Commission meets online to adopt game bird, halibut, ocean salmon regulations, April 23

ODFW release – SALEM, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet via Zoom Friday, April 23 to adopt Game Bird Regulations, halibut regulations and ocean salmon seasons for 2021. See the meeting agenda at, ODFW Commission Agenda, Friday, April 23, 2021 (state.or.us) The meeting will be livestreamed over ODFW’s YouTube Channel, which can be viewed from this page, https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/ To testify on one of the agenda items, register no later than 48 hours before the meeting (by Wednesday, April 21 at 8:00 AM) here. Additional instructions on how to testify during the Zoom meeting are available on the last page of the meeting agenda. Comments about agenda items can also be emailed to odfw.commission@state.or.us The Commission is expected to: Adopt 2021 Pacific halibut regulations, which are determined annually by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). This year sport halibut fishing will begin as early as May 1 in some Oregon subareas. See proposed dates and quotas for each subarea. Adopt 2021 ocean salmon regulations, again based on NMFS regulations. Exact proposed season dates and bag limits are scheduled to be posted online on the PFMC website on April 22. Returns of Sacramento River Fall Chinook salmon have improved somewhat, but Klamath River Fall Chinook salmon abundance continues to be low and was the primary limiting factor in crafting 2021 Chinook fisheries in Oregon and California ocean areas. The ocean abundance forecast for Columbia River coho salmon is very high at 1,590,000 fish and would be the highest abundance since 2001. Adopt 2021-22 Game Bird Regulations: Upland game bird seasons, with the exception of some proposed changes to fall turkey, will not change except for calendar date shifts according to the season framework adopted in 2020. For wild turkey, staff are proposing additional fall hunting opportunity by starting the season on Sept. 1 in those units that overlap Grant County (Murderers Creek, Northside, Desolation, Ritter portion of Heppner) due to an increase in nuisance and damage complaints. This change would allow early season hunters, such as archery and grouse hunters, to harvest a fall turkey. With the removal of fall turkey season tag caps in 2020, staff is also proposing to allow Sports Pac holders to select either a Statewide Spring, Eastern Oregon Fall, or Western Oregon Fall turkey tag beginning in 2022. For migratory game birds, proposed changes include splitting mourning dove season into two geographic zones and two periods in one of the new zones; hunting in Western Oregon and Columbia Basin would be Sept. 1-30 and Nov. 15-Dec. 14. This approach should provide more hunting opportunity as concentrations of wintering mourning doves can be found in some areas of western Oregon. Duck hunting seasons would be the same as last year under the proposal, except for calendar day shifts. For goose seasons, proposed changes include raising the bag limit for white geese to 20 daily, statewide, during the entire season, and implementing a late-winter white and white-fronted goose seasons in all eastern Oregon counties. Additionally, eastern Oregon goose zone boundaries would be modified to align with current duck zone boundaries. During the Director’s report, the Commission will also be briefed on the 2020 Annual Wolf Report, pygmy rabbits (an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species) and hear an update on implementation of Executive Order 20-04 – “Directing State Agencies to Take Actions to Reduce and Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions” and “Climate Adaptive Inland Angling Policy Framework”. No public comments are taken during the Director’s report. Commissioners will also hold a public forum for people to comment on topics not on the agenda. To participate in public forum, call the ODFW Director’s office at (503) 947-6044 by Wednesday, April 21 at 8 a.m. (48 hours prior to the meeting). The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will also meet in executive session, pursuant to ORS 192.660 (2)(e), (2)(f) and (2)(h), which allows the Commission to meet in executive session to conduct deliberations with persons designated by the governing body to negotiate real property transactions, to consider information or records that are exempt by law from public inspection, and to consult with legal counsel with respect to litigation filed against the Commission. Representatives of the news media and designated staff shall be allowed to attend the executive session. Representatives of the news media are specifically directed not to report on any of the deliberations during the executive session, except to state the general subject of the session as previously announced. No decision may be made in executive session.