2010 Staff Report on Sturgeon & Smelt
December 8th, 2009
The Joint Management Staff of ODFW & WDFW have now released the 2010 Report on Stock Status and Fisheries for Sturgeon and Smelt. For those on dial-up, it is a large file, at 871 KB. Winter non-Indian commercial fisheries for sturgeon and smelt will be discussed at a Columbia River Compact hearing at 10:00 a.m. December 17, 2009 in the 3rd Floor General Meeting Room of the Cowlitz County Administration Building in Kelso, Washington. The Notice of Hearing from November 6, 2009 is appended below as a PDF file.
Expectations for these fisheries in 2010 are that the smelt fishery will be managed as a Level One fishery due to expected poor returns of Eulachon smelt to the Columbia River system. Smelt are currently proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. NMFS is expected to release a final decision on Columbia River Eulachon smelt in spring of 2010. Due to additional concerns over declining abundance of white sturgeon in the Columbia River system, the Washington and Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commissions are expected to reduce harvest guidelines for white sturgeon in all state managed fisheries at their respective Commission hearings in February 2010.
The 2010 Joint Management Staff Report on Stock Status and Fisheries for Sturgeon and Smelt is appended as a PDF file.
2010 Sturgeon – Smelt Joint Staff Report 12-7-09
