OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled a public workshop Oct. 1 in Lacey to discuss how annual seasons are set for recreational salmon fisheries.
The workshop, which is scheduled during a meeting of WDFW's Anadromous and Marine Resources Sportfishing Advisory Group, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Ave.
During the meeting, WDFW staff will discuss legal, technical and policy issues regarding the annual salmon season-setting process, known as North of Falcon, said Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for WDFW.
"We'd like to discuss North of Falcon with the sportfishing advisory group and anyone else interested in how the salmon seasons are established in Washington," said Pattillo. "Our hope is to help broaden the understanding of the process and receive some suggestions on how to make improvements."
Pattillo said WDFW is considering a second public workshop during a sportfishing advisory group meeting later this year. That workshop would be a continuation of the first meeting and also focus on potential 2009 salmon fisheries, he said.
Each year state, federal and tribal fishery managers gather to plan the Northwest's recreational and commercial salmon fisheries. This series of public meetings, usually scheduled from late February through early April, involves federal, state and tribal fisheries managers, as well as industry representatives and citizens.
Fishery managers generally refer to the entire set of pre-season meetings as North of Falcon. The name refers to Cape Falcon in northern Oregon, which marks the southern border of active management for Washington salmon stocks.
More information about the North of Falcon process is available on WDFW's North of Falcon website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/northfalcon/index.htm .
