OUTDOORS: State passes the ‘butt on quota shift

THE ANNUAL HALIBUT fishery came to a close last Saturday, a premature conclusion to many.

That’s even as the last two opening dates (June 10 and 17) were added on to the fishing schedule when the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s in-season management protocols showed decreasing angler effort, lower catch totals and remaining halibut quota.

Except for Marine Area 2 (Westport), which according to Fish and Wildlife’s South Coast halibut creel page went over quota by 3,598 pounds and was supposedly shuttered for the season after May 21.

Fish and Wildlife went as far as closing Marine Area 2 to halibut fishing for the season — even putting out a press release to announce the closure — before reopening it again last Saturday.

Westport gains a day

This decision, made without input from North Coast and Puget Sound stakeholders — your resort owners, tackle shop operators, charter boat proprietors etc … was not well received by said stakeholders.

They were upset to see Marine Area 2, an area that due to its geographic proximity to the Columbia River and its location off the Pacific Coast already gets longer salmon seasons than “inside” areas along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and in Puget Sound, receive what appeared to be an extra day’s fishing at their expense.

For many, especially those out at Sekiu coming off a non-existent coho season last summer and fall, it was seen as another slap in the face.

Those fish Marine Area 2 anglers caught last Saturday had to come from somewhere. But where?

Decision was made

Fish and Wildlife halibut manager Michele Culver denied the claim that Fish and Wildlife had robbed Peter to pay Paul, i.e. moved quota poundage from area to area to re-open Marine Area 2.

“I want to make it clear that we have not transferred any quota away from the North Coast or Puget Sound and have not changed the allocations for those areas,” she said in an email to stakeholders last Thursday.

Culver said that the decision to hold back another day of halibut fishing from North Coast and Puget Sound marine areas came from the top.

“As part of the halibut in-season management process, WDFW confers with the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife if the decision affects the Columbia River area).

“As part of the decision-making process to open the fishery on the 17th, IPHC conveyed their discomfort with opening the fishery for another day regardless of the amount of quota that may be available after the 17th because the North Coast and Puget Sound have demonstrated that the amount of harvest that could occur in those areas is higher than whatever may be left.”

She added that Fish and Wildlife wouldn’t have been able to offer a 10th day of halibut fishing up north even if small catches continued last Saturday.

“… WDFW determined that it would be in the best interest of Washington recreational fisheries to utilize all of the remaining halibut quota and decided to include Marine Areas 1 and 2 in this final opener,” Culver said.

“We understand that some of you are upset by this decision and have conveyed to us that you would rather have had a portion of the recreational halibut quota left un-harvested than provide Marine Area 2 with another opener and, on that point, I think we just need to agree to disagree.”

I pressed Culver for an explanation on the phantom fish in Marine Area 2.

“The North Coast and Puget Sound halibut fisheries are not losing any quota that they would have otherwise been able to access,” Culver said.

She reiterated that each would receive the same number of days regardless of whether the South Coast was also open last Saturday due to the IPHC’s reluctance to open the North Coast and Puget Sound for another day and that the North Coast and Puget Sound was not “giving up” anything.

She added that allocations, the sharing percentages among our state’s sub-areas have not changed and have been in place for over 20 years and are “hard-wired” in the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Halibut Catch Sharing Plan.

“So, any usage of small amounts of remaining quota within the overall Washington recreational quota to cover the South Coast harvest does not set a precedent nor affect the preseason allocations that go into effect each year,” Culver said.

And there it is, amid the deflection and focus on the IPHC’s decision, an admission that “small amounts of remaining quota within the overall Washington recreational quota” were used to cover the South Coast’s halibut take last Saturday.

I don’t enjoy being misled and I suspect the state’s recreational halibut anglers don’t either. I want to make that clear.

Fish and Wildlife should have shown more backbone in standing up to the IPHC, it’s our quota after all and our management in place. The department also should have told the powerful Westport fishing lobby to take a break and sit this one out.

After all they have salmon fishing opening Saturday. Meanwhile, the North Coast (minus Neah Bay) and Puget Sound will wait for salmon season.

Salmon seminar

Salmon fishing expert Rick Wray will discuss how to catch kings during a seminar at Brian’s Sporting Goods and More, 609 W. Washington St., from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday.

“Wray will discuss using mooched herring as bait, jigging, trolling and techniques to find them on the bottom,” Brian’s Sporting Goods and More owner Brian Menkal said.

Menkal said Wray will discuss where and when to fish and how to read tides.

“These are techniques you can use anywhere for kings,” Menkal said.

“Rick is one of those rare expert anglers who enjoys sharing his knowledge.”

Cost is $20.

To sign up, phone Brian’s at 360-683-1950.

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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.