Here is a headline and story from our local newspaper:

This is a similar mentality that has Oregon salmon sport fisheries coastwide this year despite low forecast returns for the Sacramento River.

“The ocean sport fishing season for chinook will run May 29 through Sept. 6 from Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, south to the California border.

Fishing in that area relies on fall chinook from the Sacramento River. Poor returns to the Sacramento severely restricted chinook seasons in 2008 and 2009.

Sacramento returns are still expected to be weak this year, but high enough to allow more fishing. That’s a boon for hotels, restaurants and tackle shops that suffered from severely restricted seasons the last two years.

Sporties head out in Pacific City, OR -- May 2010

Same mentality that also has various sport fisheries in British Columbia open, despite significant run size concerns.”

Now, of course, I’ll probably get lambasted in some sport fishing forum again — even though I am classified as one myself, being a freshwater and saltwater angling license holder in many years.

I fully recognize the economic impacts of keeping sport fisheries closed; however same thing I’ve asked before: hard decisions… if not now; when?

“Low salmon returns… DFO has a deal for you”