On April 15, the Pacific Fishery Management Council decided at its Portland meeting to extend the recreational salmon season, which opened April 3, until Sept. 6. The decision comes as an unpleasant surprise to many California fishermen, some of whom would prefer to see salmon fishing prohibited for at least the rest of the year following the poor return of spawning adults to the Sacramento River last fall. The council, a 14-member group comprised of selected recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen and government biologists, also voted to allow a limited 2010 commercial salmon season (about eight days in July).
Some party boat skippers and commercial boat operators have said they disapprove of the decision to allow fishing this year but say they will fish reluctantly by client and customer demand.
“If they open the season, we have to go,” said Johnny Atkinson, who owns and operates New Rayann, a party boat based in Sausalito. “But I’d rather see the numbers return in the river. Even if there are 245,000 salmon out there like they’ve said, I’d rather see every one of those 245,000 salmon spawn.”
Ed Zoliniak, an ex-party boat captain in Santa Cruz who “threw in the towel” just a week ago when he sold his vessel, also believes the council should not have reopened the fishing season.
“I would have voted for another full closure,” he said. “There don’t appear to be a whole lot of fish out there. Last year they closed it after 66,000 fish spawned. This fall we got 39,000 and they opened the season. I don’t understand that.”
