Local News

September 6, 2007

The recreational fishery in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) will reopen to retention of chinook, coho and pink salmon at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced.
As in previous weeks, anglers in Marine Area 1 will be allowed only one chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit and must release any chinook measuring less than 24 inches and hatchery coho less than 16 inches. Wild coho must be released unharmed.
The recreational salmon fishery in Marine Area 1 closed August 25 to give fishery managers an opportunity to assess the season’s catch.
Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for WDFW, said reopening the recreational fishery in Marine Area 1 will give anglers an opportunity to harvest salmon remaining under coastwide quotas established by the Pacific Fishery Management Council last April.
Coastwide, recreational anglers had caught about 8,500 chinook and about 92,000 coho through Aug. 26.
Salmon fishing in Marine Area 1 is scheduled to continue through September 30. Farther north, salmon fishing in marine areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) is scheduled to continue through September 15, and through September 16 in Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores).
More information on fishing regulations is available on WDFW’s website http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.