Longer Chinook Fishing Season in Sinclair Inlet in 2012

[shawn]

OK fresh out of the local newspaper.

Longer Chinook Fishing Season in Sinclair Inlet Starting in 2012
By Christopher Dunagan (Contact)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009




Three years from now, anglers and tribal fishermen should be able to catch chinook salmon in Sinclair Inlet during July — a month earlier than they can now — thanks to a new hatchery program.

The Suquamish Tribe, which operates rearing ponds in Gorst, are releasing two stocks of chinook fry this year instead of one. The newly added fish, which originated at Minter Creek Hatchery in South Puget Sound, tend to return in July and August.

In the past, the tribe has used chinook from Grover’s Creek Hatchery in North Kitsap. Those fish normally return in August and September. As a result, people who want to fish in Sinclair Inlet have been forced to wait until August to catch salmon.

Sinclair Inlet is a dead end for chinook salmon, since chinook don’t naturally live in area streams. Consequently, virtually all the chinook coming back to Gorst are hatchery fish, and fishers — tribal and nontribal — are encouraged to catch every one they can.

This year, the tribe released 900,000 juvenile chinook from Minter Creek and another 900,000 from Grover’s Creek.

“When these fish return in three years, we want to see if we can have a longer fishing season in Sinclair Inlet by bringing in an early-returning fish,” said Mike Huff, manager of the Gorst Creek facility.

The Grover’s Creek stock has survived well for many years, he said. Now studies will determine if the Minter Creek stock perform equally well. The Minter Creek hatchery is operated by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“These fish are for everyone, tribal and nontribal fishermen,” Huff said. “The more we have, the better opportunities for all.”

Cleanup fisheries, like those in Sinclair Inlet, are rare, because most areas within Puget Sound contain a significant proportion of wild chinook, which are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

Like all hatchery salmon, fish released from Gorst are marked with a clipped adipose fin to help fishers distinguish them from wild chinook. They become available for harvest anywhere from coastal areas all the way into Sinclair Inlet.

The Gorst facility is a partnership between the Suquamish Tribe, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the city of Bremerton and volunteers from the Kitsap Poggie Club.

For a discussion about water-related issues, check out the blog Watching Our Water Ways at kitsapsun.com.

[DaKanati]

sweeeet! 20 minutes from my house, and already a decent fishery

[swedefish4life1]

:chef: :bounce:

I have bumbed into 9 Minter creek fish

This is Great news for each and all=d>

[curado]

thats a lot of kings

[cobrar543]

The nicest thing about that is I dont see any "look at me" signs there. THey did it for the fishermen. very nice in todays political agenda of charity

[jbball50]

Seems to me like they're extending it then for the tribal fishermen because they released 2 stocks of fish haha. It's horrible how they put nets across the whole bay down there by Gorst, how has the fishery in Sinclair the last few years anyways? We haven't really been fishing in there for the past few years, before I know it was pretty good for kings.

[shawn]

Seems to me like they're extending it then for the tribal fishermen because they released 2 stocks of fish haha. It's horrible how they put nets across the whole bay down there by Gorst, how has the fishery in Sinclair the last few years anyways? We haven't really been fishing in there for the past few years, before I know it was pretty good for kings.

It was alright last year. We did decent since that run is the first one localy to start then its off to some better areas but a decent starting point.

[fishing collector]

Has anyone done a survey to find out how many or what percentage of Wild Salmon go through Sinclair Inlet? I know of some that have been caught.... are you saying that the fish coming in the inlet are hatchery only? It is a great thing to open the fishery up when the fish are actually there. The Puget Sound Marlin Derby has always had problems with the season openers not coenciding with derby....:-) Maybe the state is doing something right! Sinclair inlet will be full of boats of all sizes and who knows, maybe bass fisherman in tubes. Going to be fun!!!

[shawn]

Has anyone done a survey to find out how many or what percentage of Wild Salmon go through Sinclair Inlet? I know of some that have been caught.... are you saying that the fish coming in the inlet are hatchery only? It is a great thing to open the fishery up when the fish are actually there. The Puget Sound Marlin Derby has always had problems with the season openers not coenciding with derby....:-) Maybe the state is doing something right! Sinclair inlet will be full of boats of all sizes and who knows, maybe bass fisherman in tubes. Going to be fun!!!

I know that in Gorst where Gorst Creek goes to the hatchery. That particular hatchery is a terminal hatchery. My grandps told me when he was a kid and he is 75 that there were no king salmon there in gorst until the indians started the hatchery with state cooperation.So I dont think there are any native fish there but I have been wrong before.

[jbball50]

Yeah I think the only wild salmon that are in there are the silvers, I can't really remember ever catching a wild king there.