened) was vital for our economy.
Brett Rosson, who owns a fishing charter company in Anacortes, said while the marine fishing seasons opened as usual, the uncertainty surrounding the fisheries meant about a third fewer fishermen than usual booked trips for July.
Another concern are the restrictions that came with the fisheries agreement, including that wild coho salmon caught in marine areas can’t be kept because coho returning to Puget Sound streams this year came back undersized and in low numbers.
The most substantial changes to Puget Sound marine fishing is that all coho must be released, Fish & Wildlife recreational salmon fishery manager Ryan Lothrop said, noting exceptions for Hood Canal, Sinclair Inlet and Dungeness Bay. Additionally, most marine areas were closed to salmon fishing in September and October to protect returning wild coho.
For July, wild chinook also had to be released in marine area 7, which includes waters around the San Juan Islands and along Whatcom and Skagit counties.
The requirement to throw back wild fish hasn’t been popular among recreational fishermen. Rosson’s customers have not been able to keep about 60 percent of the fish caught this year.
People want to come out and catch a salmon in the Pacific Northwest and now they have to throw it back, he said.
While approval of the summer marine seasons was pending, area rivers and lakes where salmon are found were closed as a precaution, costing freshwater fishermen about seven weeks on the water.
If you look around in your backyard, that’s probably where the most opportunity was lost, was in the Skagit, Hughes said.
Puget Sound Anglers President Ron Garner said restrictions on lakes and rivers in the spring and early summer hit fishermen and those who sell fishing gear hard.
The chance of hooking even one fish, one chinook, shut down all fisheries, he said. It was a detriment to all areas. Any lake and river that were connected to the Puget Sound that any of the (Endangered Species Act) listed fish could get to were not allowed to be open for any fishing.
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