Tag Archives: lower Columbia River

Mark Lawton Doumit, a commercial fisherman, politician, public servant, has passed away in Tenino, Wash.

Mark was born in Longview, Wash., on November 26, 1961, to Eli and Patricia Doumit and was the 10th of 11th children. He grew up in his family’s hometown of Cathlamet, Wash. While still in high school, Mark began a lifelong passion for commercial fishing. He began his career in the industry in high school, working on the Columbia River as a fish buyer. In college he began a nearly 40-year career in Alaska working in canneries and crewing on drift gillnet boats in Prince William Sound and Bristol Bay. Mark bought his own commercial salmon fishing operation in Cook Inlet, Alaska in 1986 and spent the remainder of his fishing career between Cook Inlet in the summer and lower Columbia River in the spring and fall. One of his great joys in life was the opportunity to fish alongside his sons and so many of his family and friends. >click to read< 09:24

A living link to the past

This year, Josephson’s Smokehouse celebrates its 100th year of smoking fish. Store owner Mike Josephson is the fourth generation of his family to lead the store. Throughout the smokehouse’s duration, Josephson and his family have adapted through changing times and conditions to continue the family’s tradition of welcoming visitors into the historic shop. Josephson’s great grandfather, Jacob Baker, fished in the lower Columbia River during the 1870s. In the 1880s, one-fifth of Astorians were fishers, according to the U.S. Census. At the time, there were over 39 canneries along the lower Columbia River. more, >click to read< 11:22

In major reversal, WA agrees to gillnets on Columbia in 2019

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed last week to allow the use of gillnets during the fall salmon fishery on the Lower Columbia River while state fishery managers work with Oregon counterparts to develop a joint long-term policy for shared waters. The commission, appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, took that action and received public comments on proposed hunting seasons for 2019-21 during a public meeting March 1-2 in Spokane. The commission’s action to extend the use of gillnets was one of a number of recommendations for Columbia River fisheries developed by a joint committee with members of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. Oregon’s full commission will also consider the recommendations when it meets later this month. >click to read<Reposted from yesterday 15:53

Commercials to net Columbia River on Tuesday. Why would they bother?

gillnetter, youngs bayTen hours of commercial fishing — but with a four spring chinook-per-vessel limit — are scheduled Tuesday in the lower Columbia River. Washington and Oregon officials adopted the fishery on Monday. Netting with 4.25-inch-minimum mesh nets will be allowed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Beacon Rock to the ocean. The commercial fleet has an early-season allocation of 1,222 upper Columbia-origin spring chinook plus 7,150 Willamette River-origin chinook, said biologist John North of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Last Tuesday, the commercials fished nine hours and landed 1,192 total spring chinook and 890 upper Columbia-origin chinook from 86 deliveries. Read the article, click here 20:28

Commercials get nine hours to fish lower Columbia on Tuesday

Nine hours of commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River will begin at noon on Tuesday. The Columbia River Compact today approved the commercial fishery, which will be from the mouth of the river to Beacon Rock using 4.25-inch mesh nets. Robin Ehlke, assistant Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the net fleet is expected to catch about 1,200 spring salmon. That number is projected to include 900 upper-Columbia-Snake chinook and 300 from the Willamette and other lower Columbia tributaries, she said. Read the rest here 10:12

Washington and Oregon officials today cancelled gillnetting scheduled for tonight in the lower Columbia River.

Biologist Jeff Whisler of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the commercial fleet has caught 3,298 summer chinook salmon in two earlier nights of fishing. That number is 99 percent of the commercial allocation. Whisler said the commercials are projected to catch another 700 chinook if they fished tonight. The Columbia River Technical Advisory Committee has upgraded the forecast for the summer chinook run to 108,000, the largest since at least 1960. The sockeye run was upgraded Monday to 500,000, the third largest on record. link 14:34

Columbia River Seine fishery starts counting toward wild-salmon allocation

All fishermen on the river — both sport and commercial — are limited to a certain percentage of wild salmon they are allowed to catch, handle or keep. Last year, the first commercial seine fishery in more than 50 years fished the river but operated under “research impacts” rather than regular commercial impacts. As the seiners landed fish, any wild fish that got mixed into the nets didn’t get deducted from regular commercial impacts. This year they will. Read the rest here 16:25

Commercials to fish Tuesday night in lower Columbia – 14 hours of commercial fishing for spring chinook

Washington and Oregon officials have approved 14 hours of commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon Tuesday in the lower Columbia River. The Columbia River Compact on Monday adopted a fishery from 4 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday from Beacon Rock downstream to the ocean. Tangle nets with 4.25-inch-maximum mesh are required. Read the rest here 20:48

Gillnetters fall short of harvest target in Tuesday fishery; heavy sea lion presence cited

Based on previous landing information, 1,000 upriver spring Chinook salmon remained in the commercial quota, but fishing fell short of the mark, with 111 boats netting just 757 adult spring Chinook salmon that averaged 12.5 pounds. The poorer than expected catch could be due to the presence of sea lions in the Lower Columbia River,,, Rick Olson, gillnetter, suggested saving the commercial quota until “a month from now to see if the sea lions move out of the river, instead of feeding the sea lions,” referring to sea lions eating fish out of his net. Read the rest here 20:14

Netters to fish lower Columbia River Today

Commercial fishermen get their first chance at spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River with a seven-hour season on Tuesday. The Columbia River Compact today approved fishing with 41/4-inch mesh tangle nets from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday between the ocean and Beacon Rock. “The markets are right, the timing is right, it’s time to go before the prices drop,’’ said Darren Crookshanks, a commercial fisherman from Longview. Read the rest here 10:53

Study finds 7,500 marine mammals in lower Columbia River

An aerial survey of marine mammals in the lower Columbia River found spring Chinook salmon will have to make it past more than 6,000 hungry harbor seals, 1,500 California sea lions and 100 Steller sea lions. The marine mammals are drawn into the river this time of year to take advantage of a large smelt run. But the animals will switch to spring Chinook by spring. A study last year indicated as much as 40 percent of the spring and summer chinook run that enters the Columbia River disappears. Read the rest here 08:06

Washington and Oregon approve nine nights of Columbia River gillnetting

Washington and Oregon today adopted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday night gill netting periods from Aug. 3 though Aug. 21. The 9-inch-mesh nets are expected to catch 2,200 chinook the first week, 6,600 in the second week and 14,400 during the third week, said Robin Ehlke, a biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Read more here 10:39

Lower Columbia River – Discussions under way about a possible smelt season this year, one-day-per-week sport fishery or a small commercial bobber-net test fishery

There was a time when millions of migrating Pacific smelt would jam the Lower Columbia River en route to tributaries, while thousands of sport dip-netters lined the shores to catch them by the bucket loads. By the late 1990s, these small silver-colored fish started falling off the map, and fisheries dwindled to the point where National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed them as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in spring of 2010. Smelt have been off-limits to fishermen since 2011, and that means even touching them dead or alive is a no-no. Read more@seattletimes  14:41

Commercial salmon fishing with purse seines and beach seines are coming to the lower Columbia River in the fall of 2014.

Washington and Oregon plan to allow a limited number of seines in 2014, 2015 and 2016, transitioning to the phase-out of gillnets from the main stem Columbia in 2017. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife started the official process leading to commercial seining last week when it convened a meeting of an Emerging Fishery Advisory Board. more@thecolumbian 14:38

Oregon Court of Appeals: Recently adopted rules that would phase out gillnet use on the lower Columbia River will now go into effect.

The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that they would not impose a stay on enforcement of the rules while they review a lawsuit against the policy changes. Steve Fick and Jim Wells filed a petition with the court in July after the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the rules in June. The appellate court found that petitioners did not show commercial interests would be harmed during the judicial review. [email protected] 16:32

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) seeking applicants for five-member advisory board that will help develop a commercial fishery on the lower Columbia River.

The application deadline is Thurs., Aug. 22, and the board’s first meeting could take place as early as September, according to Ron Roler, WDFW Columbia River policy coordinator. more@the reflector

Nominations sought for Columbia River seine advisory board

Nominations will be accepted through Aug. 22 for a five-person advisory board to help the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife develop a commercial seine fishery on the lower Columbia River. @thecolumbian