Want to have your say on big game hunting regulations in Oregon?
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a series of public meetings about the 2019 Big Game Hunting Regulations this month.
Meeting locations closest to Sweet Home will be in Springfield at 7 p.m. on July 11 at the Gateway Sizzler, 1010 Postal Way, and in Albany at 7 p.m. on July 12 at the Old Armory at the corner of 4th and Lyons streets.
The meetings are a great chance to come and hear about changes proposed for the 2019 season, comment on those changes and ask questions of district wildlife biologists.
Details on ODFW staff proposals to simplify big game hunting regulations can be viewed at bit.ly/2MsgpKl. Those proposals will be discussed at the meetings, along with tag numbers for 2019, which should be very similar to 2018 numbers.
Big game over-winter survival was good this year due to the mild winter, but herds in some areas are still recovering from the severe 2016-17 winter.
Public comment about big game regulations will be taken at these meetings, or email comments to [email protected]. Final 2019 Big Game Hunting Regulations will be adopted at the Sept. 14 Commission meeting in Bandon.
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The Oregon Health Authority issued a recreational health advisory on June 28 for Detroit Lake.
Water monitoring confirmed the presence of cyanotoxins at levels above Oregon Health Authority recreational guideline values. Cyanotoxins can be produced by colonies of cyanobacteria commonly referred to as harmful algae blooms.
At measured levels cyanotoxins can be harmful to humans and animals. Oregon health officials advise recreational visitors to always be alert to signs of cyanobacteria (harmful algae) and avoid areas with visible scum that looks foamy, thick like paint, pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red, or where small bright-green clumps are floating in the water.
People should avoid swimming and high-speed water activities, such as water skiing or power boating, in areas where blooms are identified. Although toxins are not absorbed through the skin, people who have skin sensitivities may experience a puffy red rash at the affected area.
People who draw in-home water directly from the affected area are advised to use an alternative water source because private treatment systems are not proven effective for removing cyanotoxins.
However, public drinking water systems can reduce these toxins through proper filtration, disinfection and other treatment. The Santiam River downstream of Detroit Lake is the source of drinking water for several cities, including the City of Salem.
The City of Salem’s drinking water advisory is still in place for vulnerable populations.
Exposure to cyanotoxins can produce a variety of symptoms including numbness, tingling and dizziness that can lead to difficulty breathing or heart problems and require immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of skin irritation, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and fainting should also receive medical attention if they persist or worsen. Children and pets are at increased risk for exposure because of their size and level of activity.
During the past three weeks, cynotoxin warnings have been in effect at Dorena Reservoir, Klamath Lake and Lake Billy Chinook.
People who bring their pets to Detroit for recreation activities should take special precautions to keep them from drinking from or swimming in the lake.
OHA Public Health Division officials advise campers and other recreational visitors that cyanotoxins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating water with camping-style filters. If community members have questions about water available at nearby campgrounds, they should contact campground management.
Oregon health officials recommend that those who choose to eat fish from waters where cyanobacterial blooms are present remove all fat, skin and organs before cooking, as cyanotoxins are more likely to collect in these tissues.
Fillets should also be rinsed with clean water. Public health officials also advise people to not eat freshwater clams or mussels from Detroit Lake and that Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations do not allow the harvest of these shellfish from freshwater sources. Crayfish muscle can be eaten, but internal organs and liquid fat should be discarded.
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have opened a portion of the coast from the Columbia River to Cape Perpetua and from the south jetty of the Umpqua River to Cape Arago for razor clamming as domoic acid levels have fallen below the closure limit.
The harvesting of razor clams remains closed from Cape Perpetua to the north jetty of the Umpqua River and from Cape Arago to the California border. This includes all beaches and all bays.
Mussels, bay clams and crab are open for recreational harvesting along the entire Oregon Coast. Contact ODFW for recreational licensing requirements, permits and rules.
For more information please call ODA’s shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474 or see ODA shellfish closures web at http://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/foodsafety/shellfish/pages/shellfishclosures.aspx.
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The daily bag limit for general marine fish (rockfish, greenlings, skates, etc.) will be reduced from 5 to 4 beginning July 1.
“Participation in this fishery has been really good so far this year with effort higher than even record years seen in two of the past three years,” said Lynn Mattes, Project Leader, ODFW.
“Reducing the bag limit to 4 fish on July 1 is necessary to keep black rockfish, other nearshore rockfish and yelloweye rockfish catches within annual limits.”
Cabezon retention also opens on July 1 with a 1-fish sub-bag limit (meaning that of the 4-fish marine bag, no more than 1 can be a cabezon). Bag limits for lingcod, flatfish and the longleader fishery remain the same.
Anglers this year made 40,619 bottomfish trips through May (17,750 in May alone), compared to 24,080 for January-May last year, which until 2018 was the highest effort year on record. Angler effort is only expected to increase as summer fishing peaks.
Last year, recreational bottomfish closed on Sept. 18 after the annual quotas for several species were met early, the first in-season closure since 2004. The closure disrupted coastal charter businesses and anglers. (Typically, recreational bottomfish fishing is open all year, though effort significantly drops off after early fall.)
ODFW has been working to avoid another early closure this year by providing effort and catch rates at more frequent intervals and modeling impacts of various bag limit scenarios.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission heard testimony from coastal sportfishing businesses before deciding on the 5-fish bag limit when it set regulations back in December, with the understanding that in-season adjustments could be necessary to keep the season open through the end of the year.
See the latest on marine fishing regulations and opportunities at myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/marine-zone.