IDFG Needing Volunteers For Clearwater River Cleanup

Volunteers are needed to help pick up litter along the Clearwater River near Kooskia and Orofino on Saturday, September 10.

Volunteers, especially those with river boats or rafts, are asked to meet at 9 a.m. at either the Pink House Recreation Site near Orofino or the Kamiah boat ramp across from the City Park at the base of the Kamiah Bridge.

Cold drinks and snacks will be provided, as well as garbage bags and ties.

The goal is to pick up litter along the river from Kooskia downstream to Long Camp and from the Pink House site downstream to Cherry Lane Bridge.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Department of Transportation will pick up the litter bags volunteers leave along the highway.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be sponsored by the Clearwater Management Council.

For more information, please contact Judy Culver at the Bureau of Land Management, 208-962-3796, or Don Beck at Fish and Game, 208-799-5010.

ODFW Hosts Open House Sept. 20

Let’s talk about fishing: ODFW hosts open house in Bend on Sept. 20

September 7, 2011

SALEM, Ore. –State fishery managers are inviting anglers to share their ideas, comments and concerns at an “Open House” on Sept. 20 in Bend. The open house is being held in conjunction with a meeting of the Inland Sports Fishing Advisory Committee (ISFAC). The meeting at the Phoenix Inn Suites, 300 NW Franklin Ave in Bend, goes from 6 to 9 p.m. The agenda will focus on lake management in the High Desert Region and include an overview on the upcoming project to remove illegally introduced bullhead catfish from South Twin Lake. Public comments on the South Twin project will be accepted at the meeting. The remainder of the agenda will be dedicated to hearing from anglers and addressing questions and concerns from attendees. “We’re looking forward to meeting anglers and listening to what’s on their mind,” said Rhine Messmer, ODFW Recreational Fisheries Program Manager. “The open house is a good way for us to get input on a variety of fish management issues so that we can make better informed decisions.” ISFAC was created by ODFW to help provide input and ideas on implementation of the department’s 25-year Angling Enhancement Plan (pdf). The plan has two primary goals of providing diverse, stable, and productive angling opportunities, and recruiting and retaining anglers. The 26 members of the Advisory Committee represent a variety of fishing interests from throughout the state. Twice a year ISFAC meetings are open to the public as a forum for interested anglers to bring their fishery management issues, thoughts and ideas to ODFW fishery managers and administrators.

Most of Puget Sound closing to crabbing;
summer catch reports due by Oct. 1

OLYMPIA - Most areas of Puget Sound will close to recreational crab fishing at sunset on Labor Day, with summer catch reports due by Oct. 1.

The only two areas of the Sound that will remain open to crab fishing after Labor Day are marine areas 7-North and 7-South near the San Juan Islands. Sport fishers who crab in those two areas from Sept. 5-30 must record their catch on winter catch record cards.

All sport fishers licensed to fish for Dungeness crab anywhere in Puget Sound are required to submit summer catch reports to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) by Oct. 1.

"Catch reports play a major role in determining how much crab is still available for harvest during the winter season," said Rich Childers, WDFW’s shellfish policy lead. "It’s important that we receive reports from everyone licensed to fish for crab in Puget Sound - whether or not they caught crab this year."

Childers said WDFW will announce winter crab seasons for Puget Sound in early October, after completing its assessment of the summer fishery.

Crabbers can submit catch record cards to WDFW by mail at CRC Unit, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091. They can also report their catch online at http://bit.ly/WkXeA from Sept. 5 through Oct. 1.

Crabbers who fail to file their catch reports on time will face a $10 fine when they purchase a 2012 Puget Sound crab endorsement.

Sport crabbers who fish for Dungeness crab in any area of Puget Sound after Sept. 5 should record their catches on winter catch record cards, Childers said. Winter cards are now available at sporting good stores and other license vendors across the state.

Fishing on White Salmon River to close
one day for cleanup before dam removal

OLYMPIA - The lower portion of the White Salmon River will be closed to fishing for 12 hours Sept. 17 to allow an interagency clean-up team to remove derelict boats, camping gear and other debris before Condit Dam is breached in late October.

The fishing closure, announced by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17. The affected area extends 3.3 miles from the Highway 14 Bridge to the powerhouse at the dam.

The river mouth downstream of the Highway 14 Bridge will remain open.

John Weinheimer, a WDFW fish biologist, said the clean-up effort is designed to prevent abandoned boats and debris from being swept into the Columbia River when the 125-foot dam is breached to improve passage for wild steelhead, salmon and bull trout.

"Large debris could impair fish habitat in the lower White Salmon River and present a challenge to navigation in the Columbia," Weinheimer said. "We’re pleased to be a partner in this clean-up effort."

Other partners include the Underwood Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, Friends of the White Salmon River, Yakama Nation Fisheries, SOLV, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Klickitat County Solid Waste, USGS Columbia River Research Laboratory, Allied Waste, the Washington Department of Transportation, Klickitat County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Dept. dive team.

Volunteers interested in assisting with the cleanup can contact the Underwood Conservation District at 509-493-1936, or email ucd@gorge.net .

Adrianne Zuckerman, Watershed Resource Technician at the Conservation District, said approximately 15 boats - some submerged or partially submerged - have been identified for removal. All have been marked with a tag notifying owners of their options.

"Dive teams are helping remove the derelict boats from underwater," she said. "But we also need volunteers to help move boats out of the water and onto shore and clean up debris at popular fishing areas."

Condit Dam, a 97-year-old structure owned by PacifiCorp, is scheduled to be breached Oct. 26, emptying the 92-acre reservoir behind it in six hours. That is expected to open up 14 miles of habitat for chinook salmon and 33 miles of habitat for steelhead. The free-flowing river also is expected to protect critical bull trout habitat and benefit bears and other wildlife that feed on salmon.

WDFW is currently working with PacifiCorp, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Yakama Tribe to collect returning salmon in large seine nets and truck them up above the dam, where they will be released into the upper river to spawn.

Washington Weekender Report

Hunters take to the field,
salmon move in from the ocean

The sun is setting earlier and there's a chill in the morning air - signs of the coming change of season. Fall is in the air, and hunters are heading out for the first major hunting seasons of the year.

Archery hunts for deer got under way around the state Sept. 1, when hunting seasons also opened for forest grouse, mourning dove and cottontail and snowshoe hare. Other seasons set to open this month include an archery hunt for elk, a black powder hunt for deer, and a turkey hunt in some areas of eastern Washington.

A youth-only hunt for ducks, geese, pheasant and other game birds runs Sept. 24-25 statewide. To participate, hunters must be 15 years old or younger and be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years old who is not hunting.

"Waterfowl populations are at record levels, but all that rain last spring took a toll on upland game birds," said Dave Ware, statewide game manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "Hunting seasons for deer and elk look promising in most areas."

So do this month's fishing prospects. On the Columbia River, thousands of hefty fall chinook salmon are pushing upstream into tributaries below and above Bonneville Dam. Farther north, coho salmon are moving east through the Strait of Juan de Fuca in increasing numbers.

"After Labor Day we usually see a big push of ocean coho move into Puget Sound," said Steve Thiesfeld, a WDFW fish biologist. "We should see more and more of those ocean fish make their way into the Sound as the month progresses."

Regardless of where they’re bound, hunters and fishers should be aware of two changes affecting license fees and permits approved this year by the state Legislature:

License fees: Starting Sept. 1, the base price of most Washington hunting and fishing licenses increased for the first time in more than a decade. The new fees will help meet rising costs and address a shortfall in revenue for managing hunting, fishing and the fish and wildlife species that make those activities possible. New prices are posted at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/license_fees.html .

Discover Pass: A Discover Pass is now generally required for vehicle access to state parks, campgrounds, boat launches and wildlife areas - although some exceptions apply. An annual pass costs $35 and a one-day pass available for $11.50 when purchased online, by phone, or from retail license vendors. However, holders of most annual fishing and hunting licenses do not need the new pass to use WDFW lands and water-access sites. Some lands managed by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are also exempt. For more information, see WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/discoverpass/ .

Meanwhile, crab fishing in most areas of Puget Sound is set to close Sept. 5, and WDFW is reminding crabbers that summer catch record cards are due to WDFW by Oct. 1 - whether or not they actually caught crab this year. Completed cards can be submitted by mail or online at http://bit.ly/WkXeA from Sept. 5 through Oct. 1.