[ODFW-News] Wild coho season opens Thursday at Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young (503) 947-6020	
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 947-6009
	
For Immediate Release	Tuesday, December 9, 2003

Wild coho season opens Thursday at Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes
Populations have recovered to allow season

SALEM - Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes north of Reedsport will open for
sport harvest of wild coho salmon Thursday, Dec. 11, through Wednesday,
Dec. 31, 2003, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and NOAA
Fisheries announced today. The agencies determined the local coho salmon
populations in these two lakes have recovered to healthy and stable
levels.

The limited fishery will be the first to target Oregon's wild coastal
coho salmon populations since 1993 and the first since they were listed
under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1998. The season provides
anglers and local communities the opportunity to benefit from coho
salmon recovery efforts implemented under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and
Watersheds for the past seven years. In addition, the fishery will not
slow the pace of salmon recovery elsewhere in Oregon. 

"This small fishery is a success of  the conservation efforts of
Oregonians," said Lindsay Ball, director of the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife. "A long term goal of the Oregon Plan is to provide
sustainable populations for fishing opportunities. As recovery of our
fishery resources progresses, other coastal coho populations will
support similar limited fisheries." 

Good production of ocean food sources coupled with consistently healthy
coho populations in the two lakes resulted in more abundant returns than
necessary to sustain the populations, according to ODFW biologists. The
limited fishery will not undermine the productivity and recovery of coho
in these lakes.  

The recent densities of spawning coho salmon in the Siltcoos and
Tahkenitch systems is among the highest currently documented in Oregon
and has exceeded the number needed to support long-term viable
populations for nine of the last 10 years. Siltcoos had 4,750 spawning
coho in 2002 and Tahkenitch had 3,490 spawning coho in 2002. About 3,300
and 2,200 spawning salmon are needed for Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes
respectively to maintain healthy future generations of coho salmon. 

Starting Thursday, anglers may harvest one unmarked adult coho salmon
plus one unmarked jack coho per day from either Siltcoos or Tahkenitch
lakes. Anglers are limited to retaining five adult coho from both
Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes during the three-week season. Streams
flowing into the lakes, the outlet channel from the lakes to the ocean,
and the upper part of the inlets of major coho spawning streams are
closed to coho fishing. 

Based on historical harvest in these lakes, biologists expect the
fishery to result in a combined harvest of up to 1,000 fish. This year's
quota has been set at 300 fish for Siltcoos Lake and 200 fish for
Tahkenitch Lake. Biologists expect harvest rates in this year's fishery
to be lower than these quotas due to the season's late start. In future
years, ODFW said seasons likely will be longer given adequate spawners
and good ocean conditions. 

Biologists will monitor and evaluate the coho season along with coho
salmon spawning numbers to ensure that coho salmon recovery efforts are
not compromised. In future years, the coho run will be reevaluated to
determine if the run is strong enough to allow a harvest. The decision
to open the temporary fishery was based on a scientific review of the
coho salmon populations by both ODFW and NOAA Fisheries and input from
members of the public.

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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 947-6002