the Tailout May 2020 tailout_may2020finalx | Page 11

This year’s Buoy 10 season opens in Aug. 16.
powerlines, while both boat and bank
angling is open from Tower Island
upstream to the Oregon/Washington
border.
In order to help protect the
Cowlitz and Lewis river stocks
of spring chinook, the area from
Warrior Rock line downstream will
remain closed. Retention of hatchery
steelhead will open from Tongue
Point/Rocky Point upstream to the
I-5 Bridge May 16.
Non-residents can fish in Oregon
angler accidentally hooks a winter
steelhead while fishing for a sum-
mer steelhead, they should release it
with care. Winter steelhead can be
identified by their intact adipose fins,
hatchery summer steelhead have had
that fin removed.
Four days to fish for Columbia
River springers
Spring chinook anglers on the
Columbia River lost out on close to
seven weeks of salmon fishing thanks
largely in part to the state of Wash-
ington closing fishing. Because the
Columbia River is co-managed by the
ODFW and WDFW, salmon fishing
was closed much to the chagrin of
Oregon anglers.
In an effort to salvage a springer
season, both states agreed to open the
river for four days: May 5, 7, 9 and
13. There is a two fish limit on salm-
on and steelhead, only one of which
can be a salmon. Only hatchery fish
can be retained.
From Warrior Rock/Bachelor
Island line upstream to Beacon Rock
(boat ramp and bank), and from
Beacon Rock (bank only) to the
Bonneville Dam deadline. Above
Bonneville Dam, bank angling is
allowed upstream to the Tower Island
Non-residents may fish (and hunt) in
Oregon beginning May 5. However,
recreational clamming and crabbing
will remain closed to non-residents.
ODFW is lifting the non-resi-
dent restrictions in line with some
loosening of restrictions on outdoor
recreation in the state.
CALIFORNIA
It’s fishing as usual in California
The California Department of Fish
and Wildlife (CDFW) announced the
recreational ocean salmon sched-
uled to open May 1 will proceed as
planned.
However, anglers are reminded
to abide by all state and local health
guidelines regarding non-essen-
tial travel and physical distancing.
Anglers are also advised to check
with local authorities on the status of
harbor services and access points as
many site closures and access restric-
tions exist and may change daily.
The ocean salmon fishery opened
May 1 in the Fort Bragg, San Fran-
cisco and Monterey areas [Horse
Mountain (40°05’00” N. latitude) to
the U.S./Mexico border].
Federal regulations establish recre-
ational fishing seasons for California’s
ocean salmon, groundfish and Pacific
halibut fisheries, following recom-
mendations made by the Pacific Fish-
ery Management Council. The Cal-
ifornia Fish and Game Commission
adopts regulations for state waters to
match the federal season dates.
Initiative Aims to Speed Coho Salmon
Recovery in California
Coho salmon are getting a boost
from the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife strategic plan to
prioritize salmon restoration and
habitat improvement projects in
coastal watersheds from Santa Cruz
to Mendocino counties. In most of
these watersheds, coho salmon are
in severe decline or locally extinct
due to human alterations to land and
water resources.
The Priority Action Coho Team is
designed to focus much needed resto-
ration to help maintain, stabilize and
increase localized coho salmon pop-
ulations. The approach of the PACT
initiative is to identify and implement
specific short-term actions, drawing
from existing state and federal coho
salmon recovery plans, to bring im-
mediate benefits.
Watersheds where PACT resto-
ration projects are being implemented
include Scott Creek in Santa Cruz
County and the Russian River in
Sonoma County, where a range
of projects to restore and improve
stream and estuarine habitat have
been carried out. These initiatives
include recovery actions such as
stream habitat restoration, water
conservation, captive rearing and fish
rescue, together with improvements
to permitting, regulatory and enforce-
ment processes.
PACT was developed jointly by
CDFW and NOAA Fisheries, and is
part of several initiatives to accelerate
the implementation of ecological
restoration and stewardship projects
in California. Complimentary efforts
include the Cutting the Green Tape
initiative recently launched by the
California Natural Resources Agen-
cy, other state agencies and the North
Coast Salmon Project.
www.salmonandsteelheadjournal.com
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