DFG Salmon Fishing Update, by DFG, The Fish Sniffer

DFG Salmon Fishing Update

By: DFG
March 21, 2008

Emergency action has been taken by the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to close the ocean sport fishery between Horse Mountain and Point Arena on April 1, 2008.

In addition, emergency action was taken to close the April 5 sportfishing openers in San Francisco and Monterey port areas (south of Point Arena to the U.S.-Mexico Border).

The Fish and Game Commission will consider emergency action on March 28, to conform to the PFMC actions affecting state waters.

These actions are being taken to protect Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon which returned to the Central Valley in 2007 at record low numbers. Even if all ocean sport and commercial fisheries are closed throughout California, salmon returns are not projected to meet the escapement goals required by the PFMC Salmon Fishery Management Plan.

The PFMC has produced three ocean salmon fishing season options (effective May 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009) for public comment.

Option 1 provides very limited commercial and sport fishing after May 18.

Option 2 provides no commercial or sport fishing after March 31 but allows a non-retention research project to collect tissue samples for genetic stock identification analyses.

Option 3 provides no fishing between Cape Falcon, Oregon and the U.S.- Mexico border.

On April 1, the PFMC will hold a public hearing meeting in Eureka to receive comments on the proposed ocean salmon fishery management options adopted by the PFMC. The PFMC will then meet April 7-11 in Seattle to adopt a final regulatory packet from the three options listed above. More information regarding the PFMC meetings and options can be found on the PFMC Web site at www.pcouncil.org.