Northwest Outdoor Report for October 8th Leave a reply
Puget Sound Crabbing Re-opens Today
Seven marine areas of Puget Sound reopen for recreational crabbing today at 8 a.m.. Marine areas 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, and a portion of area 9 north of a line between Olele Pt and Foulweather Bluff will be open to crabbing 7 days a week starting today thru December 31st. Marine areas 11 and 13 will reopen for crabbing on November 21st and Marine Areas 10, 12, and the southern portion of Area 9 will remain closed, as the catch quota’s have already been met in those areas.
Hunting Season Opens October 15
Deer hunters will take the field in most of Washington’s Game Management Units on October 15th and duck hunters will also get a 5 day season October 15-19, with a brief closure before main hunting season reopens on October 22nd. Pheasant season will open in Eastern Washington on October 22nd. For more detailed information about hunting seasons please log onto the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
Showdown With a Grizzly Bear
Montana outfitter Erin Bolster and her horse “Tonk” will appear on the David Letterman Show on Tuesday night. The pair saved a young boys life from an enraged 750 pound grizzly bear on a trail ride in the Flathead National Forest back on July 31st. Erin charged the bear three times with her horse before plucking the young boy to safety. You can catch Erin and her incredible story right here on the Outdoor Line after the next break.
House Bill Allows for Lethal Removal of Sea Lions
Tired of seeing sea lions feast on endangered salmon and steelhead at Bonneville Dam? House bill 3069 was passed on Wednesday that will allow for the lethal removal of trouble sea lions from the Columbia River and its tributaries.
The Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act allows Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and the four Columbia River treaty tribes to obtain one year permits from the Secretary of Commerce for the lethal removal of a limited number of sea lions from the Columbia river system.
Fishing License Sales Up in Washington
It’s not all gloom and doom for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife these days. In the toughest economy in decades the department has managed to post strong gains in both resident and non-resident license sales from 2006 to 2010. The biggest jump in license sales came from 2008 to 2010, with sales increasing from just over 800,000 resident licenses sold in 2008 to nearly 1.1 million in 2010. A post has been started in the Outdoor Line forums if you’d like to chime in on this latest news.
NOAA Suspends Alaskan Catch Sharing Plan
NOAA’s decided to postpone the Alaskan halibut Catch Sharing Plan after receiving over 4,000 comments in opposition to it. The plan called for a reduction in the daily halibut limit in Area 3A, which includes the tourist-heavy Kenai Peninsula, to just one halibut per day. Halibut numbers have been declining in recent years in Alaskan waters and members of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council have been scrambling to come up with a plan to stop the decline. Many point to the nearly 6.5 million pounds of bycatch from trawling in the Gulf of Alaska and another 2.5 million pounds of bycatch from the long line fleet. Commercial bycatch in Alaska is currently higher than the total recreational quota.
Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com