In Oregon and want to know the best fishing spots? SMS can help.
Recently, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife launched a new text alert service, informing both recreational and commercial fisherman of current fishing conditions.
The ODFW currently compiles reports at various intervals that discuss current fishing conditions or restrictions for various species and locations along the state's coast. This system will allow state officials to send those alerts directly to fisherman immediately rather than just posting them on their website.
The alerts are broken down into seven categories. Recreational fisherman can subscribe to get messages for bottomfish, halibut and ocean salmon. A different version of the ocean salmon report is also available for commercial use, as well as ones for nearshore groundfish and dungeness crab. The final alert is available to both and covers marine reserve information, public meetings and engagement opportunities.
But the new text alert program isn't just about disseminating information. Subscribers can use the system to update the ODFW, helping them create more detailed reports.
"Send us your own fishing report through ODFW Fishing Reports," the ODFW wrote in a press release. "The information will be forwarded to the local biologist who may use it to update various ODFW resources such as the Weekly Recreation Report."
The new service is run by the ODFW's Marine Resources Program, who are responsible for the monitoring, sampling, research and management of both the commercial and recreational marine fisheries. By doing so, they strive to increase the quality and quantity of stock assessments and biological information of the fish.
The SMS service alerts are currently only available for salt water fishing.
