OLYMPIA — State fisheries officials will brief the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission here Saturday on the results of the 2013-2016 transition period of the Columbia River salmon management reforms and ask for guidance heading into 2017.
In late 2012 and early 2013, the Washington and Oregon commissions adopted the biggest overhaul of Columbia River salmon policies in decades.
Jumpstarted by former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, the policies called for allocating more chinook salmon to sportsmen in the main Columbia and restricting gillnetting to off-channel sites like Youngs Bay near Astoria.
Those off-channel spots were to be stocked with more chinook and coho and additional off-channel locations researched.
Commercial fishing that remains in the main Columbia is to be done with live-capture methods — such as purse seines and beach seines — designed to harvest hatchery stocks and release wild fish.
A four-year transition period from 2013 through 2016 was established, with full implementation scheduled for 2017.
Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator, and Kyle Adicks, intergovernmental salmon manager, for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are scheduled to provide the briefing at 10:15 a.m. Saturday to the commission.
The time of the briefing is approximate and can change based on other agenda items. The meeting will be in room No. 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St., S.E.
The commission meeting will be viewable online at www.tv.org.
