2004 Sport Catch Report

The Washington State Sport Catch Report was first published in 1967. The report originally provided salmon catch estimates, which were and still are based on data from catch record cards (punch cards). In 1975, marine fish sport harvest estimates were added to the report, followed by shellfish estimates in 1976. Marine fish and intertidal shellfish sport harvest estimates are based on field and creel surveys. In 1994, with the merger of the departments of Fisheries and Wildlife, steelhead sport harvest estimates were added to the report. Now, catch record card data are collected for salmon, sturgeon, steelhead, Dungeness crab and halibut. The card data is supplemented with field or creel survey data or telephone surveys where available to improve recreational harvest estimate accuracy. The sport harvest estimates for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, marine fish and shellfish are produced at varying times of each year. For this reason, coupled with an increase in the number of catch record cards issued, budget, and staffing constraints, the 2004 edition of the Washington State Sport Catch Report is being published in July 2011.

The 2004 sport estimates reflect harvest from April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2005. Historically, salmon, sturgeon, halibut, marine fish and shellfish estimates were made on a calendar year basis from January 1 through December 31. Steelhead estimates were summarized from May 1 through the next April 30 to better capture the results of steelhead â€�"run years”. Effective January 1, 1999, the sport license system adopted an April 1 to March 31 license year for all species. To adjust to the new reporting time frames, the 1999 sport report included 15 months of salmon and sturgeon catch and 11 months of steelhead catch (May 1, 1999 â€" March 31, 2000). When comparing past years’ sport harvest estimate tables, please note the changes in the license structure and reporting year as described above.

Sport Licenses And Catch Record Cards

In 2004, the following licenses and catch record cards were required to fish in Washington:

• A saltwater license was required for resident and non resident anglers 16 years of age and over. This license allowed the holder to fish for finfish species in saltwater. This license was available in resident annual, resident senior (ages 70 and over), and non-resident annual. In addition, a free catch record card was required for all anglers of all ages to fish for salmon, steelhead, for halibut in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and for sturgeon in the Columbia River, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and all tributaries of these three systems.
• A freshwater license was required for resident anglers 16 years of age and over, to fish for finfish species existing in freshwater. This license was available in resident annual, resident senior (ages 70 and over), and non-resident annual. A free catch record card was also required for anglers of all ages to fish for salmon, steelhead and for sturgeon in Columbia River, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and all tributaries of these three systems.
• A shellfish/seaweed license was required for resident and non-resident fishers 15 years of age and older. This license allowed the holder to fish for crab, gooseneck barnacles, mussels, octopus, scallops, oysters, razor clams, sea cucumbers, clams, squid and seaweed. A free catch record card was required for crabbers of all ages to fish for Dungeness crab, in Puget Sound.
• A combination license was available for annual and two-day resident fishers and non-resident fishers 15 years of age and older to fish for all legal species in all water of the state.

Catch record cards were significantly changed beginning in 2000. Previously, separate cards were issued for each species group: salmon, sturgeon, steelhead, or halibut. In 2000, these four species groups plus Dungeness crab were combined onto one card record document. A catch record card was issued at no charge to anyone wishing to fish for any of these groups.

In 2001 WDFW implemented the Washington Interactive Licensing Data (WILD) system to electronically capture recreational license issuance information at the point of sale. The catch record card remained the same paper document distributed by sport license vendors, but demographic data about persons receiving the cards became available almost immediately.

Table 1 lists license sales from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2005, based on a direct count of sales. Tables 2, 3, and 4 list the estimated number of salmon, sturgeon and steelhead catch record cards issued. Note that the number of catch record cards issued shown in these tables are estimated from the catch record card databases, and are not directly comparable to the license sales number. These numbers cannot be compared because anglers under 15 and over 70 are required to obtain a catch record card but not a license. Also, not all dealers returned their catch record card issuance stubs, nor did all anglers return their catch record cards, therefore, correction factors were applied.

METHODS

Sport harvest estimates are made in Washington State using various methods. These include catch record cards for salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon statewide, and for halibut in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Estimates from catch record cards are available six months to one year after the end of the season. Creel, telephone interviews and mail surveys are carried out for salmon, sturgeon, steelhead, halibut, and shellfish in areas where management requires more timely estimates. Creel surveys consist of checking anglers who are exiting the fishery and asking specific questions about catch and effort. The creel survey estimates for some species and areas are substituted for catch record card estimates (this is noted in the tables). Dungeness crab estimates are based on creel and phone estimates.

The sport catch record card is used to produce the annual sport harvest estimates for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and halibut. Anglers holding in-sample cards are sent reminders to return their CRC’s. Harvest summed from returned in-sample cards is expanded to account for the un-sampled cards (75%) and unreturned cards. A bias adjustment factor is applied in some areas and species to account for successful anglers returning cards at a higher rate than unsuccessful anglers. Creel survey data are substituted for CRC data when available. The preliminary sport harvest estimates are sent to WDFW and Tribal biologists statewide for review. After review comments are compiled and investigated, final sport harvest estimates are prepared and distributed.

The methods used produce estimates of sport harvest, which have some level of uncertainty. This uncertainty, or variance, is estimated and expressed with confidence levels, which are not provided in this report. These variance estimates are available upon request.

Ocean Catch Data

Sport catch data from coastal areas 1 â€" 4 were reported using â€�"port sampling” (creel survey) catch estimates. Such estimates were derived by monitoring daily landings at four coastal ports: Ilwaco, Westport, La Push, and Neah Bay. Catch is reported in the area where the fish was caught and not the area where it was landed. Statistical Months And Statistical Weeks

Some catch data (i.e. salmon and bottomfish) are reported using statistical months or statistical weeks. Statistical weeks (defined as Monday-Sunday) are consecutively numbered weeks beginning on January 1 and continuing through week 53 or 54, ending on December 31. The first and last weeks of any year usually contain less than 7 days. Statistical months are made up of a set number of statistical weeks, which approximate calendar months but do not coincide with calendar month start and end dates. For example, in 2004, the statistical month of January begins January 1 and ends February 1 and the statistical month of February starts on February 2 and ends March 24. Due to the differences between calendar and statistical months, some catch may be reported during what appears to be a closed period.

Salmon

Annual sport salmon catch estimates for 1971 through 2004 are shown in Table 6. Between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2005 a total of 258,251 salmon were caught in marine areas, and 216,678 salmon were caught in freshwater. The marine totals by species, as shown in Table 7, are: 56,476 chinook; 199,151 coho; 2,857 chum; 138 pink; 68 sockeye; and 496 jacks (all species combined). Freshwater species breakdowns are: 83,249 chinook; 75,166 coho; 12,809 chum; 1,016 pink; 34,759 sockeye; 9,679 jacks (all species combined)/ Catch record cards are used to estimate sport salmon catch in marine and freshwater areas with some exceptions. In marine areas, creel survey estimates were substituted for the catch record card estimates in ocean areas 1-4 (excluding area 2.1 Willapa Bay and area 2.2 Grays Harbor), in Area 5 from July 1 to September 30 and in Area 6 from July 1 to August 1. In freshwater areas, creel survey estimates were substituted for the catch record card estimates in the Lower Columbia River for Februaryâ€"October, and for the Lake Washington sockeye fishery in July. All other estimates are from catch record cards.

Sturgeon

On the new combined sport catch record card, sturgeon fishers were required to record their catch statewide. The total sport harvest for 2004, based on creel surveys and catch record card returns, was 14,580 fish. Of this total, 13,426 white sturgeon and 20 green sturgeon came from the Columbia River and Snake River systems combined (Table 30). Catch from coastal rivers (including Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor) totaled 846 white; and Puget Sound rivers and marine areas produced 138 white sturgeon and 12 green sturgeon. For monthly catch information see Table 30.

Steelhead

Harvest estimates for sport-caught summer and winter steelhead are based on catch record card returns. Steelhead caught during the months of May through October are considered �"summer-runs,” designated SSH. Steelhead caught from November through April are considered �"winter-runs,” designated WSH, with the exception of steelhead caught above Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, where all steelhead are considered �"summer-runs,”, because of run and spawn timing.

Table 34 presents steelhead sport harvest estimates for the 2004-2005 season geographically by stream and river system. Monthly estimate totals are given for marked and unmarked steelhead.

Marine Fish

Marine fish are those species of fish which live their entire lives in salt water. There are four general groups of marine fish for management purposes: 1) bottomfish, which are species such as rockfish, lingcod and most species of sole and flounder; 2) forage fish, which are small, schooling fish such as herring and smelt; 3) tunas and mackerels; 4) Pacific halibut.

The recreational catch of bottomfish and halibut in ocean waters (Catch Areas 1-4) is estimated from marine surveys (Table 38 and 39). The estimates are made for each of the four main coastal fishing areas: Ilwaco, Westport, La Push and Neah Bay.

The Puget Sound (Catch Areas 5-13) catch of bottomfish, excluding halibut, is estimated using a combination of two surveys: a creel survey of anglers to determine the catch rate and species composition and a phone survey of licensed anglers to determine total fishing effort. These estimates are shown in Table 40. The recreational catch of forage fish is not routinely monitored and no harvest estimate is available

Shellfish

Razor clam harvest on the coastal beaches is summarized in Table 41. During the fall of 2004 and the spring of 2005 288,000 digging trips resulted in a harvest of 4,124,000 clams, for an average of 14.3 clams per trip. Puget Sound recreational clam and oyster harvest estimates are shown in Table 42. Harvest totals for Manila and native littleneck clams, butter clams, cockles, softshell clams, horse clams, geoducks and oysters are shown for public access beaches. Estimates show 134,661 sport harvester trips gathered 385,969 total pounds of clams and 875,750 oysters in 2004.

The Hood Canal sport shrimp fishery harvest is reported in Table 43. A total of 75,297 pounds of shrimp were caught during the four days of the season. Puget Sound shrimpers caught 32,890 pounds of shrimp between April and June. The sport crab fishery in the Puget Sound areas is summarized in Table 44. Crabbers harvested an estimated 1,620,847 pounds of Dungeness crab.