Sturgeon retention will not be allowed in the lower Columbia River in 2014.
That’s not news, but it begs the question: Is the non-retention rule a one-year deal?
“It hasn’t been discussed,” said John North of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildife.
Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissioners, during the discussions in 2012 on reforming the lower Columbia River salmon fisheries, decided to put a halt to sturgeon retention downstream of Bonneville Dam.
The ban on retention was supposed to begin in 2013, but Oregon opted for a one-year delay to give guides and others time to adjust and Washington followed Oregon’s decision.
North said at a sturgeon meeting in The Dalles recently that no clear criteria have been established for resuming retention.
State biologists believe the retention ban needs to continue for several years for it to be effective, he added.
