TILLAMOOK, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a public meeting in Manzanita on March 18 to discuss options for 2010 salmon angling regulations in the Nehalem Basin.

The meeting will take place at Pine Grove Community Center, located at 225 Laneda Ave., in Manzanita from 6-8 p.m.

ODFW biologists will present the latest chinook salmon run forecast, conservation goals, and potential management options and they will ask members of the public for feedback that will be used to craft fishing seasons and bag limits.

“We want the public to help us develop regulations that meet our conservation needs and still provide some angling opportunities in the basin,” said Chris Knutsen, district fish biologist for ODFW’s North Coast Watershed.

Low chinook returns last year prompted a basin-wide chinook angling closure. While better returns are anticipated in 2010, some restrictions in the basin will be necessary this year to reduce harvest and increase spawning escapement, according to Knutsen.

Public input gathered at the March 18 meeting will be used to develop proposed regulations that will be presented to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in June.

The March 18 meeting in Manzanita will focus exclusively on the Nehalem Basin fishery. Additional meetings to discuss other coastal fisheries are planned in late April.

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