The Columbia River Subarea (Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR) all-depth halibut fishery will be open for one additional day on Thursday, June 21. After the most recent openings in Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has determined that there is enough quota remaining in the Washington recreational quota to have all Washington subareas, including the Columbia River...
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The spring Chinook season on the lower Umatilla River from the Hwy 730 bridge to Threemile Dam has been extended through June 30 thanks to a strong return to the Threemile Dam. The season was originally set to close after June 10. “After a slow start to Chinook run, the numbers have pick up enough this month that we can offer some additional fishing...
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Commission opted to delay adoption of marbled murrelet survival guidelines until their Aug. 3 meeting in Salem to allow staff more time to refine the advisory rule language. Yesterday, they decided not to uplist the marbled murrelet from threatened to endangered. Once adopted, the guidelines would encourage (but not require) certain actions to conserve this seabird on state-owned or state-leased land. The rules would not apply...
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The Commission declined to uplist the marbled murrelets from threatened to endangered during its meeting in Baker City today in a split 4-2 vote.  The Commission did ask staff to bring modified survival guidelines for marbled murrelets back to them tomorrow, with some language reworked to reflect suggestions heard from people who testified today. The guidelines will encourage conservation efforts on...
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