fall of the Euchalon

my good friend kirk has a fascination with all the small species of fish, and is currently doing an Id card for them. He turned me on to the plight of the "salmonoforms"(osmeridae, day and night smelt are in this family).They act much like salmon, returning to rivers to spawn.
here is their sad story
http://www.krisweb.com/aqualife/klam_yurok_eulachon_2000.pdf
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Smelt.htm

You would think the PSMFC  would have more to say on the subject than this: (last updated in 96)

http://www.psmfc.org/habitat/edu_smelt_fact.html

Smelt runs were "gone" from the Columbia River for 12 years between 1988-2000.

Biologists deemed the reason to be the warm waters of El Ninio.

Smelt numbers came back in Y-2000 in huge numbers.
Sea Lions have been eating them in huge numbers.
Current Oregon DFG allowance is 25 pounds per person per day...no fishing license required.

Although the reports I read stated that the smelt were back, I found no quantification of numbers, or volume-comparisons with early years.

But if the DFG is allowing 25 pounds per person, this is some indication of their confidence in the fishery.

When I lived in portland and took my daughters up to the Sandy River to net smelt, the daily allowed take was 40 pounds/person.

I tried an experiment that had no hope of resolution.   I took all my smelt (a short contractor-bucket-full) home and "stripped" their eggs and milt into a separate common bucket.   Then I drove up to Rododendron, OR...a point high on the Sandy River, and dumped them into the whitewater.    Those eggs were in that bucket for about 4-hours without airiation.......but........yu'know......how much "air" do eggs consume?   Maybe the level of oxygen was enough for them.   If it was I'm the father of umpty-zillion hatchlings.

Judd

Judd

What kind of net did you use to catch them?  A-frame?

Jim

Regular long-handled nets with fine mesh are used.  THere hasn't been a decent season on the Columbia tribs in a long long time.  We used to scoop buckets as a kid.  Flour and fry whole.  Or smoked.  Mmm mmm good.

-Allen

Smelt runs were "gone" from the Columbia River for 12 years between 1988-2000.

Biologists deemed the reason to be the warm waters of El Ninio.

Smelt numbers came back in Y-2000 in huge numbers.
Sea Lions have been eating them in huge numbers.
Current Oregon DFG allowance is 25 pounds per person per day...no fishing license required.

Although the reports I read stated that the smelt were back, I found no quantification of numbers, or volume-comparisons with early years.

But if the DFG is allowing 25 pounds per person, this is some indication of their confidence in the fishery.

When I lived in portland and took my daughters up to the Sandy River to net smelt, the daily allowed take was 40 pounds/person.

I tried an experiment that had no hope of resolution.   I took all my smelt (a short contractor-bucket-full) home and "stripped" their eggs and milt into a separate common bucket.   Then I drove up to Rododendron, OR...a point high on the Sandy River, and dumped them into the whitewater.    Those eggs were in that bucket for about 4-hours without airiation.......but........yu'know......how much "air" do eggs consume?   Maybe the level of oxygen was enough for them.   If it was I'm the father of umpty-zillion hatchlings.

Judd

The rise in temperature in your bucket over four hours would likely kill those eggs before anoxia. Fish eggs are very sensitive to temperature shock.

InSeine.......I used a trout net duc-taped to a tree-trimmer pole.

You'd stand on a rock looking down in the clear Sandy River water.
You'd see a dense 4-7-foot wide sinuous rope...
You'd dip your net into that "rope" and up it would come filled with smelt.

Judd

Sad news about the temp. on those eggs.
I didn't know.
But my kids were with me on the whole project...they got the idea.