Field reports: Sea lions take toll on spring chinook

FISHING – Prized spring chinook returning from the ocean to the Columbia River Basin are likely being killed in alarming numbers by seals and sea lions between the estuary and Bonneville Dam, according to research by NOAA Fisheries.

Although the findings are preliminary, the latest results of research that began in 2010 show a steady increase in fish mortality over a five-year period that may be attributable to seals and sea lions.

The 2014 average spring chinook salmon survival was just 55 percent, down from 69 percent in 2013 and 82 percent in 2012.

Fish mortality, and the number of sea lions in the estuary, have increased dramatically in recent years, said Dr. Michelle Wargo-Rub of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in a report to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council Tuesday in Portland.

The sea lions, mostly males, follow the spring-returning fish between March and May. Most of the sea lions then go to breeding grounds off Southern California in the summer.

Committee Chair Phil Rockefeller said the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program calls on federal agencies to use their authorities to reduce predation losses caused by seals and sea lions.

Elk-hunting changes on West Side

HUNTING – Elk hunters found less competition in some southwestern Washington watersheds, but more in other valleys thanks to the spread of elk hoof disease and Weyerhaeuser’s new $150 access permit for thousands of acres of good elk territory.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife continues to investigate the hoof disease, which has spread in recent years, but officials say the meat of the infected elk is safe to eat.

Only 3,267 people purchased Weyerhaeuser permits under the new fee-for-access rules by the Oct. 17 deadline, said company spokesman Anthony Chavez. Last year, about 14,000 hunters visited land where the fees are being charged.

Hunters who want access into some of the best elk country between Interstate 5 and Mount St. Helens will need a Weyco permit.

Despite extensive research on the cause of hoof disease, biologists don’t have a science-based estimate of how many elk have the condition or whether it has reduced herd sizes. Several such research projects will commence once the hunting season ends.

WDFW biologists say a significant percentage of the herd is affected.

Trails to Trout is Trout Unlimited topic

FISHING – Rich Landers, The Spokesman-Review Outdoors editor, will present a program, Trails to Trout, at the annual meeting of the Panhandle Trout Unlimited Chapter Thursday, at Di Luna’s on Cedar in Sandpoint.

Cocktail/bragging hour starts at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner off Di Luna’s special menu.

Program starts at 7 p.m. with no admission fee.

Wolf trapper course set

PREDATORS – A certification course required for wolf trappers in Idaho is set for Nov. 21 at the Fish and Game office in Coeur d’Alene.

Register: (208) 769-1414.