RECREATIONAL ANGLING REPRESENTATIVES John Beath and Dave Croonquist of Sequim are in attendance at the International Pacific Halibut Commission in Portland this week.

Beath passed along an update focused on the commission’s sampling/stock assessment of Pacific halibut, particularly in Area 2A (the coastal waters off Washington, Oregon and California).

This stock assessment has fishing interests worried.

It is conducted through the use of contracted long line boats setting “skates” of gear which measure 1,800 feet with a 16/0 circle hook baited with chum salmon at 18-foot intervals.

Beath said the commission has hundreds of check areas and added several in each area for the 2017 assessment which was conducted off the coast of Washington in August. That’s four months later than the 2016 stock assessment and came when water off the coast of Washington and Oregon was in the throes of a hypoxia event, a period of low or depleted oxygen in a water body. This lack of oxygen typically disrupts the marine environment — creating a dead zone.

These hypoxia events have become a year-after-year crisis in Hood Canal during the summer months, so the impact on the 2017 coastal survey is belived to be serious.

Those 2017 results showed an extreme dropoff in halibut numbers compared to the 2016 survey.

Beath said Makah Tribal biologists and council members disputed the survey’s findings, testifying that Area 2A did have strong numbers of halibut earlier in the season.

He said Area 2A may face drastic reductions in harvest poundage unless user groups agree to keep harvest levels at the same levesl as last year for all groups.

“Without the support of the Makah Tribe, and other effected tribes, we sportsmen don’t stand a prayer,” Beath said.

This is because tribal interests have more leverage at the negotiating table than sport anglers due to longstanding treaty rights.

Beath said Makah members also testified about the culturally important fisheries’ contribution to their economy and the sport fishing community’s contribution to tribal coffers.

Razor digs slated

Seven days of razor clam digging beginning Sunday has been approved by Fish and Wildlife after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat.

Four beaches will be open for digging on different days throughout the seven-day period, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager with Fish and Wildlife.

“Not every beach is open every day — so folks need to be sure they know if the beach they are headed for is open,” Ayres said.

“We’ve staggered the days various beaches are open to maximize the length of the opening.”

• Sunday, 4:06 p.m.: -0.4 feet; Mocrocks

Monday, 4:59 p.m.: -1.0 feet; Copalis

• Tuesday, 5:47 p.m.: -1.5 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Wednesday, 6:33 p.m.: -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Thursday, Feb. 1 7:17 p.m.: -1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Friday, Feb. 2, 8 p.m.: -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Saturday, Feb. 3, 8:42 p.m.: -0.4; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.

Commission speaks up

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission advised state fishery managers to strike a better balance between conservation and harvest opportunities as they work with tribal co-managers to revise a proposed plan for managing chinook harvest in Puget Sound.

During a conference call Tuesday, the commission — a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife — instructed state fishery managers to explore a variety of options as they revisit catch rates and other pieces of the updated Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan.

The plan defines conservation goals for state and tribal fisheries that have an impact on wild Puget Sound chinook salmon, which are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under that law, no fisheries affecting Puget Sound chinook can occur without a conservation plan approved by NOAA Fisheries.

State and treaty tribal co-managers initially submitted the proposed plan to NOAA Fisheries on Dec. 1, 2017. The plan would reduce state and tribal fisheries, especially in years with expected low salmon returns.

Despite the restrictive nature of the plan, NOAA has already

informed the state and treaty tribes that the plan is insufficient, noting that several key salmon stocks would not meet new — more restrictive — federal conservation objectives.

Mitigation tools the commission asked Fish and Wildlife to explore include:

•Increasing habitat restoration efforts.

•Improving hatchery operations, including increasing production to support salmon recovery efforts.

•Reducing populations of predators, such as seals and sea lions.

Unsworth resigns

Fish and Wildlife Director Jim Unsworth informed department staffers and Fish and Wildlife Committee members of his resignation in an email sent late Wednesday.

“This has been a challenging, educational, and often rewarding experience,” Unsworth said in a letter to Commission Chairman Brad Smith.

“It is now time for me to pursue other professional and personal goals in wildlife and natural resources management.”

Smith said the Commission will name an interim director as soon as possible and will initiate a national search for a replacement.