New coho harvest proposal
State fishery managers will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2108 Grand Blvd., with sport and commercial advisory group members to review a new assessment of harvest options for lower Columbia River coho salmon.
The assessment was developed by the Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife and examines the risks posed by various rates of fishing on lower Columbia coho populations.
The agencies are preparing a recommendation to the National Marine Fisheries Service for a new harvest framework for coho to protect wild fish while expanding fishing opportunities for hatchery fish during years of strong runs.
Wild coho in the lower Columbia are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
