They know it's the wave of the future. Vander Haegen said it's too early to say if fishery managers will change regulations to require use of new gear, though DFW Director Jeff Koenings has said that commercial fishing seasons may be increased if the survival rate for released fish improves. Salmon caught in this trial are given a colored, numbered jaw tag, and the tags are counted through observation windows as the fish swim through the Bonneville and Dalles dams. Captured fish will be tagged on the back and observed for two days before they are released. One-hour net sets are common, and researchers are testing the survival after 20 to 30 minutes.
Fish swim into a cage with an aluminum frame, and are scooped out with dip nets.
The one big worry is the marine mammals. They can just get in a trap like that and chew up the fish. Other techniques are possibilities, Vander Haegen said. Tribes around Puget Sound use beach seines, which capture fish live, and a fish wheel has been tried on the Skagit River. This year's test are only a beginning, she said.