Oregon Public Broadcasting

A fisheries advisories group is meeting Wednesday in Portland to discuss a long-term plan to divide the catch from sport and commercial fisheries on the lower Columbia River. 

As Pete Springer reports, it’s part of an on-going process that is both complex and contentious.

The advisory group is made up of fish and wildlife officials from Oregon and Washington, as well as private citizens.

Their goal is to come up with a long-term plan that allocates the Chinook salmon harvest between commercial and sport fishers on the river.

In the past, this has been done by annual public meetings -- many of which are filled with very heated debate. 

That’s because if one group gets more fish, the other gets fewer.

Fishery officials are hoping to do away with these annual meetings.

Chris Kern is with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Chris Kern: “Individuals don’t get an allotment of -- John Smith gets five fish this year -- it’s the sport fishery is allocated, for instance, 65-percent of  the available total mortalities that we’re allowed to have for the year, or 60-percent or 70-percent whatever the number turns out to be.”

Fish and wildlife commissioners in both Oregon and Washington will vote on the recommendations in December.