Herring, sand shrimp, Power Bait, cured roe, nightcrawlers. Eliminate any of those baits and you’ve made a major portion of the western Washington sport fishing public very unhappy.
So expect howls of outrage when the word gets around that sand shrimp may be unavailable — or at least hard to find — for anglers anticipating fishing that big run of pinks due this summer in our local rivers. Or steelhead, Dolly Varden, cutthroat, and several other species.
“It could get ugly out there,” said Stuart Forst, an employee at Holiday Sports in Burlington.
The problem stems from the fact that leases to harvest sand shrimp on public beaches along parts of Saratoga Passage were cancelled last summer by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Brad Pruitt, aquaculture manager for the DNR, said there are five traditional sand shrimp sites which have been in existence for probably 20 years — one on the Camano side of the Passage, one near Oak Harbor, and the other three on the Whidbey side in the Langley area. Those last three have been the major shrimp producers in recent years, with lease holders selling to bait shops and other outlets.
But whales have entered the picture. Pruitt said 10 or 11 gray whales have been dipping into Puget Sound from their northern migration for a quick sand shrimp snack, annually for also about 20 years, and some of their favorite feeding grounds include the shrimp leases. As you might expect, their presence is a big deal in the months of April and May, to whale watchers and the merchants who sell to them. Recently, questions have been asked, often by folks in the Langley area, about whether or not commercial shrimp harvest is negatively impacting whale behavior.
“We had no answers,” Pruitt said. “Our sand shrimp management has been based on estimates, and that is no longer good enough. Important questions have been raised and we need solid data on the size of the biomass and the effects of its harvest on whales.”
Pruitt said his “gut feeling” was that shrimp harvest was not a negative factor in the visiting whales’ feeding behavior, but that facts were necessary to make that decision.
So the leases were cancelled and DNR put a survey team into the field to gather information on the issue. Pruitt said the work will make it “highly unlikely” that the leases would be reinstated this spring or summer.
Jim Strege at Triangle Bait &Tackle in Snohomish said he has heard that one of the three major players in the sand shrimp biz had stopped his operation entirely, and that the other two were struggling to stay relevant. One of the harvesters, Mike Morgan, was not available for comment at time of writing.
“They’ve tried freezing and curing,” Strege said, “but the guys want live shrimp.”
Tribal members, unaffected by the lease cancellations, are apparently doing some harvesting, but not on a regular basis and probably not enough to supply the market.
Harvesting, Pruitt said, involves a small boat equipped with a water pump, anchored in shallow water and pumping through 100 feet of hose or more, attached to a “wand” made of pipe. The wand is pushed into the bottom, where the water, under pressure, liquefies the sediment. The shrimp float to the surface where they’re gathered with a small hand net and transferred to a bucket.
The live shrimp are fragile, Pruitt said, and must be moved to market quickly, and refrigerated.
Halibut
Halibut seasons this year will be very similar to 2014, according to Heather Reed of the state Fish and Wildlife Department. WDFW sets seasons using catch quotas adopted by the International Pacific Halibut commission, and the recreational catch quota for Washington is 214,110 pounds, the same as last year.
The biggest change is an effort to encourage anglers to fish halibut in Marine Area 1, off the Columbia River, by making the season there a continuous one instead of being divided into early and late segments.
For the first time since 2008, anglers will be allowed to fish lings in part of the Westport area seaward of 30 fathoms. Changes also include more opportunity in marine areas 3 and 4 for retaining bottomfish, including lingcod.
Changes to the effective date of the WDFW Sport Fishing Pamphlet will mean that the most accurate information on recreational halibut and bottomfish seasons and regulations will be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/creel/halibut.
In-Sound seasons in marine areas 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be open May 8 and 9; May 15 and 16; Thursday through Sunday of Memorial Day weekend; May 21-24; and May 28-30.
Women and waterfowl
Washington Outdoor Women, an educational program of the Washington Wildlife Federation, has scheduled a hands-on introduction to waterfowling, April 18, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at a private hunt club near Monroe, for women 18 and up. The event is designed for beginner/novice skill levels. The fee of $115 includes expert instruction, equipment, shotguns, ammunition, clays, breakfast and lunch, and an extra gift from WOW. By the end of the day, according to the organization, participants will be familiar with the history of waterfowling, its techniques, ethics and conservation efforts. Instructors will teach shotgun patterning and shooting moving clays, setting decoys, the use of blinds, and how to train a retriever to be an important partner in your hunting experience.
Call 425-455-1986 or 206-849-9691 for registration or more information.
Local spring kings seminar
Nick Kester of All Star Charters in Everett will present a spring king salmon fishing seminar on April 8, starting at 6:30 p.m., at Dwayne Lane’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, 10515 Evergreen Way, in south Everett. Kester, a Cabela’s pro-staffer, will spill the ins and outs of catching Puget Sound chinook, including tips on bait, tackle and presentation. Kester fishes and guides over 200 days per year and is one of the top experts on the Sound for salmon, lingcod and halibut.
There will be hot dogs, soft drinks and door prizes including a guided fishing trip. Attendees may also bring in their Lowrance units for newest updates.
Contact Sheila Countryman-Bean at 425-551-4971 for more information.
Derby
The Stanwood Eagles Blackmouth Derby is set for April 18-19 in marine areas 8-1 and 8-2, with a first place cash prize of 45 percent of entry fees. Total of five cash places, plus lots of merchandise prizes.
Tickets are $50 per person, available at Stanwood Eagles, Ted’s Sport Center, Holiday Sports, John’s Sporting Goods, Camano Marine and Elger Bay Store. For more information call Stanwood Eagles, 360-629-3224, or Ed Keller, 425-308-9437.
Wanapum opens
The state Fish and Wildlife Department reopened two boat launches and nearly 20 miles of the remaining shoreline above Wanapum Reservoir to public use Wednesday, when water levels reached normal. Sunland Estates and Yo Yo Rock boat ramps near Vantage were among dozens of recreational sites closed to public access over the past year after Grant County PUD lowered water levels 26 feet to repair a fractured spillway at Wanapum Dam.
The utility has been opening public access gradually, as the water level was raised, and this is the remaining north end shoreline of the 37-mile-long reservoir. While the water level was low, WDFW made major improvements to the two boat ramps just reopening, installing armor matting at the end of both ramps to provide a stable launch surface.
Cowlitz hot
State Fish and Wildlife Department checks on the Cowlitz River over the weekend of March 28-29 showed 16 boat anglers with 27 steelhead, and 44 bank fishermen with 10 spring chinook and one steelhead. The steelhead were sampled at the trout hatchery; salmon at the barrier dam.
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