Salem, Ore.—The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife invites members of the fishing public to comment on proposed changes to the 2009 sport fishing regulations at 11 public meetings held throughout Oregon in May.
The comments received at these meetings will be presented to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission when it considers changes to the angling regulations at its August meeting in Salem. The Commission will make its final decision on the 2009 sport fishing rules in September.
ODFW initiates a comprehensive review of the sport fishing regulations every four years. This year’s process began in late 2007 when ODFW staff and Oregon State Police Officers began drafting proposed changes to the current regulations. Members of the public were invited to submit their proposals throughout 2007 and early 2008.
More than 330 proposed regulation changes were considered, including 265 submitted by members of the public. Some of the changes to be considered by the Commission include:
- A requirement that anglers turn in Harvest Tags to ODFW before they can obtain a new tag.
- Statewide warmwater fish regulations that introduce bag limits on crappie (50 fish) and channel catfish (20).
- Reestablish a consumptive trout season on north coast streams.
- Increase the daily bag limit for fin-clipped Chinook on the Elk River in order to reduce interactions with wild Chinook.
- A number of proposals to increase the harvest of hatchery fish from several rivers in the Willamette Zone in order to increase fishing opportunities and benefit on-going native fish conservation efforts.
- Proposals to create youth angling fisheries on Canby and Commonwealth Ponds.
- A reduction in the daily catch limit for kokanee in Lake Billy Chinook from the current bonus bag limit of 25 fish to the general bag limit of five trout/kokanee per day.
- Establish a slot limit for rainbow trout on Crane Prairie Reservoir.
- The designation of Davis Lake as catch-and-release only for all rainbow trout.
- Reduction in the daily surf perch limit from 15 fish per day in aggregate to 10 fish per day.
- Opening up the ocean to year-round sport crabbing. .
All proposals were reviewed by the ngling Regulations Review Board, comprised of 10 public representatives from ODFW working groups, task forces and the general angling public and one Fish and Wildlife Commission member. Board members used several evaluation criteria that required proposals be specific, easily understood, enforceable, consistent with other rules and policies, biologically sound, supported by affected citizens and necessary to achieve an objective.
The public meetings will focus on proposals that passed the Review Board process, but the public is invited to comment on all of the proposals submitted. A list of all the proposals, as well as a description of the review process and additional opportunities for public input (pdf)
Public meetings will be held from 7 – 10 p.m. at the following locations and dates:
LA GRANDE: Tuesday, May 13 at Blue Mountain Conference Center, 404 12th Street.
BEND: Wednesday, May 14 at Central Oregon Community College, Hitchcock Auditorium, 2600 N.W. College Way.
KLAMATH FALLS: Thursday, May 15 at OSU Extension Service, 3328 Vandenberg Rd.
WHITE CITY/CENTRAL POINT: Friday, May 16 at Jackson County Auditorium, 404 Antelope Rd., White City.
COOS BAY/NORTH BEND: Monday, May 19 at North Bend Library, 1800 Sherman Ave.
ROSEBERG: Tuesday, May 20 at Douglas County Library, 1409 N.E. Diamond Lake Blvd.
EUGENE/SPRINGFIELD: Wednesday, May 21 at Lane Community College, Forum Building (#17), Room 308, 4000 E. 30th Ave.
NEWPORT: Thursday, May 22 at Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 S.E. Marine Science Dr.
TILLAMOOK: Friday, May 23 at Oregon Department of Forestry, 5005 Third St.
SALEM: Tuesday, May 27 at ODFW Headquarters, 3406 Cherry Ave. N.E.
PORTLAND METRO: Wednesday, May 28 at Sunnybrook Service Center, 9109 S.E. Sunnybrook Center, Clackamas.
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