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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021 IN BRIEF Man indicted for sex abuse associated with Jewell School District KING TIDES The Clatsop County Sheriff ’s Offi ce said the man indicted in late November on multiple sex abuse charges was associated with the Jewell School District. David Michael Brandon, 44, taught wood shop at the school district, where he worked from 2016 to 2019. The alleged crimes, which the sheriff ’s offi ce said involved a student, occurred in 2018 and 2019. “Obviously, if that’s the case, that’s very alarming, disappointing and of great concern for us,” Steve Phil- lips, the superintendent of the school district, said. Brandon, who is listed in court records as hav- ing a Clatskanie address, was hired earlier this year to teach physical education at Hilda Lahti Elementary School in the Knappa School District. After his arrest, Brandon was placed on administrative leave, Knappa Superintendent Bill Fritz said. The sheriff ’s offi ce said that anyone with informa- tion about potential victims or witnesses is encour- aged to contact Detective Jodi Libertad at jlibertad@ co.clatsop.or.us or 502-325-8635. Port, city to release more details on waterfront master plan The Port of Astoria and the city are hosting a second public meeting to discuss the waterfront master plan, which seeks to reinvent the Port’s industrial waterfront between Pier 1 and the Astoria Bridge. A more refi ned concept will be presented and addi- tional public comment will be accepted. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 via Zoom. People can participate by following the Zoom link: us02web.zoom.us/j/5033255821 — The Astorian DEATHS Dec. 4, 2021 In COCHRAN, Brief William Casey Sr., 63, of Warren- ton, died in Warrenton. Deaths Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. HAWKS, Stephen M., 63, of Warrenton, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. Dec. 3, 2021 DANIELS, Raymond S., 85, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Sex abuse • Brianna Jean Palmer, 23, of Warrenton, was indicted on Nov. 24 for two counts of unlaw- ful sexual penetration in the fi rst degree and eight counts of sexual abuse in the fi rst degree. The alleged crimes occurred between 2010 and 2013. Assault • Matthew James Wil- liams, 31, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was arrested on Saturday at Commer- cial and 11th streets in Astoria for assault in the fourth degree. DUII • Ricky Dean Sutton, 57, of Warrenton, was arrested on Saturday for driving under the infl u- ence of intoxicants and criminal mischief in the third degree. He was allegedly riding a bike in the parking lot of Motel 6 on W. Marine Drive in Astoria and struck a parked vehicle, knock- ing off its mirror, police said. On the Record PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A. Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., (electronic meeting). Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Astoria Library, main reading area, 450 10th St. Astoria Planning Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Clatsop County Fair Board, 5:30 p.m., 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria. Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. WEDNESDAY Astoria Parks Board, 6:45 a.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (elec- tronic meeting). Astoria School District Board, 7 p.m., (electronic meet- ing). THURSDAY Sunset Empire Transportation District Board, 9 a.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop County Recreational Lands Planning Advisory Committee, 1 p.m., (electronic meeting). Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., 415 First Ave. Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Warrenton Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 Lydia Ely/The Astorian A woman photographed a storm at Cannon Beach during king tides on Saturday. Rockfi sh: It isn’t clear yet why they’re so abundant off the Oregon Coast now Continued from Page A1 The shortbelly’s expan- sion north puts them in the path of the state’s midwater trawl fi sheries. The Pacifi c whiting fi shery began to record increased encoun- ters with shortbelly rockfi sh beginning in 2017. Most tows that snag shortbelly may only land around 10 pounds of the rockfi sh, but every once in a while there will be a big tow — a lightning strike — of over 100,000 pounds. Triggered a review The rising number of shortbelly landings triggered a review by the Pacifi c Fish- ery Management Council. The council, which rec- ommends fi shery manage- ment measures in federal waters off California, Ore- gon and Washington state, took several interim steps in 2019 and 2020 to pro- tect the fi sh. They raised the annual catch limit and desig- nated the rockfi sh as an eco- system component species, a title that recognizes short- belly’s value in the ecosys- tem as a forage fi sh but does not come with specifi c fi sh- ery management measures. Conservation groups argued that more proactive protection was needed. The Audubon Society and Oceana urged for a pro- hibition that would prevent the creation of a fi shery tar- geting shortbelly rockfi sh. Right now, shortbelly is nearly useless to fi shermen. Vessels in the Pacifi c whit- ing fi shery actively try to avoid them. When a vessel does hit a school of short- belly, the spiny fi sh tangle in the net, creating frustrat- ing work for crew and some- times damaging more valu- able fi sh around them. But as interest in aqua- culture opportunities and demand for fi shmeal and fi sh oil grows, conservation groups worry about what the future could hold. In November, the coun- cil further limited catch of the fi sh and could consider examining a prohibition on a directed fi shery for short- belly next year. It’s a partial win, said Joe Liebezeit, a scientist and avian conservation manager for Portland Audubon. Anna Weinstein, the director of marine conserva- tion with the National Audu- bon Society, agrees. She said the council’s action provides some truly meaningful safe- guards and breaks. But in light of climate change, “It’s just more important than ever to be proactive about the founda- tion of the food chain that supports all the species we care about,” Weinstein said. The council does not want to see targeted fi sh- ing on shortbelly rockfi sh either. However, a prohibi- tion takes work and would require extensive analysis of data, some of which is not Keri Barber/NOAA Fisheries Vessels in the Pacifi c whiting, or hake, fi shery snag other species in their nets, including, occasionally, a chilipepper rockfi sh. Shortbelly rockfi sh, rarely seen in Oregon but abundant in California, have also started showing up in whiting landings — frequently enough and in large enough amounts to raise concerns. ‘SO THE QUESTION REALLY BECOMES ARE WE PREPARED WITH OUR MANAGEMENT TO LOSE SPECIES? ARE WE PREPARED WITH OUR MANAGEMENT TO GAIN SPECIES? AND THE ANSWER IS, ‘NOT YET,’ BUT WE’RE THINKING REALLY HARD ABOUT IT.’ Caren Braby | marine program manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife readily available for short- belly. There has not been a stock assessment of the fi sh since 2007. “It seems like we should just be able to say, ‘Thou shalt not go out and target shortbelly rockfi sh,’” said Maggie Sommer, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a Pacifi c Fishery Management Coun- cil member. It’s not that easy. Fish- ery managers need to be clear about what they are requiring and what they are enforcing. They need to understand how chang- ing management for one species might impact and impede other fi sheries. It isn’t clear yet why shortbelly rockfi sh are so abundant off the Ore- gon Coast now — though warmer ocean waters asso- ciated with a marine heat wave that began in 2015 are likely a factor. What is obvi- ous is that shortbelly rock- fi sh have experienced sev- eral very good reproductive years and expanded north of their historical range. Caren Braby, the marine program manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, has been involved in council discus- sions about various climate change scenarios for West Coast fi sheries. With shortbelly, she sees parallels to Oregon’s emerg- ing market squid fi shery. Landings of market squid surged off Oregon in the p ast fi ve years after decades of being almost nonexistent. Boats that fi sh for the squid in the ani- mals’ more typical range off the California coast have headed north to take advantage of the boom. The situation caught reg- ulators off guard. Oregon had no established quota and no set season for mar- ket squid. Suddenly, as landings continued to come in strong and the num- ber of participating vessels increased, fi shery managers needed to discuss a whole new suite of management details. As with shortbelly, there are gaps in the data and uncertainty about how new management could impact fi sheries or benefi t the ani- mals in question. Dilemma It is the kind of dilemma council members like Braby expect to see more of under climate change and it fur- ther highlights the need to be nimble and fl exible, she said. With climate change and shifting ocean condi- tions, some species will thrive and others will fail. Many are expected to move into new areas. There is one really easy question, Braby says: “Are we going to see new species emerge in our landings?” “And the answer,” she said, “is, ‘Certainly.’ This is an example.” “So the question really becomes are we prepared with our management to lose species?” she added. “Are we prepared with our management to gain spe- cies? And the answer is, ‘Not yet,’ but we’re thinking really hard about it.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
