It marks the second consecutive year the fishery has closed early, raising questions about what’s happening to the fish when they leave the river for saltwater.
“It’s alarming,” said David Troutt, the tribe’s natural resources director. “The habitat couldn’t be any better in the river. It seems to be a matter of poor survival in Puget Sound.”
The 50 or so tribal fishers landed about 3,200 coho, about 1,000 fewer than last year, before the emergency closure Oct. 28. Typically, the tribe would fish for coho until Thanksgiving, Troutt said.
The pre-season run size was predicted at 30,000, which would have been a record return, Troutt said. But it never materialized, suggesting something is happening to the fish in Puget Sound when they leave the river as young fish and return as adults.
Only about 75 coho had returned to the tribe’s Kalama Creek hatchery prior to the closure. The tribe needs about 800 adult spawners to produce enough fish for next year’s release.
“It’s a hard decision to close fisheries, but for the long-term health of the coho stock, it’s a decision we had to make,” said tribal member Georgiana Kautz.
Tribal officials are fearing that Nisqually River coho are starting to dwindle the way other South Sound coho stocks have in the past 20 years.
If things don’t improve, Troutt said, South Sound coho could be a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act in the not-too-distant future.
Along with lack of food or heavy predation in Puget Sound, the tribe is exploring the possibility that the 2007 river floods damaged the coho population.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444 jdodge@theolympian.com
