Caddis Fly Shop: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Via ODFW: An inconspicuous minnow that inhabits the backwaters of the Willamette Valley gained national prominence this week when it became the first fish in the United States meet its recovery goals under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it will propose that Oregon chub be taken off the Endangered Species List, the first fish to achieve this status since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted 40 years ago.

It’s all thanks to a remarkable story of cooperation between landowners, non-profit organizations, and state and federal agencies that got behind the effort decades ago to ensure the species would not become extinct.

“I couldn’t be prouder that the first fish species to be proposed for delisting under the Endangered Species Act is an Oregon native,” said Governor John Kitzhaber. “This is a huge compliment to Oregonians and our history of conservation leadership, and an extraordinary testament to the power of collaboration between landowners and local, state, and federal agency employees. The delisting of the Oregon chub is the product of remarkable partnerships by committed people who have advanced Oregon’s natural legacy while showing that economic health is not only possible but strengthened by efforts to recover and safeguard native fish and wildlife.”

“This is an excellent example of how the Endangered Species Act is intended to function, working together with partners to recover endangered species,” added Paul Henson, state supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Oregon office. “This is a monumental success and could not have happened without our partners at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the many others. This came about from a great vision and a lot of hard work on behalf of the Service and our multitude of partners.”

Oregon chubs: The ‘ultimate underdogs’

Oregon chub are likely one of Oregon’s least known fish species because of their size and where they are found. Oregon chub are small; they reach a maximum length of three inches, and they are not targeted by anglers as sport or food fish. These silvery, speckled minnows make their homes in sloughs, bogs, beaver ponds and other slow-moving backwaters of the Willamette Valley. Over the past 100 years, many of these habitats were destroyed by the construction of dams, channelization of streams and draining of wetlands. These habitat losses, combined with the introduction of non-native fish that preyed on and competed with chubs for food, resulted in a sharp decline in their abundance.

“Oregon chub are like the ultimate underdogs,” said Paul Scheerer, ODFW Oregon Chub Project leader, who has devoted the past 22 years of his professional life to recovering the tiny fish. “Not many people know what they’re looking at when they see one, including some biologists.”

When Oregon chub were listed as “endangered” under the ESA in 1993 the population had declined to under 1,000 fish in eight known locations, down from at least 29 locations historically. The listing triggered a multi-agency campaign to recover the Oregon Chub population. The now 22-years-long recovery program included better monitoring, working with landowners to secure new habitat, improving floodplain management and transplanting fish to more than 20 new locations.

When a multi-agency task force known as the Oregon Chub Working Group met in 2012 to review the numbers they concluded the populations were large, stable and dispersed enough to warrant a closer look at delisting the fish. A follow-up review of the numbers a second time, in 2013, confirmed their earlier finding – the populations had grown to approximately 160,000 fish in 83 locations.

Under the criteria set in the Oregon Chub Recovery Plan there needed to be at least 20 populations of at least 500 adults, with each population stable or increasing in abundance for seven years. In addition, these populations needed to be dispersed with at least four populations each in three Oregon river basins – the Middle Fork Willamette, Santiam, and main stem Willamette.

“When I crunched the numbers in 2012 I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve achieved our delisting targets!’” said Brian Bangs, ODFW fish biologist and assistant Oregon Chub Project leader, who’s been studying Oregon chubs since 2008. “This is a big deal to us. We’ve been working on this a long time. It’s been our passion for years.”

Private landowners aided recovery effort

Landowner cooperation was important to the success of the program, according to Bangs. Many landowners were at first wary of introducing an endangered species on their property but became enthusiastic partners as they learned more about Oregon chub and the “Safe Harbors Agreements” available under the ESA. These agreements assure landowners that they will not be required to undertake management activities beyond those specified in the agreement.

The recovery biologists considered private landowner participation pivotal to the recovery effort.

“A lot of our landowners like knowing they’re doing things to help recover a species,” said Bangs, especially when it involves lands like swamps, bogs and beaver ponds that landowners consider marginal in the first place.

Recovery was also due to the efforts of the Oregon Chub Working Group, which was formed in 1992, with representatives from the FWS, ODFW, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, Oregon State University, the McKenzie River Trust, Grand Ronde Tribe and others. The Working Group ensured that the management of Oregon chub habitat was informed by the latest research, and provided a forum for discussion and collaboration on projects that aided recovery.

A formal delisting proposal will be published in the Federal Register, followed by a 60-day public comment period. The proposal includes a post-delisting monitoring plan and sets thresholds where protective actions would take place to make sure Oregon chub populations do not get into trouble again. Once public comments are analyzed, FWS will issue final rules in the Federal Register.

The Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri) is one of several chub species in Oregon. Two of them – Borax Lake chub and Hutton tui chubs – are protected under the ESA. Others, including Alvord chub, blue chub, Umpqua chub, and several additional subspecies of tui chub, are not listed.

This recovery of the Oregon chub underscores the success of the Endangered Species Act, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Twenty-six species have been successfully recovered and removed from the endangered species list.

Oregon has been successful in recovering other Oregon-specific species as well. The Douglas County population of the Columbian white-tailed deer was delisted in 2003, and recent status reviews have recommended reclassification from endangered to the less critical threatened status for the Borax Lake chub and the Lower Columbia River population of Columbian white-tailed deer.

For more information, visit ODFW’s Oregon chub webpage.

The Oregon Fly Fishing Blog has been approached about a doing an informative blog post on the latest change to the 2014 Oregon Fishing License Fees. Yes, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) has assessed a additional fee of $9.75 to our annual license and a $1 fee to a daily license. Although many anglers may have already purchased a 2014 license, we would like to give an informational overview of what “the fee” is all about.

One thing for certain…if you plan on a fishing on any rivers and tributaries in the Columbia River Basin you must pay the fee.

Simplifying the fee: if your fishing the coastal streams that do not flow into the Columbia, and nothing else, you don’t have to pay the fee. If you live in the southern parts of Oregon and don’t fish the Snake River, you may not have to pay the fee. I tested this simplified view of the streams I fish and for myself….yes, all are Columbia River tributaries! See the map for its impact on you or go directly to http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/reg_changes/index.asp

Reason for endorsement

The endorsement helps fund the transition of non-tribal commercial gill nets out of the mainstem Columbia River, freeing up additional salmon and steelhead for sport fishing. This is part of a package of Columbia River fish management and reform actions adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and their Washington counterparts. The package includes a higher priority for sport fishing in the mainstem Columbia River, improved commercial fishing with gill nets in off-channel areas of the lower Columbia River, use of alternative commercial fishing gears and techniques in the mainstem lower Columbia River, and improved fish conservation by better targeting of hatchery runs.

The endorsement is a key part of Senate Bill 830, which was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law in 2013 with the support of several sport fishing organizations.

SB 830 deposits money from the endorsement in a Columbia River Fisheries Enhancement Fund to help enhance fisheries, optimize the economic benefits of fisheries and advance native fish conservation.

SB 830 also created a separate Columbia River Fisheries Transition Fund to provide financial assistance to individual commercial fishermen affected by the new law – including the potential purchase of alternative gear. This fund received state general funds appropriated by the Legislature and does not use any money from the endorsement fund.

Highlights:
•Required for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon fishing on all rivers and tributaries in the Columbia River Basin.
•Cost is $9.75 for an annual endorsement or $1 per day for a daily licenses.
•The endorsement helps fund the transition of non-tribal commercial gill nets out of the mainstem Columbia River into enhanced off-channel areas, freeing up additional salmon and steelhead for sport fishing.
•No angler dollars are planned for commercial buyouts, purchase of alternative gear, or other reimbursements to commercial fishermen.

The endorsement is required on all rivers and tributaries in Oregon that ultimately empty into the Columbia River. This includes:
•Columbia and Snake rivers,
•All rivers and tributaries in the Willamette, Central and Northeast zones (as described in the Oregon Sportfishing Regulations booklet), and
•Those rivers in the northern section of the Northwest Zone that drain into the Columbia River.

The endorsement may be purchased wherever fishing licenses are sold, including ODFW offices that sell licenses, authorized license dealers and on the ODFW website. It will go on sale beginning Dec. 1, 2013.
Anglers with a resident disabled veteran, resident pioneer, and resident and non-resident youth under 14 licenses will be issued a free endorsement upon request. They will need an endorsement to fish for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon in the Columbia River Basin.

Additional information

What if I’m just fishing catch-and-release, especially when sturgeon retention is not allowed?

If you’re fishing for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon within the Columbia River Basin – catch-and-release or retention – the endorsement is required.

Do I have to buy an endorsement at the same time I buy my fishing license?

The endorsement can be purchased separately at any time during the year. However, there will be an additional $2 transaction fee for endorsements sold separately.

Do I need an endorsement for every hatchery tag I buy?

No. An annual endorsement covers a year of fishing, regardless of the number of hatchery tags.

What about salmon or steelhead seasons that open later in the year under emergency regulations?

If the river is in the Columbia River Basin and you are fishing for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon, you will need the endorsement regardless of when or how the season was set.

Is the endorsement permanent?

Under SB 830, the Columbia River Fisheries Enhancement Fund, along with the endorsement, is set to expire in 2021.

What is meant by the Columbia River Basin?

The Columbia River Basin includes all rivers and tributaries that drain into the Columbia River, including the Snake River and its tributaries. It does not include coastal rivers or some rivers in central and southern Oregon. See the attached map for details.

How much money will the endorsement raise?

ODFW estimates sales of the endorsement (annual and daily combined) will be about $1 million a year.

Does this take into account the number of anglers who may just stop fishing for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon rather than pay the additional fee?

Yes. Our economic analysis does predict some anglers will decide not to fish for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon in the Columbia Basin – either because they stop fishing for these fish or because they choose to fish in places that do not require the endorsement.

How will the changes on the lower Columbia River benefit salmon, steelhead and sturgeon anglers fishing in mainstem and tributary areas above Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls?

The endorsement is part of a larger suite of management changes that was negotiated in order to remove commercial gillnets from the lower river. Once the harvest reforms are completed we expect there will be benefits to:

1) Wild fish: Removal of less selective gillnets will allow mainstem fisheries to target more hatchery fish and thus reduce the number of hatchery fish on wild fish spawning grounds.

2) Anglers above Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls: Providing a higher priority to sport fishing in the mainstem Columbia River will free up more fish for sport anglers, including sport fisheries above Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls.

This article is for informational purposes only and the best place to understand more is the ODFW 2014 Fishing Regulations found at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/licenses_regs/regulations.asp

A Register-Guard editorial last week predicts the the recent decision in the Sandy River hatchery lawsuit will make way for changes on the McKenzie River that will protect endangered Upper-Willamette Spring Chinook Salmon.

Haggerty’s ruling is handwriting on the wall for the McKenzie hatchery. The alarming downward trend in the river’s wild chinook population, along with the high rates of introgression, made it appear from the start that the plaintiffs had a strong case. Haggerty’s decision reinforces the message that a fundamental changes in the McKenzie hatchery’s operations are on the way.

Read more on the Sandy River Lawsuit here.