the Tailout May 2020 tailout_may2020finalx | Page 10

THE NEWSROOM
Fishing in the state of Washington reopened May 5 after a 40-day closure.
Below, Todd Banks with a winter blackmouth from the San Juan Islands.
Washington state lost most of its winter salmon seasons in 2021.
WASHINGTON
After closing fishing in the state of
Washington on March 26, the state
re-opened its waters on May 5. The
Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife is asking anglers to adhere
to social distancing guidelines and to
limit travel non-resident licenses are
no longer being sold. Residents are
asked to fish locally.
Marine Areas 1–4 remain closed
for all fishing and shellfishing.
However, Puget Sound saltwater
fisheries (Marine Areas 5–13) will
open under standard regulations May
5, except for halibut, shrimp, and
intertidal shellfish harvesting, which
remain closed statewide. Unlike some
other Puget Sound fisheries, such as
halibut, which require field staff to
support monitoring requirements,
Puget Sound lingcod is managed as a
quota fishery and will be open May
5-June 15.
Washington Re-Opens Fishing
After 40 days
Washington’s ocean waters
open June 20
Low returns of Stillaguamish and
mid-Hood Canal chinook, as well as
Snohomish coho limited a number
of Puget Sound fisheries in 2019, and
created even greater constraints in
2020. That includes closing fishing
for winter chinook in East Juan De
Fuca Strait (Marine Area 6), the
San Juan Islands (Marine Area 7),
Deception Pass and Port Gardner
(areas 8-1 and 8-2), Admiralty Inlet
(Marine Area 9), Tacoma-Vashon
Island (Marine Area 11) and Hood
Canal (Marine Area 12), with some
exceptions for chinook non-reten-
tion in Hood Canal in November
and December. Summer seasons in
Deception Pass and Port Gardner are
also closed to protect coho.
This summer, chinook fisheries are
expected to be largely similar to last
8
38
SALMON
& STEELHEAD JOURNAL
THE TAILOUT
Puget Sound loses bulk of
winter salmon fishing
year, with most Puget Sound marine
areas opening for chinook retention
beginning in July or August. Summer
Chinook fisheries are expected to
begin July 1 in Marine Areas 5, 6, 7,
and 11.
Columbia River opens in August
Fall chinook fisheries will be open
under various regulations. Waters
from Buoy 10 upstream to the Puget
Island will be open Aug. 16-27 for
chinook, and will remain open for
coho afterwards. Most of the wa-
ters upstream will open Aug. 1, but
Warrior Rock to Bonneville Dam will
open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Aug. 7 through Sept. 6.
Initial ocean fisheries reflect a re-
duced coho quota due to significantly
lower projected returns in 2020. All
four of Washington’s marine areas
are scheduled to open June 20 for a
chinook-only fishery, then transition
to a chinook and coho fishery begin-
ning June 29. Daily limits and days
of the week open to salmon fishing
vary between areas.
OREGON
Winter steelhead runs improve
in Santiam
Winter steelhead runs in the Santiam
River have benefitted from the re-
moval of sea lions at the Willamette
Falls near Oregon City. Steelhead
returning to the Santiam system have
to pass over the falls, and prior to the
removal of the sea lions, an all-time
low of 822 adults returned in 2017.
So far this year, 5,772 steelhead
had crossed the falls. Despite the shot
of good news, the Santiam Basin
rivers are closed to fishing for wild
winter steelhead under Oregon’s
Sport Fishing Regulations. If an