Former Washington Fish and Wildlife employees argue against Chinook salmon ocean harvesting

Former Washington Department of Fish Wildlife employees have released a paper, arguing for the halting of current levels of harvesting Chinook salmon populations in the Pacific Ocean.

The paper is co-authored by Ed Wickersham and Jack Tipping. Wickersham has a BS in Biology from Western Washington University and worked more than 30 years in Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement. He also spent four years with NOAA monitoring foreign fishing fleets in the north Pacific and Bering Sea. Tipping has a BS in Fisheries from the University of Washington and worked for 30 years for the WDFW as a fish biologist. His work mostly involved hatchery research to improve fish survivals and authored or co-authored more than 40 journal publications.

The paper concludes that current ocean exploitation rates must be reduced if Chinook Salmon are to be recovered in the state.

“By reducing ocean exploitation and implementing selective fisheries, the numbers of Chinook Salmon returning to their natal streams will immediately increase, a good step towards recovery,” the paper states. “Not only will the number of fish returning increase but they will be larger and perhaps the decline in age-at-return will cease. If we are to save wild Chinook Salmon and the animals that depend on them such as Southern Resident Killer Whales, harvest methods that effectively target hatchery stocks and protect wild fish are needed but will require courage and foresight.”

The paper examines the Coded Wire Tag database for harvest distribution and mean age-at-hatchery return for endangered lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon. The findings concluded Chinook Salmon average age-at-return is now four months shorter than in the 1970s, most likely due to ocean fishery removing primarily immature fish destined to spawn when they’re older. This puts not only Chinook Salmon at risk but also other animals that depend on them.

The authors recommend ocean fisheries be mark-selective with wild fish release, exploitation rates be reduced, ocean harvest be directed to terminal areas and non-tribal troll fishery harvest be redistributed.

The paper analyzes the economic impacts of the Washington troll fishery. According to the paper, it would take 9,320,000 juveniles weighing 372,600 pounds at a cost of $5.6 million to produce a harvest of 46,600 fish. Since the troll harvest valuation was $2.1 million, the troll fishery cost nearly three times as much money as it generates for the economy.

“In summary, current ocean exploitation rates must be reduced if Chinook Salmon are to be recovered in Washington State,” the paper states.

The paper recommends four actions to take to help Chinook Salmon, including current exploitation rates set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council be greatly reduced. The paper states current harvest rates are unsustainable and obstructing salmon recovery.

The second recommended action is mixed stock ocean fisheries should be managed for mark-selective harvest to increase wild fish escapement. The third action is harvest fisheries should be pursued near the mouth or within rivers to reduce encounters with immature fish. The fourth action is that Washington non-tribal troll fishery licenses be purchased by the state and their harvest be redistributed.

Those interested in reading the full paper can visit our website at masoncounty.com.