Pacific City
SUN
Tillamook County completes first phase of Cape Kiwanda parking lot improvements....2
Dory Days to highlight historic fishing fleet
NVS Farm & Feast Festival to feature local culinary talent on Saturday, Aug. 5.................. 2
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South County couple finds success with Odyssey Candies................................................ 11
Vol. 17, No. 424 • July 14, 2023
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Boy presumed lost after boat capsizes at mouth of Nestucca
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David’s Chair to bring all-access transportation to Pacific City, starting Dory Days weekend Warmer ocean temperatures increase risk of salmon bycatch in Pacific hake fishery By MICHELLE KLAMPE Oregon State University
Rates of Chinook salmon bycatch in the Pacific hake fishery rise during years when ocean temperatures are warmer, a signal that climate change and increased frequency of marine heatwaves could lead to higher bycatch rates, new research indicates. During years when sea surface temperatures were higher, including during a marine heatwave, Chinook salmon were more likely to overlap with the Pacific hake and raise the risk of bycatch as they sought refuge from higher temperatures. The findings, based on 20 years of bycatch data and ocean temperature records, provide new insight into the ecological mechanisms that underlie bycatch, which is the incidental capture of a non-targeted species, said the study’s lead author, Megan Sabal. “The impact of ocean warming on bycatch has potential cultural, economic and ecological consequences, as the hake and salmon fisheries
are each worth millions of dollars and salmon are critical to both Indigenous tribes’ cultural heritage and healthy ecosystems,” said Sabal, who worked on the project as a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University. Pacific hake, also known as Pacific whiting, is the largest commercial fishery by tonnage on the U.S. West Coast. The rate is low, but bycatch remains a concern for the Chinook salmon population, said Michael Banks, a marine fisheries genomics, conservation and behavior professor at Oregon State University and a co-author of the study. “The hake fishing industry is very sensitive to the impacts of bycatch on salmon and has been diligent in reducing it, but changing climate conditions might become an increasing issue,” he said. The research was recently published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. Pacific hake school in midwater depths off the West Coast from southern Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska. Hake is commonly used in surimi, a type of minced fish used to make
imitation crab. Most hake fishing occurs at depths of 200 to 300 meters and Chinook salmon typically occupy more shallow depths. If changing water temperature affects salmon distribution, that could increase salmon bycatch, the researchers noted. To better understand the impacts of changing ocean conditions, the researchers tapped into 20 years of data collected through NOAA’s At-Sea Hake Observer Program. Observers are placed aboard hake catcher-processor vessels and motherships that receive catch to process and record information about fishing depth and location, species composition and more. Sabal and her coauthors modeled observer data and genetic stock identification to show salmon moving lower into the water column during higher temperatures. The researchers also found that limiting night fishing, a common mitigation strategy to reduce bycatch, will likely become less effective when sea surface temperatures are warmer near the surface.
Sparkle Hops SPARKLING FLAVORED WATER INFUSED WITH HOPS
Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District, United States Coast Guard, Tillamook Ambulance and Oregon Parks and Recreation District responded to a July 7 water rescue attempt at the mouth of Nestucca Bay and the Pacific Ocean, an incident where a 12-foot boat reportedly capsized. The call went out at approximately 7:23 p.m. According to TCSO, the boat had been crabbing in the area with one 40-year-old man, one 17-year-old boy, and one 15-year-old boy on board. Reportedly, the boat capsized and all occupants were thrown into the water. The older man and 17-year-old were able to make it to shore, but the 15-yearboy disappeared in the water. A search operation for the missing boy included a Sheriff’s Office boat, USCG 47-foot Motor Life Boat, a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, and shoreline search by NRFPD and OPRD personnel for two days as of July 9. TCSO told the media that, as of this writing, the missing boy had not been recovered and is presumed deceased. An investigation into this boating accident is being conducted by Deputy Dennis Greiner on behalf of the Oregon State Marine Board. The initial investigation indicates that there were an insufficient number of personal floatation devices on board the vessel at the time of the capsizing. The missing 15-year-old boy was not wearing a life jacket when the boat capsized, and he was thrown in the water. On July 9, TCSO deputies OPRD personnel responded to the area of the original boating accident when it was reported that the boat may have resurfaced and come ashore. The boat was located and recovered. “These types of incidents happen in the blink of an eye,” said Greiner. “It is important to be wearing life jackets, or have them readily available immediately. Oregon law requires children 12 and under to be wearing a properly fitted USCG approved PFD while on a boat that is underway. All non swimmers, regardless of age, should be wearing PFDs when on the water.” TCSO officials say that even in the summer, bays and rivers have dangerous currents present during tidal events and recreating on the water near the mouth of a bay or a river where it meets the ocean is particularly dangerous. They say that when you need a life jacket, it’s often too late to put one on. “Tragedies like this are often avoidable by simply wearing a PFD,” see BOAT CAPSIZES, page 4
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