and we wanted to reiterate these regulations
to help clear up any potential
confusion.”
Coastwide, anglers cannot fish in
an area if they have a catch on board
that is not legal to retain in that area.
For example, it is illegal to have salmon
aboard while fishing in an area
closed to salmon fishing, even if you
caught the salmon elsewhere. Single-point
barbless hooks are required
in all marine areas while fishing for
salmon.
The regulations for individual
coastal marine areas are as follows:
MARINE AREA 1 (ILWACO)
• June 20-28: Daily limit 1. Chinook
- minimum size 22”. Other
salmon species - no minimum size.
Release all coho.
• June 29-Sept. 30: Daily limit 2,
of which up to 1 may be a Chinook.
Chinook - minimum size 22”. Coho
- minimum size 16”. Release wild
coho.
MARINE AREA 2 (WESTPORT)
• June 20-28: Daily limit 1.
Chinook minimum size 22”. Other
salmon species - no minimum size.
Release all coho.
• June 29-Sept. 30: Daily limit 2,
of which up to 1 may be a chinook.
Chinook - minimum size 22”. Coho
- minimum size 16”. Release wild
coho. Open Sundays through Thursdays
only.
• Willapa Bay (Area 2-1) and the
portion of Grays Harbor (Area 2-2)
west of the Buoy 13 line also opened
June 20 under the same rules as Area
2. Regulations for Areas 2-1 and 2-2
change in August.
MARINE AREA 3 (LAPUSH)
• June 20-28: Daily limit 1. Chinook
- minimum size 24”. Other
salmon species - no minimum size.
Release all coho.
• June 29-Sept. 30: Daily limit 2.
Chinook - minimum size 24”. Coho
- minimum size 16”. Release wild
coho.
• La Push, located on the Quileute
Reservation, remains closed to the
public. Anglers fishing in Marine
Area 3 will need to access the area
from elsewhere, but must follow all
rules and regulations for the marine
area where they’re fishing.
MARINE AREA 4 (NEAH BAY)
• June 20-28: Daily limit 1. Chinook
- minimum size 24”. Other
salmon species - no minimum size.
Release all coho.
• June 29-Sept. 30: Daily limit 2.
Chinook - minimum size 24”. Coho
- minimum size 16”. Release wild
coho.
• Neah Bay, located on the Makah
Reservation, remains closed to the
public. Anglers fishing in Marine
Area 4 will need to access the area
from elsewhere, but must follow all
rules and regulations for the marine
area where they’re fishing.
• In Marine Area 4, the waters east
of a true north-south line through
Sail Rock are closed to salmon fishing
through July 31.
Ports are likely to be busy with
more sunny days in the forecast, and
Beeghley noted that port samplers
in areas such as Sekiu are collecting
data as anglers exit the docks. Anglers
can help conservation efforts by
bringing their full salmon or salmon
carcasses off the boat and stopping
at the marked sampling site atop the
docks.
“Basically, we’re asking people to
bring their whole salmon or at least
the carcasses with heads intact to the
checkers,” Beeghley said. “We need
to scan salmon snouts as folks exit
the dock area, and samplers will ask
anglers a couple of questions, even if
they didn’t catch fish.”
Skagit River closing to sockeye
fishing due to projected low returns
The Skagit River will close to
sockeye fishing June 16 to July 15
due to low projected returns, fishery
managers with the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) announced today.
With an expected return of as
many as 13,242 or as few as 8,056,
forecasted returns of wild Skagit
sockeye are the lowest they’ve been
in the last five years and potentially
below fishery manager’s broodstock
goals.
“Given this forecast, largely as a
result of poor ocean conditions, we’re
taking these steps to ensure we’re
meeting our commitments to conservation,”
said Brett Barkdull, WDFW
fish biologist.
The closure begins at the highway
536 bridge (Memorial Highway
Bridge) in Mount Vernon to Gilligan
Creek.
The river remains open for gamefish
fisheries. Fishery managers will
continue to monitor other area rivers
and streams.
“Assuming this closure helps us to
meet our sockeye Skagit River management
goals, we’ll be prioritizing
providing a future harvest opportunity
at Baker Lake—something we
heard was important to anglers as
part of this year’s salmon season-setting
process,” said Barkdull.
CALIFORNIA
Salmon Fishing Open on Trinity,
Lower Klamath
The spring chinook salmon fishery
on the lower Klamath River (downstream
of the Highway 96 bridge
at Weitchpec) and Trinity River
(upstream of the confluence of the
South Fork Trinity River) will open
July 1 and run through Aug. 14 on
the Klamath River and through Aug.
31 on the Trinity River. The daily
bag limit has been set to one chinook
salmon (no size restrictions), and the
possession limit set at two chinook
salmon.
The fall chinook salmon fishery
in the Klamath River will open Aug.
15, and in the Trinity River, the fall
Chinook salmon season begins Sept.
1. The Klamath-Trinity basin in-river
quota is 1,296 adult fall Chinook
salmon for 2020.
Fall chinook salmon regulations
on length have changed since 2019,
with the adult size now being greater
than 23 inches total length (previously
22 inches). Bag limits will remain
the same as 2019, with a two-fish daily
bag limit, with no more than one
fish over 23 inches (such as one adult
and one jack). The possession limit
remains the same at six fish, with no
more than three fish over 23 inches
(effectively three daily bag limits).
Additionally, the brown trout bag
and possession limits have doubled;
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