Trout Unlimited Lecture

Pinniped and Avian Predation in the Lower Columbia River

The public is invited to the June 26th meeting of the Olympia Chapter of Trout Unlimited for a presentation by Sandra Jonker, refreshments, and fishing equipment raffle. Current conditions of managing for salmon recovery in the lower Columbia River could not be more complex.  ESA-guided recovery plans have been developed throughout the Columbia River basin; to restore important habitat, improve dam passage survival, re-tool hatchery programs to assist wild populations, reducing predation, and closing or reshaping fisheries to focus on selectively harvesting healthy hatchery fish.  These are comprehensive recovery plans that identify and provide an implementation strategy to reduce all sources of mortality throughout the salmon’s life cycle. This presentation will provide an update on the status and challenges that come with managing predation from caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and sea lions in the Lower Columbia River.