STATE OF WASHINGTON November 2020 Comprehensive Evaluation of the Willapa Bay Salmon Management Policy C-3622, 2015-2018 by Chad Herring, Jody Pope, Barbara McClellan, Lyle Jennings Washington Department of FISH AND WILDLIFE Fish Program Region 6, Fish Management Comprehensive Evaluation of the Willapa Bay Salmon Management Policy C-3622, 2015-2018 By: Chad Herring, Jody Pope, Barbara McClellan, Lyle Jennings Washington Department Fish and Wildlife, Region 6, Fisheries Staff Table of Contents: List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. vii 1.0 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 General Fisheries Management ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Fall Chinook Salmon Management ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Coho Management .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Chum Management ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.5 Adaptive Management ........................................................................................................................ 3 1.6 Economic Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.7 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Purpose and Approach ............................................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Task ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Approach ............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.5 Policy Implementation Report Card.................................................................................................... 9 3.0 Policy C-3622 with Evaluation Emphasis Questions............................................................................ 10 4.0 General Fisheries Management ............................................................................................................. 21 4.1 Conservation and Restoration of Wild Salmon ................................................................................. 22 4.1.1. Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #1: .................................................................................. 27 4.1.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #2: ................................................................................... 28 4.1.3 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #3: ................................................................................... 29 4.2 Monitoring, Sampling, and Enforcement Programs.......................................................................... 31 4.3 Improved Fishery Management and Technical Tools ....................................................................... 33 4.3.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #14: ................................................................................. 34 4.4 Mark-Selective Fisheries (MSF) ....................................................................................................... 34 4.4.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #9: ................................................................................... 34 4.4.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #15: ................................................................................. 35 4.5 Investigate and Promote Alternative Gear ........................................................................................ 35 4.5.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #20: ................................................................................. 36 4.5.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #24: ................................................................................. 36 4.6 In-Season Management Actions ....................................................................................................... 36 4.7 Transparency of Salmon Management .............................................................................................. 39 4.8 Implement Improved Broodstock Management ................................................................................ 40 4.8.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #11: ................................................................................. 41 4.8.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #12: ................................................................................. 42 4.9 Protect and Restore Habitat Productivity .......................................................................................... 42 4.9.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #10: ................................................................................. 46 4.10 Work with PSC and PFMC ............................................................................................................. 46 5.0 Fall Chinook Salmon ............................................................................................................................ 48 5.1 Broodstock Management Objectives ................................................................................................ 49 5.1.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #18: ................................................................................. 52 Comprehensive Review of the Willapa Bay i Salmon Management Policy C-3622 2015-2018 5.1.3 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #19: ................................................................................. 52 5.2 Fishery Management Objectives ....................................................................................................... 53 5.2.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #7: ................................................................................... 56 5.2.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #22: ................................................................................. 56 5.2.3 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #23: ................................................................................. 56 5.3 Recreational Fisheries ....................................................................................................................... 57 5.3.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #6: ................................................................................... 59 5.3.2 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #16: ................................................................................. 59 5.3.3 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #21: ................................................................................. 60 5.4 Commercial Fisheries ....................................................................................................................... 60 5.5 Hatchery Production ......................................................................................................................... 62 5.5.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #27: ................................................................................. 63 5.6 Stock Assessment .............................................................................................................................. 64 5.6.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #17: ................................................................................. 67 6.0 Coho Management ................................................................................................................................ 68 6.1 Broodstock Management Objectives ................................................................................................ 70 6.1.1 Commissioner’s Emphasis Question 28: ................................................................................... 71 6.2 Fishery Management Objectives ....................................................................................................... 72 6.2.1. Commissioner’s Emphasis Question #29: ................................................................................ 73 6.3 Recreational Fisheries ....................................................................................................................... 74 6.3.1 Question #30: ............................................................................................................................. 75 6.4 Commercial Fisheries ....................................................................................................................... 76 6.5 Hatchery Production ........................................................................................................................