Nelly - Why are "Wild" Silvers Protected in the Ocean?!

[Ffej]

I have fished Neah Bay off and on the past 40 years, but regularly the past 8 years and the recent regs. always require release of wild coho. The regs. usually allow retention of 2 kings, then 2 hatchery coho (or you can retain 2 more hatchery coho if you don't retain kings).
Based on my experience, the drill is to catch and release 8-10 wild coho for every hatchery coho you find. So, why the heck isn't retention of wild coho allowed? There seems to be emormous abundance!
Also, despite careful handlling you will likely catch every 5th coho in the gill or somewhere causing a terminal wound, so this dumb policy often results in 4-5 dead wild coho to catch 2 hatchery coho.
In sum, what is justification for continued nonretention of wild coho? And, current policy probably results in more damage to wild coho than if retention was allowed.

[Salmonhawk]

In the recent past we have had some really poor returns of coho to Puget Sound including last year if memory serves. I also think some of it has to do with returns in Oregon being depleted, some of those are their fish. As far as hooking mortality, I do not believe that it is that high, salmon are pretty hardy and if cared for they will survive. Injuries are just that, injuries, not necessarily a death sentence. I've caught fish with bites taken out of them and the wound healed up. The way I see it, if your having that kind of success and catching those numbers, sit back and enjoy the fight.

[Smalma]

Ffej -
Nelly will likely be able to provide more info but the short answer to your questions is that we see coho selective fisheries in the ocean to protect key weak coho stocks. Depending on where you are on the ocean that may be Oregon coastal fish, Columbia River fish or as in the case of the western Straits (Neah Bay, Sekiu, etc) it can be the upper Fraser coho. While there are lots of wild coho off Neah Bay they are from a number of populations many of which are doing quite well and others that are in trouble. The reality of today's fisheries management is such mixed stock fisheries typically limited by the weaker stocks.

Through the salmon treaty Washington is required to limit impacts from fisheries in this state on those upper Fraser coho (Thompson) stocks to no more than 10%. Those stocks are both interesting and a pain in that they seem to spend a lot of time feeding off the Washingotn coast and western end of the Straits.

With the requirement to protect those Fraser and other weak stocks selective fishing was been the fisheries management tool of choice. Yes one could fish non-selective however all the models show that in doing so you would like see seasons at Neah Bay of only a couple weeks. At such forums as NOF anglers have pretty consistently expressed the desire for longer seasons over shorter seasons. Once those Fraser coho "clear" the straits (mid Sept.) you see the coho fishng go back to non-selective in places like Sekiu.

Tight lines
Curt

[Nelly]

I really cannot add anything to Smalma and SalmonHawk's great responses other than enlarge upon the concept of "mixed stock" and "terminal" fisheries.

At Neah Bay, you will encounter coho from two countries and four states all feeding together in a "mixed stock". When harvest occurrs in these areas, it's impossible for the angler to know who's coho ends up in the fish box!

With a fin clip coho selective fishery, managers can make the case that while anglers are encountering large numbers of fish, the harvest on wild stocks are limited to hooking mortality.

In the case of Puget Sound coho, once they turn the corner at Pt. Wilson and enter Marine Area 9, it is assumed that they are indeed headed for Puget Sound rivers and hatcheries or, in other words, their "terminal" area.

In general, fisheries managers can allow more liberal regulations in terminal fisheries since they do not impact fisheries in other management areas.

If you find that you are mortally wounding a large number of fish, try larger baits/lures, larger hooks or stop using bait altogether. Larger lures will often stay in the mouth area and result in less hooking mortality.

Great question and thanks for bringing it to our board!

[Ffej]

Thank you for the thoughtfull replies. Admittedly, my expertise is in business and not fisheries management. I am; however, skeptical that (at least as applied to Area 4, Area 3) the "culling" through of wild coho - despite being fun to catch - to find that rare hatchery fish really has any net benefit. I use large hooks, handle fish carefully, know the regs but you still hook an occassional wild fish somewhere other than the lip likely resulting in mortality. So, a limit of first two coho caught whether hatchery or wild would likely decrease mortality compared to current policy.

[Bod]

Our rules are about the same north of the border. Everyday is different and some days are mostly clipped fish, some days wild and some days 50/50. It does really pain me to release fish that may die, but if that keeps the season open to allow us to harvest Chinook and hatchery coho I'm good with that. Just do your best to return them as well as you can. They are pretty hardy fish.
Bod