MA9 Salmon Season: 3 Days in July?

DimeBrite

DimeBrite

Saltwater fly fisherman
Forum Supporter
July 18, 19, 20 (Thurs, Fri, Sat)

These are the 3 days in July we have to fish Marine Area 9 for salmon as currently written in the Regulations.

Perhaps a few additional days in July will be added if the WDFW calculates post July 20th chinook catch & encounters are below the "Quota" agreed to with the tribes at the North of Falcon Meetings.

The "co-managers" are quickly suffocating our MA9 salmon season. October is already gone forever. July is nearly gone now. Silver salmon numbers have been healthy in recent years, but the season is shrinking fast.

It wasn't enough for them to close the S Rivers to sport fishing.

20240709_153908.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hasn't this been the general season structure for MA9 for a few years now?

I don't think your first sentence accurately describes the regulations Dime.
 
SeaRunner said:
Hasn't this been the general season structure for MA9 for a few years now?

I don't think your first sentence accurately describes the regulations Dime.
Click to expand...
If we end up getting 9 days salmon fishing in July it will be the same as 2023. WDFW has set it up as default CLOSED July 21-31 for both chinook and coho salmon. Only emergency reg updates will add more days in 2024. I don't recall that being the case in 2023.

Either way, July MA9 salmon sport fishing is an endangered species.
 
Last edited:
More like Puget Sound Chinook salmon fishing is becoming an endangered species. The quotas are shrinking while the gear fishing fleets get more concentrated to specific areas due to constant closures.

I wish I had a more positive outlook, but it looks like these short weekend fisheries are gonna be a yearly thing. It would be ideal if MA 9 had similar regs to MA 10 where we could fish for coho the whole month regardless of the Chinook quota (even if it means bank fishing only).
 
Ok I see the point you are making now. I looked back and you are right, 2023 had a default of Thurs-Saturday for the second half of July, whereas 2024 is 3 days then default close. I think your first sentence threw me off as I misread your post as saying 3 days total for the year.
 
DimeBrite said:
100% agree. We should fight for this. Also fight for October MA9 fishing.
Click to expand...
Submit comments to WDFW, attend meetings, communicate with elected representatives - are there additional means that *might* be effective ways of advocating for these changes?

MA9 opening Saturday 3 years ago was a breakthrough moment for my coho fly fishing. The first limit of hatchery rezzies on a popular MA9 beach amongst several other board members. I enjoyed serving them up that evening at a COVID-era outdoor dinner with some close friends.
 
There was talked at this springs NOF discussion for MA 9 to limit the July fishing to those 3 days and use whatever unused quota was available for additional days in Augusts. It appears that is what WDFW decided if so the beach coho fishery in MA 9 will be limited to those 3 days.

I agree that if folks increased coho opportunities we need to fight for it. Of course, that assumes folks will engage in the process and take the time to gather the facts to advance the argue the case. 30 years of NOF would indicate that is unlikely. It should be obvious to all by now that our fishing is being drive by tribal concerns followed by the large boat/charter boats in the non-treaty recreational fleets. The freshwater fishers, beach fishers, etc. are barely in the game.
 
Smalma said:
There was talked at this springs NOF discussion for MA 9 to limit the July fishing to those 3 days and use whatever unused quota was available for additional days in Augusts. It appears that is what WDFW decided if so the beach coho fishery in MA 9 will be limited to those 3 days.

I agree that if folks increased coho opportunities we need to fight for it. Of course, that assumes folks will engage in the process and take the time to gather the facts to advance the argue the case. 30 years of NOF would indicate that is unlikely. It should be obvious to all by now that our fishing is being drive by tribal concerns followed by the large boat/charter boats in the non-treaty recreational fleets. The freshwater fishers, beach fishers, etc. are barely in the game.
Click to expand...
Are you implying that all of our (sport angler) comments we have submitted during the annual NOF processes (website & Zoom meetings) are time wasted? What do you recommend we do to better push for more days of fishing? How can we be more effective?
 
... and I already understand the Stillaguamish chinook numbers game.

... and Snohomish basin wild coho return & spawning success impact.
 
DimeBrite said:
Are you implying that all of our (sport angler) comments we have submitted during the annual NOF processes (website & Zoom meetings) are time wasted? What do you recommend we do to better push for more days of fishing? How can we be more effective?
Click to expand...
All that input is helpful but what really needs to be done is to recognize that your interests are competing with other more organized used. In effect need to learn to play the "game" better.

Let's take your beloved beach coho fishery. WDFW commission NOF policy (C-3608) states "when managing sport fishing opportunities will be disturbed exquisitely across fishing areas and reflects the diversity interests of the fishers..." start how you ideas promote that diversity of interest.

Ask the question to gather the information to understand how the state use their various models - they are their management bibles. Understanding that may help in carving out your "niche" fishery within that model

Further understand what the limiting factors are and how those impacts are being used - use that information to help support your interest and maybe make suggestions on how to minimize those impacts.

I seem to recall that several years there was some monitoring of some of the coho beach fisheries. Ask what the result of that monitoring was and how did those results. Ask questions and attempt to build repour with the modelers and other WDFW staff.

With that kind of information our comments are more complete and are harder to deny.

Is this type effort time consuming? - yes
Does this approach assure success? no
Is this a single year effort? no, have be willing to be in it for the long haul

Having folks making off the wall comments and demands make it easy to ignore the rest of us. Need to figure out how to make your/our efforts coordinated.

Curt
 
Smalma said:
All that input is helpful but what really needs to be done is to recognize that your interests are competing with other more organized used. In effect need to learn to play the "game" better.

Let's take your beloved beach coho fishery. WDFW commission NOF policy (C-3608) states "when managing sport fishing opportunities will be disturbed exquisitely across fishing areas and reflects the diversity interests of the fishers..." start how you ideas promote that diversity of interest.

Ask the question to gather the information to understand how the state use their various models - they are their management bibles. Understanding that may help in carving out your "niche" fishery within that model

Further understand what the limiting factors are and how those impacts are being used - use that information to help support your interest and maybe make suggestions on how to minimize those impacts.

I seem to recall that several years there was some monitoring of some of the coho beach fisheries. Ask what the result of that monitoring was and how did those results. Ask questions and attempt to build repour with the modelers and other WDFW staff.

With that kind of information our comments are more complete and are harder to deny.

Is this type effort time consuming? - yes
Does this approach assure success? no
Is this a single year effort? no, have be willing to be in it for the long haul

Having folks making off the wall comments and demands make it easy to ignore the rest of us. Need to figure out how to make your/our efforts coordinated.

Curt
Click to expand...
It seems that these very reasonable proposals are too specific to WDFW, which in the modern era of NOF is subservient to tribal negotiation positions. Salmon fisheries have always been more political than science based (like it or not). What can we do on the political lobbying and public influence fronts to maintain sport fishing? Where to start? A book, documentaries, YouTube videos, editorials, etc? Success in shifting public opinion could put external pressure on the NOF process.
 
Dimebrite-
Think you are headed down the right track. Understanding the NOF process starts with recognition of the tribal role in the process. Not sure that that can be changed at this level. Rather the focus has to be on how the non-treaty share is divided among the diverse interested. In that case understanding how that pie is divided and what data influences the decision making. In this case knowledge can be power.

But more to your point at the grass root level how to become more effective is the question. The first step would be to broaden the base that share your interests. Sticking with the beach fishery that path to success would be easier if the you get the gear anglers involved and as motived as you. I think of some kind of video is a great idea! Again, the beach fishery would seem made for that kind effort. The could be used to recruit and hopefully get them involved in the "battle". It could be useful in talking to various groups ((I would also think about local chambers of commerce in the areas of those beaches), feeding the media, presenting to the decision makers, etc. I would also think about how to present your concerns to the WDFW commission focusing on how their policies are not addressing your concerns.

I would think a well done video with some sort of link that could be shared with the public and fellow anglers in the NOF process would be a natural.

I'm sure that there are others much better and crafting and selling your ideas. Do know that have the message focused and supported accurate information would be the foundation.

Curt
 
for what it's worth: areas 10 and 11 are only open for those days as well for July.
gonna be a tough king season.
And if I'm reading the regs correctly, Area 10 Elliott Bay also opens Aug 2-5 and area 11 reopens Aug 1.

as Porky Pig says: tha.... tha....that's it folks.
 
As I inderstand it, the Chinook quota numbers in MA9 are based on data from test fisheries (boat based) and creel counts (mostly collected from boat catch at marinas). Meanwhile, Chinook encounters from the beaches are very rare, since they are a deep water fish, unlike coho and pinks.

Can new or existing beach creel data be collected and compiled for MA9, MA10 to demonstrate the very low Chinook impact from beach anglers? This data could be used at future NOF meetings to justify longer beach based salmon seasons. Basically, can we separate boat angler versus beach angler Chinook impact calculations to extend beach angler salmon seasons? Puget Sound fishing piers already have longer salmon seasons than the general salmon season. Can we do the same for beach salmon seasons in future regulations?
 
dep said:
for what it's worth: areas 10 and 11 are only open for those days as well for July.
gonna be a tough king season.
And if I'm reading the regs correctly, Area 10 Elliott Bay also opens Aug 2-5 and area 11 reopens Aug 1.

as Porky Pig says: tha.... tha....that's it folks.
Click to expand...

Yes, that’s it for area 10 chinook retention seasons. Meanwhile, area 10 coho trollers are catching two or three chinook for each tiny coho that they are allowed to keep. It’s ridiculous.
 
Dimebrite-
As I mentioned earlier there was a year (2018?) where there was a special coho beach fishery on the south end of Whidbey Isaland that had some fish checks. Might be interesting to aske WDFW what info the state has from those checks. Failing any useful information there might ask about the volunteer reports. It certainly would be useful for those that are now fishing the beaches to start fill those reports to document catches.

Curt
 
Smalma said:
Dimebrite-
As I mentioned earlier there was a year (2018?) where there was a special coho beach fishery on the south end of Whidbey Isaland that had some fish checks. Might be interesting to aske WDFW what info the state has from those checks. Failing any useful information there might ask about the volunteer reports. It certainly would be useful for those that are now fishing the beaches to start fill those reports to document catches.

Curt
Click to expand...
I would love to get my hands on that 2018 shore angler catch data. I have no WDFW contacts so it might take time.

How do volunteer reports work? Is this separate from submitted catch card data?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top