Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 635 - DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Division 500 - FISH MANAGEMENT PLANS
Section 635-500-1870 - Crooked River and its Tributaries Below Prineville Reservoir
Universal Citation: OR Admin Rules 635-500-1870
Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 3, March 1, 2024
(1) The following policies apply for fish management in the lower Crooked River:
(a) Redband trout and mountain whitefish in
Crooked River and tributaries below Prineville Reservoir (except Ochoco Creek
and a portion of the Crooked River downstream of Opal Springs) shall be managed
for natural production consistent with the Wild Fish Management Alternative for
trout;
(b) No hatchery fish shall
be stocked in the mainstem Crooked River between Bowman Dam and Opal Springs,
McKay Creek, and Ochoco Creek above Ochoco Reservoir;
(c) Rainbow trout in Ochoco Creek shall be
managed for hatchery and natural production, consistent with the Basic Yield
Management Alternative for trout. Rainbow trout in a stretch of the Crooked
River below Opal Springs shall be managed for hatchery and natural production
consistent with the Basic Yield Management Alternative for trout pending an
evaluation of the impacts of the hatchery program on wild fish. After the
completion of this evaluation, this section may be managed for natural
production consistent with the Wild Fish Management Alternative for trout.
Mountain whitefish shall be managed for natural production consistent with the
Wild Fish Management Alternative for trout;
(d) Releases of hatchery rainbow trout in
Ochoco Creek shall be confined from RM 3 to RM 5, and in the mainstem Crooked
River shall be confined from RM 7 to RM 6;
(e) Smallmouth bass shall be managed for
natural production consistent with the Basic Yield Alternative for warmwater
fish. Hatchery warmwater fish species shall not be stocked in the mainstem
Crooked River and tributaries below Prineville Reservoir.
(2) The following objectives apply for fish management and habitat improvement in the lower Crooked River:
(a) Protect or enhance genetic diversity,
adaptiveness, and abundance of redband trout in the Crooked River and
tributaries below Prineville Reservoir;
(b) Provide angling opportunities for redband
trout, mountain whitefish and introduced rainbow trout in the mainstem Crooked
River and tributaries below Prineville Reservoir;
(c) Provide harvest and angling opportunities
for naturally produced and hatchery supplemented rainbow trout in Ochoco Creek
through the City of Prineville;
(d)
Provide angling opportunities for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and brown
bullhead in the mainstem Crooked River below Prineville Reservoir where
populations of these fishes currently exist at a low abundance;
(e) Maintain or improve instream flows for
fish production in the lower Crooked River below Bowman Dam from uncontracted
storage in Prineville Reservoir;
(f) Improve water quality in lower Crooked
River below Prineville Reservoir, specifically for nitrogen supersaturation
during high water runoff and sewage releases from the City of Prineville
treatment plant. Improve water quality in Ochoco Creek, specifically for
elevated levels of mercury;
(g)
Provide additional public boat and bank angling access.
Stat. Auth.: ORS 496.138, ORS 496.146 & ORS 506.119
Stats. Implemented: ORS 496.162, ORS 506.109 & ORS 506.129
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Oregon may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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