Meanwhile, a shadow has been forming on the other side of the mountain. Carrying some of that momentum into a collaborative effort would greatly benefit recreational anglers who fish the Alsea, and in turn reduce pressure on central coast fisheries. Over the past several years, the Alsea fishery has been in a perpetual state of disrepair, and wild broodstock collection has been an arduous point of contention for guides and recreational anglers alike. Mortality issues affecting both the Alsea and Siletz have been a catalyst for long overdue equipment upgrades, but not without tarnishing the program's relationship with the community, and forming somewhat of a divide in cooperation and lack of transparency on multiple levels.
The hatchery has been extremely cautious to improve it's rapport, but hesitant to disclose information to the public that could help the productivity of the wild broodstock program on the Alsea. A good basis for comparison is the Cedar Creek and Alsea Hatchery facilities.
The timing seems optimal to capitalize on some of this momentum. I'm offering a list of talking points that I'd like our regional fishing community to consider moving forward between today and the week of March 25th.
- The Siletz Wild Broodstock program has a quota to capture 35 pairs of wild broodstock fish for spawning.
- The quota on the Alsea is 40 pairs (or 10 more fish of equal sex).
- Historically, the Siletz Wild Broodstock program consistently reaches that annual quota.
- The Alsea Wild Broodstock program has never met this quota in it's history.
- On March 14th, Asst. Fish Biologist Paul Olmsted requested that Siletz Wild Broodstock Collection participants put the brakes on contributing fish until March 25th, citing: "You guys are too good!" and "This is a good problem to have."
- As of today March 18th, the Alsea Wild Broodstock program has collected 18 bucks and 21 hens from anglers, 15 pairs of which have been spawned and another 9 fish that are being held until they are "ripe."
- As of March 14th, the Siletz Wild Broodstock program has collected 33 pairs of wild broodstock.
- There are an additional 4 bucks and 7 hens of Wild Broodstock that have been captured by the trap at the Alsea facility.
- If the quota of 40 pairs of wild broodstock fish (the maximum allowed is 45) is not collected, hatchery stock will be used in the spawning matrix. If hatchery fish are used in the wild broodstock program, at least 30 percent of the broodstock will be of wild fish origin. (See page 6 of the Alsea Hatchery Program Management Plan)
PVC tubes have been used by anglers to collect wild broodstock fish on the Alsea River. As effective as they are at keeping the fish calm while they're stationary, boaters are often hesitant to use them. The hatchery also cites lack of manpower to retrieve them on a regular basis from pick up points at the boat ramps. Guides have reported leaving them at the ramp overnight and seeing them still in the same place when they finish their float the next day. There have also been instances of poaching, wildlife harassment, and liberation of the collection broodstock fish (likely by parties that oppose the program as a result of these issues). However, I'd like to offer some possible solutions.
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| Alsea Hatchery Angler Fish Drop Off |
A self-service angler drop off area for Alsea wild broodstock is a new addition to the Alsea facility this year. There are only a small handful of people who have been consistently using it. It seems that this new addition has been for the most part ignored by the majority of the guides in our region who already have wild broodstock collection tanks on board their vessels or they are simply unaware of that it even exists. I'm hoping for this open letter to change both.
One of the top contributors to the program this year (by way of the self-service angler drop off) is a 19 year old Fisheries & Wildlife student at Oregon State University by the name of Logan Ellis. He is leading by example, and deserves some positive attention for the ambitious effort he has put into this program. If a teenage recreational angler can build his own livewell broodstock tank and become one of the most prolific contributors to the Alsea Wild Broodstock program, then large groups of well-organized, influential and well known professional guides should be taking notice just how far removed they are from it.
This is a call to action. I have a set of goals I'd personally like to see accomplished, but meeting the wild broodstock collection quota for the Alsea program is at the top of the list. The Siletz only needs 2 pair of wild broodstock contributions the week of March 25th, which should be easy to achieve. It seems like mission impossible to contribute nearly double the number of angler caught wild fish for the entire season on the Alsea in a matter of two weeks, but I'm asking anyone who can fit the time and effort into their busy schedules between now and the end of the month to simply step up and lead by example the way 19 year old Logan Ellis has. Let's end this season on a high note, and go into the next one prepared.
As for my other personal goals for the Alsea Wild Broodstock program, they are as follows:
1. Improve the current self-service drop off station
The current self-service drop off station did not have a net at the beginning of this season. I was told by hatchery personnel that the reason for this was "Most boaters already have a net." However, after seeing footage online of people grabbing fish out of their wild broodstock tanks and dropping them into the raceway, my concerns were confirmed. The concrete wall is a couple feet high, and so is the fence around it, meaning there's a 4+ foot drop into roughly 18" of water. The fish are doing a cannonball into the shallow end of the pool. I would like to see squared, fine mesh nets that are constructed to fit into the corners of the livewell tanks and be easier on the transition of the fish from box-to-box. After issuing an initial request for a net, being told everyone already has one, and showing them that people aren't using their nets, the hatchery provided a landing net at the station. This is a step in the right direction, but a net designed for this function needs to be acquired, and a landing net is likely more subject to theft.
Another possible solution is some sort of slide or chute, similar to a smaller scale version of the "Salmon cannon" designed by Whooshh Innovations so the fish aren't being just dumped in shallow water with a concrete bottom. This kind of project would likely require some thought going into the design and possibly additional funding, but would set a positive example for the Cedar Creek facility drop off area, which also has a bit of a drop over a fence and concrete wall before the fish hit the water when they are released.
2. Construct Livewell Broodstock Tanks for Public Use
There are far less tanks available on this side of the mountain than guides who consistently fish the Alsea and support our wild broodstock program. Even if we can't provide tanks to everyone, those who tube their fish and leave them at the boat ramp can collaborate with allies within the program who do have tanks to expedite the transfer of wild broodstock to the self-service drop off station. We can't depend on the hatchery personnel to perform this task of picking up the fish we collect, but we can volunteer efforts to do this ourselves.
If you are a guide or angler participating in the Siletz wild broodstock program, loaning out your tanks to those who are more focused on the Alsea fishery for the next week or two (until wild broodstock collection resumes on the Siletz) is one way you can help the Alsea program without having to leave the Siletz.
3. Transparency and self-regulation
The Cedar Creek facility has a drop off station with a weatherproof kiosk that has a clipboard which lists contributions by angler/guide, date, sex, and quantity. A similar kiosk existed for a very brief period at the Alsea facility, but was "destroyed by the weather." I was told that the complete list of contributors was now being kept confidential for privacy reasons, but that I could still acquire that information by filing a public records request with the ODFW office in Salem. I think it's valuable information for the contributions to be transparent for the accountability of both the participants and the hatchery.
4. Funding these projects independently through regional angler advocacy groups
Our Linn-Benton CCA chapter has a regional project fund it has never used since it was founded 5 years ago. The Alsea Sportsman's Association also has project funding that has not been earmarked.
One of the top contributors to the program this year (by way of the self-service angler drop off) is a 19 year old Fisheries & Wildlife student at Oregon State University by the name of Logan Ellis. He is leading by example, and deserves some positive attention for the ambitious effort he has put into this program. If a teenage recreational angler can build his own livewell broodstock tank and become one of the most prolific contributors to the Alsea Wild Broodstock program, then large groups of well-organized, influential and well known professional guides should be taking notice just how far removed they are from it.
This is a call to action. I have a set of goals I'd personally like to see accomplished, but meeting the wild broodstock collection quota for the Alsea program is at the top of the list. The Siletz only needs 2 pair of wild broodstock contributions the week of March 25th, which should be easy to achieve. It seems like mission impossible to contribute nearly double the number of angler caught wild fish for the entire season on the Alsea in a matter of two weeks, but I'm asking anyone who can fit the time and effort into their busy schedules between now and the end of the month to simply step up and lead by example the way 19 year old Logan Ellis has. Let's end this season on a high note, and go into the next one prepared.
As for my other personal goals for the Alsea Wild Broodstock program, they are as follows:
1. Improve the current self-service drop off station
The current self-service drop off station did not have a net at the beginning of this season. I was told by hatchery personnel that the reason for this was "Most boaters already have a net." However, after seeing footage online of people grabbing fish out of their wild broodstock tanks and dropping them into the raceway, my concerns were confirmed. The concrete wall is a couple feet high, and so is the fence around it, meaning there's a 4+ foot drop into roughly 18" of water. The fish are doing a cannonball into the shallow end of the pool. I would like to see squared, fine mesh nets that are constructed to fit into the corners of the livewell tanks and be easier on the transition of the fish from box-to-box. After issuing an initial request for a net, being told everyone already has one, and showing them that people aren't using their nets, the hatchery provided a landing net at the station. This is a step in the right direction, but a net designed for this function needs to be acquired, and a landing net is likely more subject to theft.
Another possible solution is some sort of slide or chute, similar to a smaller scale version of the "Salmon cannon" designed by Whooshh Innovations so the fish aren't being just dumped in shallow water with a concrete bottom. This kind of project would likely require some thought going into the design and possibly additional funding, but would set a positive example for the Cedar Creek facility drop off area, which also has a bit of a drop over a fence and concrete wall before the fish hit the water when they are released.
2. Construct Livewell Broodstock Tanks for Public Use
There are far less tanks available on this side of the mountain than guides who consistently fish the Alsea and support our wild broodstock program. Even if we can't provide tanks to everyone, those who tube their fish and leave them at the boat ramp can collaborate with allies within the program who do have tanks to expedite the transfer of wild broodstock to the self-service drop off station. We can't depend on the hatchery personnel to perform this task of picking up the fish we collect, but we can volunteer efforts to do this ourselves.
If you are a guide or angler participating in the Siletz wild broodstock program, loaning out your tanks to those who are more focused on the Alsea fishery for the next week or two (until wild broodstock collection resumes on the Siletz) is one way you can help the Alsea program without having to leave the Siletz.
3. Transparency and self-regulation
The Cedar Creek facility has a drop off station with a weatherproof kiosk that has a clipboard which lists contributions by angler/guide, date, sex, and quantity. A similar kiosk existed for a very brief period at the Alsea facility, but was "destroyed by the weather." I was told that the complete list of contributors was now being kept confidential for privacy reasons, but that I could still acquire that information by filing a public records request with the ODFW office in Salem. I think it's valuable information for the contributions to be transparent for the accountability of both the participants and the hatchery.
4. Funding these projects independently through regional angler advocacy groups
Our Linn-Benton CCA chapter has a regional project fund it has never used since it was founded 5 years ago. The Alsea Sportsman's Association also has project funding that has not been earmarked.
Thank you for your consideration in these matters. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the short time frame these opportunities have presented themselves, and moving forward into being better prepared for next winter steelhead season.
Randall Bonner
Member Linn Benton CCA
Alsea Sportsman's Association
