2005 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 2005 edition of the Washington State Sport Catch Report is being published in July 2011.

The 2005 sport estimates reflect harvest from April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006. 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 2005, 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, 2005, to March 31, 2006, 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.