2021 COLUMBIA RIVER FALL SEASON EMERGENCY REGULATIONS

Pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Fish and Wildlife Code of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Fish and Wildlife Commission has the authority to establish regulations for Umatilla ceremonial, subsistence, and commercial fisheries.  Pursuant to that authority, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the following regulations. 

COMMERCIAL GILLNET & PLATFORM/HOOK AND LINE FISHERY

Area:                          All of Zone 6

Dates:                     6AM Monday, October 4 6PM to Thursday, October 7, 2021 (3.5 days).

                                6AM Monday, October 11 6PM to Thursday, October 14, 2021 (3.5 days).

Restrictions:            River mouth and dam closed areas applicable to gillnets in effect.  The Spring Creek Hatchery sanctuary will be reduced to 150 feet around the hatchery ladder.      

Gear:                        Set and Drift Gillnets with 8” minimum mesh restriction.     

HOOK AND LINE FISHERIES DOWNSTREAM OF BONNEVILLE DAM

Area:                        Below Bonneville Dam, as agreed to in CTUIR MOU and tribal regulations

Dates:                      12:01 AM Thursday August 1, 2021 until 11:59 PM Sunday October 31, 2021. 

Gear:                        Hoop nets, dip/ bag nets, and rod reel with hook and line.

Allowable Sales:       Salmon (all species), steelhead, shad, yellow perch, bass, walleye, catfish and carp may be sold or retained for subsistence.  Sturgeon retention is prohibited; sturgeon may not be sold or retained for ceremonial or subsistence purposes.  Sales may not occur on USACE property.  Sales of fish caught during open gillnet periods are allowed after the end of the open period, as long as the fish were landed during the open period.

PLATFORM/HOOK AND LINE FISHERIES IN ZONE 6

Area:                          All of Zone 6.

Dates:                        12:01 AM Thursday August 1, 2021 until 6 PM Friday December 31, 2021.

Gear:                          Hoop nets, dip/bag nets, and rod reel with hook and line.

Allowable Sales:        Salmon (all species), steelhead, shad, yellow perch, bass, walleye, catfish and carp may be sold or retained for subsistence.  Sturgeon may not be sold, but sturgeon from 43 to 54 inches fork length in The Dalles and John Day Pools and from 38 to 54 inches fork length in the Bonneville Pool may be kept for subsistence purposes.  Sales of fish caught during open gillnet periods are allowed after the end of the open period, as long as the fish were landed during the open period.

COVID-19 Safety Reminders:

The CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and the Incident Command (IC) encourages’ you to practice your treaty rights by following the COVID-19 “Stay safe, Stay Healthy” preventative measures:

1. Get Covid-19 Vaccinated, unless otherwise directed by your doctor;
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
3. Wear face coverings and cover coughs and sneezes;
4. Maintain social distancing of 6 feet whenever possible;
5. Stay home if you are sick;
6. Keep groups comprised of no more than six (6) people, from no more than two (2) households;
7. Clean your tools, equipment and/or gear with sanitizer, particularly if/when you have to share.

Additional information:

There’s been a CTUIR COVID-19 Resource website established @ http://www.ctuir-response.info and CRITFC has a website for tribal fisher to reference @ https://www.critfc.org/safe-fishers-safe-fisheries and https://www.critfc.org/blog/fishery/covid-safe-harvest-sales-workshop.

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If you have any fishing enforcement problems or need assistance or information, day or night, contact the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fisheries Enforcement Office, 4270 Westcliff Drive, Hood River, Oregon.  Phone: (541)-386-6363 or toll-free (800)-487-FISH (3474). 

Please consult your tribal Fish and Wildlife Committee for additional details on tribal regulations.  CTUIR regulations are located at the Fisheries Office (Nixyaawii Governance Center), www.ctuir.org, or CTUIR FB page.  For more information contact: Preston Bronson at 541-429-7277 or Jeremy Wolf at 541-429-7382.

PLEASE WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKETS FOR SAFETY and avoid overloaded boats.

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The attached Zone 6 Commercial Gillnet Fishery for October 4-7 and October 11-14 were approved by Fish & Wildlife Commission on September 29, 2021.