Oregon Commission to Consider Conservation Plan for Rogue Fall Chinook
OutdoorHub 01.07.13
The adoption of a conservation plan for Rogue fall chinook will be on the agenda when the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meets in Salem on Jan. 11.
The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the ODFW Headquarters Building, 3406 Cherry Ave. NE in Salem.
The ODFW Native Fish Conservation Policy calls for the agency to prepare a conservation plan for each native fish population. The Commission will be asked to consider a plan for five independent Rogue populations including the Upper, Middle and Lower Rogue, Applegate and Illinois rivers, and for a separate coastal stratum comprised of the Chetco, Winchuck, and Pistol rivers and Hunter Creek.
Unlike many Pacific Northwest salmon populations, the fall chinook populations in the Rogue appear to be more robust than they were historically thanks to fish enhancement water flows generated by two federal reservoirs. The Conservation Plan outlines several alternative suites of management strategies for maintaining current, healthy population levels, and the Commission will be asked to choose from among two preferred alternatives.
ODFW staff also will present two proposed alternative management strategies aimed at increasing numbers within the Coastal fall chinook stratum.
The Commission will be asked to adopt the schedule of damages used in assessing commercial fishing violations during 2013. Each year, the Commission establishes the average market price per pound for each species of food fish based on the average prices during the previous year as reported by Oregon commercial fish dealers. These values are used to set damages in lawsuits associated with the unlawful taking of food fish.
The Commission also will consider two land acquisitions at two of ODFW’s wildlife areas: 100 acres next to the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area near Portland and 310 acres adjacent to Fern Ridge Wildlife Area near Eugene. Funding would come from the 2010 Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Agreement between BPA and ODFW that dedicates funds for wildlife habitat mitigation in the Willamette Valley.
Finally, there are three amendments to the 2013 Big Game Regulations for the Commission’s consideration, one of which clarifies that hunters who don’t report by the specified deadline for deer and elk tags while required to pay a $25 penalty fee will not be required to complete a late report.
The Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in the state. Public testimony before the Commission is held Friday morning immediately following the expenditure report. Persons seeking to testify on issues not on the formal agenda may do so by making arrangements with the ODFW Director’s Office, at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, by calling 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044.
Reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed for individuals requesting assistive hearing devices, sign language interpreters or large-print materials. Individuals needing these types of accommodations may call the ODFW Director’s Office at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044 at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Members of the public who can’t attend the Commission meeting in-person can follow the proceedings via live video streaming (requires Adobe Flash). The full meeting agenda and link to video streaming are on the ODFW website at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/13/01_jan/index.asp.
