21 May
2003
Media Contact:
Charles Hudson
(503) 731-1257
Mike Matylewich
(503) 731-1251
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Larger-than-expected salmon
returns open commercial sales
Tribal fishers to offer
over-the-bank sales between Thursday and Saturday
Portland, Oregon
- A larger-than-expected
run of returning Columbia River Basin spring chinook salmon is allowing
tribal fishers to open their second commercial gillnet fishing period
in as many months.
Fishers from Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Nez Perce tribes met
today with the Columbia River Compact, representing the states of
Oregon and Washington, and agreed to open a commercial gillnet fishery
from 6 a.m. Thursday, May 22, to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 24. That means
fresh fish caught during the fishery will be available to the public
at over-the-bank sales sites throughout the Columbia Basin.
Sales of gillnet-caught fish will be offered during the weekend at
various sites throughout Zone 6, a 150-mile stretch of the Columbia
between the Bonneville Dam and McNary Dam near Umatilla. Spring chinook
and steelhead will be sold. Small numbers of walleye, shad and carp
may also be available for sale. Sturgeon will not be available to
the public for purchase.
Commercial sales of platform- and hook-and-line-caught fish began
with last month's two-and-a-half-day gillnet period and remains in
effect through 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31.
Virgil Lewis Sr., a member of the Yakama Nation’s fish and wildlife
committee, told the Compact that the size of the spring chinook run
is larger than the pre-season forecast of 145,400 spring chinook at
the mouth of the Columbia River. Fishery scientists now believe 192,000
spring chinook have returned to the river.
Spring chinook counts at Bonneville Dam are still fluctuating between
1,000 and 2,300 fish per day, he said.
Stuart Ellis, harvest management biologist for the Columbia River
Inter-Tribal fish Commission (CRITFC), said the spring chinook run
is dominated this year by 5-year-old fish, which is unusual.
"We don't know why 5-year-olds have come back in such large numbers,"
he said.
A preseason forecast estimated a return of about 35,000 5-year-olds
and slightly more than 110,000 4-year-olds, but those numbers have
changed dramatically in recent months: Nearly 110,000 5-year-olds
and 72,000 4-year-olds are expected to return, Ellis noted.
CRITFC and tribal scientists believe the lower count of 4-year-old
fish can be attributed to low water flows that occurred when the fish
were juveniles migrating to the ocean through the hydropower system
in 2001. The low flows resulted from reduced spills initiated during
the Bonneville Power Administration’s "power emergency."
However, "Nobody has any idea about why the 5-year-olds are doing
so well," Ellis said.
He added that more than 11,000 young male "jacks" have crossed
Bonneville Dam so far, "and that is an indication of a pretty
good run next year."
A staple of the tribal diet for thousands of years, salmon are recognized
as one of the healthiest foods available. Salmon contain high amounts
of these healthy omega-3 oils, and studies published in Circulation:
Journal of the American Heart Association have found that omega-3's
make blood less likely to form clots that cause heart attack and protect
against irregular heartbeats that cause sudden cardiac death.
Over-the-bank sales help tribal fishers support their families and
make it possible to continue their traditional livelihood. Prosperous
fisheries also have broader local and regional economic benefits.
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) estimates
that for every $10 generated by fish sales, as much as $7 is contributed
to local economies.
Tribal sellers can be found at various locations between Bonneville
Dam and McNary Dam. Major sales locations include the Marine Park
at Cascade Locks, Lone Pine at The Dalles and the boat launch near
Roosevelt, Wash. Buyers should bring sufficient ice and coolers to
keep fish fresh. Sales are cash only. Customers can call toll-free
(888) 289-1855 for more information.
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About CRITFC
The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management
policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.
CRITFC, formed in 1977, employs biologists, other scientists, public
information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work
in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination,
harvest control and law enforcement. |
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