HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown Where do we go from here now that Puget Sound is closed to recreational salmon fishing? That's the question being asked by recreational fishermen that to date has not been satisfactorily answered by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish managers or anyone else. The reason it hasn't been answered is because they simply don't know. Everyone is waiting for NOAA to make a decision on whether to keep Puget Sound closed to salmon fishing or open it. However, it could be a long wait, because NOAA doesn't fast-track anything and is noted for its slow decisionmaking. In the meantime, the closure will definitely result in more fishing pressure on the Cowlitz River, where salmon and steelhead fishing is running hot and heavy. Karen Glaser of Barrier Dam Campground reported fishing has been very good for both boat and bank anglers throughout the river. "There are a lot of people fishing and they have been catching lots of fish," Glaser said. "Some are drifting baits and others are plunking. Most plunking has been going on near the boat launch so they don't interfere with drifting.GÇ¥ The first summer run of the season was found in a creel sample taken last week. During April 25-May 1, Tacoma Power recovered 493 winter steelhead, nine summer steelhead, 793 spring chinook and 47 jacks. Flows at Mayfield Dam were approximately 6,280 cubic feet per second on Monday, May 2. There has been little to no effort during the current Lewis River hatchery steelhead season. The first nine hatchery summer steelhead of the year returned to the Merwin Dam trap last week. Joe Hymer of the WDFW reported that in case you missed it, as of May 1 a total of 44,645 spring chinook have passed over Bonneville Dam. Reporting on Columbia River weekend fishing opportunities, Jim Watts of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said spring chinook angling is open from Tower Island upstream to the Oregon/Washington border above McNary Dam, plus banks only between Bonneville and Tower Island Powerlines. Anglers are reminded white sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to the John Day Dam, but remains open for catch-and- release.
Reef made from tires going bad
Many years ago, an artificial reef made up of thousands of automobile tires tied together was dropped onto the Salish Sea floor. However, studies have shown over time that tires made mainly of petroleum products break down and leech contaminants and toxins that have a negative impact on plants and animals living in the Salish Sea. It has been estimated there are over 1 million submerged tires in Puget Sound . Nisqually Marine Services, divers Robert Thomas, Keoni Kalama and Joseph Squally recently located and removed more than 3,000 tires from Tacoma's Commencement Bay. The removal site was adjacent to Les Davis Marine Park, located on Ruston Way, where recreational scuba divers from all over the Northwest come to dive. As each load of tires came to the surface, the dive team searched for marine animals and fish hiding in the tires and carefully returned any that was found to the water. It seems the tire reefs were the favorite hiding place for octopuses. Restoring the Salish Sea and especially Commencement Bay to pristine condition is no easy task that probably will take years to complete. It is a difficult task, and our hats are off to all those involved in the restoration effort.
Bob Brown lives in Roy and is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached at robertb1285@centurylink.net
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