Two Oregon bills propose restarting non-native summer run plants

[Bad Tuna]

If you look at the regulations, the time of your you can keep an unclipped fish, is summer time. Its an effort to allow people to keep the non native, wild summer steelhead that are popping up here and there, as well as misclipped fish. The reason the Willamette basin is manipulated as much as it is, back in 1939, I believe, while working on Willamette falls, ALL fish passage was blocked off for a little over 3 years, effectively killing all native runs in the basin. There is some speculation as if Spring chinook were completely erraticated. winter steelhead certianly were. If I remember correctly, coho arent native to the basin either. The large runs of those we are seeing are a result of hatchbox prodgeny. As I see it, and its just my opinion, since there are no true native steelhead in the basin, and since there will be little interaction with the wild steelhead, go for it. Id like to have a new fishery close to home.

 

[metalfisher76]

Yes they let you keep those summers, they`re a Skamania Hatchery fish and they want them gone.

As far as interaction? Really? Both summer and winter fish spawn at the same time. How is it not conceivable that they can combat for spawning grounds? And why would anyone assume they`ll stop? Look at some fish return data from some systems that fish have the opportunity to fly past the hatchery. They will if given the chance, and do a lot. The Clackamas and Sandy are prime examples. The Sandy is now open to the retention of summers above the old Marmot site. The Clack doesn`t allow those fish passage above Caz. This is for a reason.

It`s a bad idea and I doubt VERY seriously it`ll happen.

 

[Bad Tuna]

The reasons I believe there will be little interaction are, first, the winters in the Willamette tributaries don't usually spawn until feb-march, summers usually spawn in dec-Jan. Second, if the summer smolts were released in a low/mid section of the river, the chance of straying would be greatly reduced. Third, the newest studys show that wild fish prefer to spawn with wild fish, and will actually shun hatchery fish that want to spawn with them. I don't think interaction will amount to the fear people are lead to believe.
I will agree with you on one point, it's very unlikely this will ever happen anyway.

 

[Markcanby]

Im with Metal on this one last I read it doesn't matter summer/winter they both spawn in spring.

 

[troutramp]

regardless of where they were dropped in the system they are going to look for the "best" spawning ground they can find and hold. Thats upstream assumably. (in regards to summers)

 

[metalfisher76]

Just 1 document I have on the subject. It`s already proven EVERY season that they won`t/don`t always stop. Clack fish are reared down low on the Clack. As in @ McIvor and down. Lot`s of hatchery fish are pulled well above this park. I`ll be proving this in a matter of weeks.

This, this study..... Nates shunning hatch`s.... I`d STILL like to see it. Fear? O my friend... sounds more like someone is "selling" somethin `round here more than any fear mongering on my part. I have no need for the fear card. 20 yrs. of caring for a sport and it`s trophies, along with a lil common sense and POOF!

 

[metalfisher76]

GOOOOOING ONCE! Going twice....... NOT sold!

 

[eightweight]

Im pretty new to the board but not afraid to jump in some warm water hahaha....

Does anyone have escapement goals and counts for these rivers? Id say that if the rivers have met escapement goals for the past 5 years then it Id be down for having them take a look and run an EIR...but if not (and Id highly doubt they have) then wouldnt the money be better off spent on getting wild fish back to a respectable level? The whole hatchery idea to me seems most like putting a small band aid over a large cut and expecting it to work out in the end...

 

[metalfisher76]

Welcome aboard! Nice nookie man.
Yeah, it`s tough all over for sure. We all want fish to pursue. Most want some sort of native recovery, where it`s still a possibility. It`s a long haul....