ODD-YEAR PINK runs are bad news for even-year chinook and the king-loving southern resident orcas that feast upon them.
That’s the finding of a new paper published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, available at https://tinyurl.com/PDN-PinkStudy25.
Since the 1990s, the decline in numbers of southern resident orcas in Puget Sound has followed a biennial pattern; births decline and deaths rise in even-numbered years. That biennial pattern matches the decline of chinook spawner abundance while abundance of pink salmon in the North Pacific and in Puget Sound rivers has risen.
The study made some interesting discoveries, including finding 36 percent fewer chinook in the Sultan River in odd years compared with even ones, but sharply lower reproductive success too.
That’s because most chinook end up spawning higher up in the Sultan in odd years. They largely abandon the relatively gravel-rich lower river in humpback years and move into the rockier reaches of the river upstream.
The exact same 36 percent drop-off in chinook spawner abundance was found in odd years on the Green River near Seattle.
These declines lead to a less abundant food source for southern resident orcas, the highfalutin orcas that prefer chinook over all other species, and a resulting decline in their population.
Coho, humpies galore
With tribal and state co-managers in North of Falcon salmon season-setting meetings this month, it’s worth taking a peek at what may be coming down the Strait of Juan de Fuca this summer.
Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and a retired tackle maker, weighed in with some predictions.
“The summer of 2024 was a great one for species of salmon returning to Puget Sound,” Norden said.
“Ocean currents and weather had the plankton-based ecosystem necessary for young salmon growth more productive than has been seen in several years.”
Norden spent some hours volunteering at the federal fish hatchery last fall.
“By September, it was already clear that our coho and humpy returns in August and September (2025) would be well above the coho returns in 2024 or the humpy returns of 2023,” Norden said.
“One can never be quite sure about these predictions so far in advance, but by my volunteering at the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery offered an amazing validation of that prediction.
“The body size coho returning to that hatchery to be spawned in October was over 35 percent larger than in 2023.”
Norden had been paying his usual attention to satellite data on ocean conditions.
“That completely verified my observations of ocean feeding condition from satellite data all the previous spring and summer months,” Norden said. I told hatchery personnel that the 2025 returns that 30 percent more coho should return in 2025 than in 2024.”
The same will be true for the number of humpies that return next August as well.
“Hopefully there will be plenty of plankton next summer to make all these coho fat again next summer,” Norden said.
“It is time to stock up on pink Rotator Jigs, Medusa Jigs and Buzz Bombs for beach-casting fun.
“As for chinook, runs of those trophy salmon passing through Sekiu and Neah Bay waters should be up slightly next summer, but those runs will have their increase in two years.
“Sadly, Puget Sound waters east of Port Angeles and north of Seattle offer little relevant access to hundreds of thousands of hatchery chinook passing through, if current regulation remains the same.”
Coastal bottomfish
The recreational coastal bottomfish fishery season opens March 8.
New for 2025 is the daily possession limit of five canary rockfish in the coastal recreational bottomfish fishery in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco), Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).
Anglers also are reminded that possession of copper rockfish, quillback rockfish and vermilion rockfish is prohibited in May, June and July — when peak effort for bottomfish occurs.
Those restrictions are intended to reduce catch to stay within federal quotas. Recent scientific assessments for the four rockfish species indicate populations are healthy but smaller than previously understood. Fish and Wildlife monitors the recreational fishery and may take additional in-season action to keep catch within annual limits.
Allowing some possession and retention of these rockfish species supports collection of crucial biological information such as length and age, which are important for future scientific assessments.
Yelloweye rockfish retention is prohibited in all areas and must be released. Anglers are reminded that a descending device must be on board vessels and rigged for immediate use when fishing for or possessing bottomfish and halibut.
Coastal recreational bottomfishing seasons
Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay west of Bonilla-Tatoosh) will open March 8 through Oct. 18.
Daily aggregate limit is nine bottomfish and includes a sub-limit of seven rockfish (sub-limit of five canary rockfish), two lingcod and one cabezon per angler with no minimum size restriction. A daily aggregate limit is a combination of nine bottomfish species. Anglers cannot possess copper rockfish, quillback rockfish and vermilion rockfish in May, June and July.
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay east of Bonilla-Tatoosh) is open year-round.
Lingcod fishing is open March 8 through Oct. 18. Daily aggregate limit is nine bottomfish and includes a sub-limit of seven black, blue/deacon, yellowtail and widow rockfishes, two lingcod and one cabezon per angler with no minimum size restriction.
A daily aggregate limit is a combination of nine bottomfish species.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
