Workshop: Monitoring and Evaluation of Harvest on Columbia River SalmonidsJuly 31- August 1, 2007

Harvest Monitoring Varies by Fishery and Season Three main types of salmon/steelhead

fisheriesCeremonial/subsistence permit gillnet Platform/hook and lineCommercial Gillnet

Sturgeon Fisheries Shad fisheries

Ceremonial/Subsistence Permit Fisheries Primarily spring Chinook fisheries. Each tribe manages fisheries separately. Some tribes monitor fisheries directly and

collect some biological data (CWT, etc.). Other tribes require permit holders to

report total catches.

Tribal Fishery Monitors

Tribal Fishery Monitors

The Yakama Nation employs four fishery monitors. (Number of monitors depending on funding)

They work full time throughout most of the year. They monitor all four tribes’ fisheries (except

Ceremonial permit fisheries). Nez Perce tribe has had funding to assist in

Zone 6 monitoring in some years. Total monitoring effort limited by budget

constraints.

Zone 6 Platform Fishery

Tribal Fishery Monitoring Tasksfor Platform/hook and line fisheries Monitors are assigned to three main geographic

areas (Cascade Locks, Lone Pine, and below the John Day Dam)

Monitors count active gears (active platform sites and or active hook and line gear.

Monitors observe active platforms for a set number of hours per shift.

Monitors note numbers and species of fish observed and also note any non-observed catch reported by fishers.

Catch Estimationfor Platform/Hook and Line Fisheries We assume that platforms are fishing certain

numbers of hours and days in each season. We assume that catch is not even between

daytime and nighttime fishing. We assume that 10% of the catch occurs

outside the three main platform areas. Goal of monitoring 20% of time platforms are

fishing. Platform monitoring rates decline during

commercial gillnet fisheries.

Catch Estimationfor Platform/Hook and Line Fisheries Monitoring data are expanded for total active gears. Expanded for assumed daytime and nighttime hours

fished. Catch estimates are made independently for Cascade

Locks, Lone Pine and below John Day dam. Catches are expanded for assumed 10% harvest in un-

monitored areas. During commercial gillnet periods, platform/hook and line

catch is incorporated single weekly harvest estimate.

Commercial Set Gillnet Fisheries

Net Flights are used to measure commercial gillnet fishing effort

Net Count Methods

Flights occur once during each weekly commercial gillnet opening

Flights are set to approximately the middle of the opening and begin about at 7:00 AM.

Flights always go the same direction. Flights go upstream along the Oregon shore and

downstream along the Washington Shore. Nets are counted separately in specific

geographic sections of each pool. If two counters are used, counts are averaged.

Assumptions for Net Counts

Net counts are an index of fishing effort. Counting in the middle of the fishery observes

most nets. Nets are equally visible during any weather or

wind condition. Nets are not being put in or removed during

counts. Using average counts (if two observers are

used) assumes that it is equally likely to overcount as undercount.

Commercial Gillnet Sampling

Commercial Gillnet Catch Sampling

Monitors sample catch at landing points (often in-lieu fishing sites). Data collected on number of fish per net, number of nets sampled,

number of times per day nets are checked and number of nets each sampled crew are fishing.

Any drift nets sampled are accounted for separately. Summer and fall season steelhead are measured < or ≥ 78 cm and

presence/absence of Ad-clip. In fall season skin color calls are made for preliminary Bright/tule

separation. Data are matched with net flight data and catch estimates are made

for each pool separately.

Commercial Gillnet Catch Sampling

Monitoring data are expanded based on the net counts and the total length of the fishery.

CWT data are used in the fall to make final stock composition estimates.

In some years Bonneville sampling data have been used to adjust steelhead wild fish estimates in fall season.

Commercial fish ticket data are not directly used except to double check total catch estimate (Ticket sales should always be less than total catch estimate).

Biological Sampling

Tribal monitors do not do biological sampling. State samplers sample tribal catch for CWT,

scales, and other data at commercial buying stations (often now at In-Lieu fishing sites).

Direct to public sales (over-the-bank) and take home fish are not sampled. This assumes the stock composition of direct sales

and take home fish is close to that of fish sold to buyers and/or that it is a small enough portion of total catch that it does not make a difference.

Catch Estimation and Stock Composition

Spring Management Period Chinook are managed simply as upriver spring

Chinook. Fisheries are non-selective and are limited by total river mouth based harvest rates.

There are no in-season efforts made to separate Chinook harvest into finer level categories. CWT’s are not used for fishery management.

Any steelhead caught April 1 or later are counted as Skamania summer steelhead. No efforts are made to separate wild from hatchery steelhead.

Catch Estimation and Stock Composition

Summer Season Fisheries Chinook are managed as Upper Columbia River

Chinook. Fisheries are non-selective and are based on escapement goal management.

Sockeye are managed as a single stock also. Steelhead length data are collected from any

commercial gillnet fisheries, but not from the platform catch.

There are no in-season efforts made to separate Chinook, sockeye, or steelhead harvest into finer level categories. CWT’s are not used for fishery management.

Catch Estimation and Stock Composition

Fall Season FisheriesChinook are managed for impacts to URB’s.

Fisheries are non-selective and are limited by total harvest rates.

Preliminary stock composition is made using skin color calls from harvest monitors. Final stock composition is made by CWT’s from ticketed catch.

Catch Estimation and Stock Composition

Fall Season FisheriesCurrent steelhead management is based on

impacts to Wild B-Index steelhead (≥78 cm) harvest rates based on the Bonneville run size are used.

Monitoring data on the number of unclipped steelhead ≥78 cm are used. TAC sometimes adjusts the unclipped number based on scale data for unclipped hatchery fish at Bonneville.

Catch Estimation and Stock Composition

Fall Season FisheriesCoho are caught incidentally in fall season

fisheries. There are no specific harvest limits.Total harvest of coho is made from fishery

monitoring data. No efforts are made to estimate hatchery or wild impacts nor do any stock composition estimates. CWT’s are not used.

Commercial Sturgeon Fisheries

Most commercial sturgeon are caught in the winter gillnet fishery.

Smaller proportions are landed in setline fisheries. Commercial Sturgeon landings are calculated for each

pool separately from commercial fish tickets. This assumes insignificant over the bank sales which maybe an

increasingly questionable assumption. There are no current funds available to monitor the winter gillnet

fishery. Subsistence catch in associated with other fisheries is

part of other fishery monitoring.

Commercial Sturgeon Fisheries

Salmon and Steelhead catch in winter gillnet fishery.Chinook and steelhead harvest is estimated

from commercial fish tickets.There may be a small number of salmon and

that are taken home and not accounted for. There are no salmonid impacts in sturgeon

setline fisheries.

Shad Fishery Monitoring

The shad trap fishery at The Dalles Dam is monitored for salmonid bycatch. Fish tickets are used to determine the total shad harvest.

Any salmon or steelhead handling mortality is included in total fishery impact limits.

Shad are not directly monitored in the platform fishery.

Catch Reporting

In-season catch and harvest rate estimates are reported in Fact Sheets.

Post season catches are reported in Joint Staff Reports derived from TAC BA/run reconstruction tables.