C6 East Oregonian Saturday, December 15, 2018 Catch limits increase for groundfi sh Fish were severely depleted more than a dozen years ago By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND — Federal offi cials said Tuesday they are increasing catch limits for several species of West Coast groundfi sh that were severely depleted more than a dozen years ago in a cri- sis that posed a threat to the commercial and sports fi sh- ing industries. Limits for yelloweye rock- fi sh will more than double, while substantial increases will be allowed for Califor- nia scorpionfi sh, bocaccio and Pacifi c Ocean perch, the National Marine Fisheries Service said. Those species have recov- ered enough to allow for the greatest expansion of a West Coast fi shery in years. The formal announcement of the revised catch limits will be published Wednesday and the changes go into effect on Jan. 1, the fi rst day of the new fi shing season. Fishing income in Califor- nia, Oregon and Washington could increase $60 million because of the changes, with the potential for 900 new jobs and at least 200,000 more angler trips a year, according to a preliminary report. “It’ll actually allow us to fi sh,” said Tom Marking, a recreational fi sherman from Eureka, California. “Right now, there are a lot of places you just avoid NOAA Fisheries Federal offi cials are increasing the catch limits for many types of groundfi sh because the numbers of one key species, the yelloweye rockfi sh, has rebounded much faster than expected under a restoration plan. because they’re known as yelloweye hot spots. You just stay away from them. If they allow us to go to 30 fathoms or 40 fathoms or all depths, it’ll allow the fl eet to spread out.” Between 1999 and 2002, nine West Coast groundfi sh stocks were declared over- fi shed as surveys documented declining numbers. Because more than 90 total groundfi sh species share the same habitat, anglers fi shing for a permitted spe- cies risked also catching restricted fi sh and exceeding the overall limit — a mistake that could mean an end to the fi shing season for that partic- ular species. The limits devastated the fi shing industry along Spout Springs Ski Area parking lot gets modifi cation Umatilla National Forest Service PENDLETON — The Forest Service has issued a new parking confi guration for the south parking area at Spout Springs Ski Area along Highway 204, which authorizes overnight park- ing for trucks and trailers in a portion of the south park- ing area. The Forest Service modifi ed the south parking area in response to the loss of overnight parking in the north parking area, which was changed to day-use only to alleviate safety con- cerns raised by the ski area. The changes to the south parking area balance the needs of the ski area with other recreationists that use this portion of the Umatilla National Forest. This alter- native parking arrangement was developed with input from the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation, Spout Springs Homeowners Association President Tim Richardson and other inter- ested public. “We appreciate the Forest Service and ODOT work- ing to come up with a park- ing solution that works for all of us,” Tim Richardson said in a press release. “I am pleased with the outcome and I think this will serve the variety of public that use this area.” The north and south park- ing areas are both part of Oregon’s Sno-Park program and both sno-parks are uti- lized by ski area customers and other winter recreation- ists. The north parking area is within the Spout Springs Mountain Resort Special Use Permit and managed by the ski area under an agree- ment with ODOT. The south parking area is managed by the Forest Service under a separate agreement with ODOT. Spout Springs raised safety concerns this fall regarding their ability to obtain liability insurance needed to open for winter operations if overnight park- ing was allowed in the north parking area. In order to alle- viate these safety concerns, the Forest Service agreed to make the north parking area day-use only once Spout Springs opens for the sea- son. Spout Springs has yet to announce an offi cial open- ing date, but is anticipated to resume winter operations this year. “Our objective is to have Spout Springs operate their downhill and cross country operations during the 2018 and 2019 ski season, while providing for the safety of all users,” said Walla Walla District Ranger Mike Rass- bach in the release. “I hope these parking area changes will allow for a safe and suc- cessful winter season for all forest users”. Sno-Park use would con- tinue to be available on a fi rst come-fi rst serve basis for both parking areas and require an ODOT sno-park permit from Nov. 1–April 30. Additional alternative overnight parking for truck/ trailers is available at neigh- boring Sno-Parks, including Morning Creek, Woodland, and Andie’s Prairie. Forest offi cials will assess the effectiveness of these changes at the end of the season. Comments or concerns regarding the park- ing area modifi cations are welcome and can be sub- mitted to Walla Walla Dis- trict Ranger Mike Rassbach at 509-522-6293 or mrass- bach@fs.fed.us. the West Coast. Many busi- nesses went under and ten- sions between the industry and federal regulators ran high for years. “Back then, one boat could catch all the quota for one species in one day,” said Jason Cope, a research fi sheries biologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service. “There was a lot of avoidance, a lot of places you couldn’t go and proba- bly a lot of paranoia. It was a lot of kind of walking on eggshells.” Improved population numbers mean there’s now a buffer for such mistakes and anglers can go to places they haven’t fi shed in years with- out as much worry, he said. Key to these changes is the recovery of the yellow- eye rockfi sh, one of several species of rockfi sh that were in trouble just 15 years ago. The combined annual catch limit for the yelloweye will increase from 20 met- ric tons to 48 metric tons in 2019, although regulators could begin to make adjust- ments to fi shing restrictions when the catch approaches 39 metric tons to allow room for error. Anglers will be able to fi sh at greater depths and in locations that were previ- ously off-limits. One imme- diate effect will see fewer fi shing boats crowded near the shore where anglers were less likely to net the over- fi shed species. Several other species of groundfi sh have already recovered to levels that have allowed greater catch limits. Those species include petrale sole, widow rockfi sh and canary rockfi sh. There are more than 65 species of rockfi sh off the West Coast from Alaska to California. Some types can live up 150 to 200 years, Cope said, and they give live birth. John Holloway, a mem- ber of the Pacifi c Fisheries Management Council, which recommended the changes, said the increased catch limit will be transformative for the industry. “This will basically affect all the fi shing sectors to some degree or another,” he said. “Every fi shing sector ... runs up against yellow eye rock- fi sh, including the trawl fl eets and all that.” SKI REPORT OREGON Anthony Lakes— Plan to Open 12/15 Cooper Spur — Opening Soon for Snow Sports Fri: 4p-8p; Sat/Sun: 9a-5p; Open Fri-Sun Mt. Ashland — Wed 6:23 a.m., 1” new, MG, machine groomed, 20-21” base, 20 of 23 trails, 4 of 5 lifts, 87% open, Mon/Thu/Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p; Open Thu-Mon Mt. Bachelor — Wed 5:42 a.m., powder, machine groomed, 35-41” base, 45 of 101 trails, 800 acres, 4 of 11 lifts, 45% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Mt. Hood Meadows — Wed 5:06 a.m., 3” new powder, machine groomed, 33-47” base, 45 of 87 trails, 900 acres, 7 of 12 lifts, 52% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Mt. Hood Skibowl — Wed Opening Soon for Snow Sports, hard packed, 1 of 8 lifts, 13% open, Sat: 11a-10:15p Sun: 11a-5:30p; Sat: 11a-10:15p Sun: 11-5:30p Timberline — Wed 8:12 a.m., variable, 33-33” base, 4 of 9 lifts, 44% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-3p Washington 49 Degrees North — Reopen 12/14, machine groomed, 14-23” base, Mon/Tue/Fri: 9a-3:30p; Sat/Sun: 9a-3:30p; Open Fri-Tue Badger Mountain — Opening Soon for Snow Sports Bluewood — Plan to Open 12/14, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Crystal Mountain — Wed 8:17 a.m., powder, machine groomed, 17-26” base, 5 of 57 trails, 5 of 11 lifts, 9% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Mission Ridge — Wed Reopen 12/14, 1” new, MG, machine groomed, 7-16” base, Fri: 9a-4p, Sat/Sun: 9a-4p; Open Fri-Sun Mt. Baker — Wed 10:34 a.m., 21” new powder, machine groomed, 63-79” base, 17 of 38 trails, 4 of 8 lifts, 45% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-3:30p; Sat/Sun: 9a-3:30p Mt. Spokane — Wed 5:19 a.m., MG, machine groomed, 34-34” base, 12 of 51 trails, 3 of 5 lifts, 24% open, Wed-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p; Open Wed-Sun Stevens Pass — Wed 6:02 a.m., powder, machine groomed, 34-58” base, 23 of 52 trails, 4 of 10 lifts, 44% open Summit at Snoqualmie — Plan to Open 12/14 Summit at Snoqualmie Alpental — Plan to Open 12/14 9 new White Pass — Plan to Open 12/14 Methow Trails — Wed 9:23 a.m., MG, machine groomed, 14-14” base, 52186 miles, Mon-Fri, Sat/Sun Stevens Pass XC — Opening Soon for Snow Sports Idaho Bogus Basin — Wed 8:54 a.m., MG, machine groomed, 22-27” base, 70 of 93 trails, 8 of 11 lifts, 75% open, Mon-Fri: 10a-4:30p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4:30p Brundage — Wed 2:51 p.m., powder, machine groomed, 28-29” base, 46 of 51 trails, 1500 acres, 5 of 6 lifts, 90% open, Mon-Fri: 9:30a-4:30p; Sat/Sun: 9:30a-4:30p Lookout Pass — Wed 5:45 a.m., powder, machine groomed, 23-35” base, 24 of 35 trails, 15 miles, 335 acres, 3 of 4 lifts, 69% open, Mon/Thu/Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p; Open Thu-Mon Schweitzer Mountain — Wed 9:06 a.m., 3” new powder, machine groomed, 26-36” base, 42 of 92 trails, 1200 acres, 5 of 9 lifts, 46% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-3:30p; Sat/Sun: 9a-3:30p Sun Valley — Wed 6:00 a.m., packed powder, machine groomed, 25-28” base, 31 of 121 trails, 9 of 17 lifts, 26% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Tamarack — Wed 6:00 a.m., 1” new powder, machine groomed, 15-24” base, 22 of 48 trails, 440 acres, 3 of 6 lifts, 46% open, Mon-Fri: 9a-4p; Sat/Sun: 9a-4p Church: Christians urged to stay in Bethlehem Continued from Page C1 AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed People visit a shop near the Church of the Nativity. children. But whether the city’s efforts can stop the long-term outfl ow of Bethlehem’s Christians remains to be seen. As elsewhere in the Arab world, the local Christian com- munity has struggled for decades, escaping confl ict and economic troubles in search of better oppor- tunities abroad. In the Holy Land, Israel’s half-century-old occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and more than a decade of rule by the Islamic militant group Hamas in Gaza have signifi cantly wors- ened the situation. A 2017 census in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem counted just under 47,000 Pales- tinian Christians, or about 1 per- cent of a Palestinian population of close to 4.8 million. Twenty years earlier, Christians still made up more than 1.7 percent of the Pal- estinian population, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Roughly half of Palestin- ian Christians live in the Beth- lehem area, where their share of the population has also declined signifi cantly. Wadie Abunassar, a senior adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land, said the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has treated Christians well, but that lack of progress toward a reso- lution with Israel and Palestinian statehood have driven emigration. Despite lack of hope, he urged Christians to stay. “This is our homeland. We are called to be witnesses for Jesus in his homeland,” he said. “This is a great privilege, which most Chris- tians in the world don’t have.”