[andre]

by ODFW

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is inviting
selected members of the public to form a striped bass
working group to help ODFW managers develop
management options and recommendations for the Fish and
Wildlife Commission at their August 2001 meeting.

"In Oregon, striped bass management is a contentious issue," said Umpqua Watershed Manager Steve Denney. "Striped bass provide a recreational fishery for many anglers, while concerns exist over potential impacts of striped bass
preying on salmon and steelhead populations."

During the angling regulation process at their September meeting, the Commission directed ODFW staff to form a working group to develop regulation recommendations for striped bass in the Umpqua, Coquille, Coos, and Siuslaw River basins. Denney is leading this effort and has sent letters of invitation to local interested citizens inviting them to join the working group. Paul Heikkila, an Oregon State University Extension Agent, will moderate the meetings. Denney expects to hold several meetings to discuss striped bass biology, Endangered Species Act requirements and striped bass management.

 

[juro]

As much as I love the striped bass in it's naturally occurring waters, I'd hate to see those emerald Oregon coastal rivers in a blitz with silver smolt flying out of the water for their lives.

Striped bass are readily caught when feeding in river outflows and may provide a sensible catch and keep fishery for the region to help control their populations.

I think our Northeast contingent could provide a huge resource for educating people in the ways of the linesider to promote an aggressive harvest fishery to reduce their impact on smolt.

Are these brood from the single San Francisco planting?

 

[Eric]

Interesting info, Andre. Stripers have been resident in Oregon for decades, and are thought (by some) to have migrated up the coast from San Francisco Bay, although their distribution is discontinuous, with inexplicable gaps in their range (why no stripers in Humboldt Bay?).

Oregon stripers have provided a substantial recreational fishery on the Coos and Umpqua for years. Populations of salmonids have cycled up and down in their midst for a long time. Of far more consequence, I think, for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout, are the burgeoning small mouth bass populations in the lower Umpqua. Nevertheless, a management plan for Oregon's stripers would be a good thing.

Cheers,

Eric