Quinault Sturgeon Fishing

[biolofisher]

Anybody see the posting on WDFW and Quinault Webpage about their Sturgeon opening in Grays Harbor?  They plan to fish 5 days a week through the end of July.  All of this with Spring Chinook numbers 400 below escapement goals.  This opening is crazy and the State has done nothing except roll over and take it from the Quinault their buddies.  Please respond with any ideas about how we can stop this fishing (pressure on WDFW etc...) 
heres a link to their page
http://209.206.175.157/Fishing%20Regs/2C%20commercial.pdf

[Todd]

Thanks for the heads up biolofisher...

Fish on...

Todd

[Todd]

OK...I checked out the document, and called a friend down there, and it looks like the sturgeon fishery will be limited to Area 2C, which is the north cove of the Harbor...essentially the Humptulips River estuary.  The impacts on Chehalis springers should be minimal, and the only fish of note from the Hump that will be around at the time will be summer runs, who should have little problems with 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 inch mesh...

My friend is contacting WDFW down there, though, and I'll report back if he hears anything particularly interesting about this fishery.

Fish on...

Todd

[biolofisher]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/tribal/index.htm

Here is the link to the WDFW page with the opening listed there and it includes more than the 2C area it includes Chehalis River (downstream of the powerline crossing below the confluence of the Wynoochee) and Grays Harbor Areas 2A-1, 2A AND 2D (upstream of the mouth of the Hoquiam River only.  I've talked several Tribal members that I know and they say that this mesh size set right will catch lots of springers.

Andy

[fishpimp]

this is second hand info that i have heard so take it with a grain of salt. i was sturgeon fishing in the chehalis out of friends landing a few years back {we blanked} at the launch we talked to a fish checker who was off duty{ or so he said,he seemed legit but who knows} and was walking his dog. he said that the tribe was using nets on or close to the bottom trying to target the sturgeon during springer season. they were only allowed something like 1000 springers but the sturgeon were bi-catch and they made more per pound on them than the springers anyway. he said that the department estimated that they caught 8000+ sturgeon in a 2 or 3 month season.
again i don't want to start any rumors but this is some info from a suposed reliable source.

 i know they sell sturgeon at the farmers market in olympia for something like $12-15 per pound.

please let us know if you hear anything todd, i know you are well connected. i am very interrested to hear what happens reguarding this .

[Todd]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/tribal/index.htm#chehalis

biolofisher beat me to it...at least on the WDFW site they show that areas 2A and 2D are open for the same fifteen week time period, and 2A and 2D are EXACTLY where they will catch a lot of springers.

As I suspected from the beginning, no matter what they call it, this may be a springer fishery that incidentally catches a few sturgeon...the springers are worth serious cash, and if the QIN gave one shiat about the under-escaped Chehalis springers, they wouldn't ever be prosecuting a fishery like this.

I guess that shows you where they stand on fish conservation in Grays Harbor...decimated the winter coho run already, are doing a number on the wild winter steelhead, and now are fishing for fifteen weeks over a small run of springers that is only forecasted to be a little over 50% of the escapement goal.

Over the past six or seven years it has become evident to all involved that no matter what the QIN says, they are practicing a scorched earth policy in Grays Harbor...netting everything they can, and conservation be damned.

I've got some inquiries in, and so do some friends who are better connected in Grays Harbor County than I am, and I'll share whatever I find out...

Fish on...

Todd

[Todd]

Here's the link to the QIN's regulations for fishing all the rest of Grays Harbor and the Chehalis River...areas 2A and 2D...

http://209.206.175.157/Fishing%20Regs/chehalis%20commercial.pdf

Fish on...

Todd