OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers today approved a morning razor clam dig May 8-14 at Twin Harbors and May 10-11 at Long Beach.

No digging will be allowed at either beach after noon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed the clams at the two beaches are safe to eat.

Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, said two other razor-clam beaches – Copalis and Mocrocks – are now closed for the season, because harvest guidelines at those beaches have been met.

“We still have clams available for harvest at Twin Harbors and Long Beach, and we want to give diggers a chance to catch their limit before the season comes to an end,” Ayres said. “After this opening, we’ll take another look at how the catch on those beaches measures up against the harvest guidelines.”

Digging dates at those beaches, along with morning low tides, are as follows:

• May      8, Wednesday, 6:22 am -0.5 ft., Twin Harbors
• May      9, Thursday, 7:00 am, -0.8 ft., Twin Harbors
• May      10, Friday, 7:37 am, -0.9 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach
• May      11, Saturday, 8:12 am, -0.8 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach
• May      12, Sunday, 8:48 am, -0.7 ft., Twin Harbors
• May      13, Monday, 9:23 am, -0.5 ft., Twin Harbors
• May      14, Tuesday, 10:01 am, -0.2 ft., Twin Harbors

To participate, diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2013-14 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

Clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

Ayres cautions clam diggers and other beachgoers to avoid disturbing western snowy plovers, which nest on the state’s coastal beaches from April through August. The small white birds are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as threatened and by the state as endangered.

Plovers – and their eggs – are extremely vulnerable at this time of year because the birds nest in the dry sand, Ayres said.

Ayres also asks that diggers avoid signed upland beach areas at Long Beach and Twin Harbors, which are closed to protect nesting western snowy plovers.

At Long Beach, the closed areas are located north of the Oysterville Road from the state park boundary north to Leadbetter Point. At Twin Harbors, the closed areas are located from just south of Midway Beach Road to the first beach-access trail at Grayland Beach State Park.

The brig Lady Washington, the Official Ship of Washington State, and the topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain, begin a seven-week tour of Columbia River ports with a stop at Astoria, Ore. The ships are scheduled to arrive late on May 14 and open to the public for tours the following day. The vessels have also scheduled a on-the-water welcoming ceremony with the Chinook Nation 10:30 a.m. May 15 near the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

May 14-16, Astoria – May 16-17, Cathlamet  – May 17-20, Rainier  – May 20-22, St. Helens  – May 22-28, Vancouver  – May 28-29, Camas/Washougal

May 29-30, Stevenson - May 30-June 3, Hood River  – June 3-5, The Dalles  – June 5-6, Arlington - June 6-7, Umatilla  – June 7-18, Pasco

June 18-19, Umatilla - June 19-20, Arlington  – June 20-21, The Dalles  – June 21-24, Stevenson  – June 24-26, Kalama

June 26-July 2, Ilwaco

The ships will offer tours and public sailings in these ports: Astoria, Rainier, St. Helens, Vancouver, Stevenson, Hood River, The Dalles, Pasco, Kalama, and Ilwaco. For specific dates and times, visit the Public Sail Schedule on the Historical Seaport website, http://www.historicalseaport.org/. Activities include walk-on tours, which include an opportunity for visitors to tour the ships and speak with the crews, similar to an open house.

Sailing excursions include three-hour Battle Sails, featuring real cannon firing real gunpowder (but no cannon balls). Tickets are $60 adults, $50 students/seniors/active military, $40 children 12/under. Two-hour Adventure Sails include a chance to help raise a sail, learn a sea shanty, and take the helm of a real tall ship, conditions permitting. Tickets are $39 all ages. Also priced at $39, Evening Sails are two-hour sunset excursions similar to Adventure Sails. Some mid-week Evening Sail tickets are value-priced at $29 all ages. To purchase tickets, call 800-200-5239 or visit http://www.historicalseaport.org/. (Not all activities are available in all ports.)

Launched in 1989, Lady Washington is a replica of one of the first U.S.-flagged vessels to visit the west coast of North America. She has appeared in several motion pictures and popular videos, mostly recently hip-hop artist Macklemore’s YouTube video for his hit “Can’t Hold Us,” which has been viewed more than four million times since its release on April 17. Hawaiian Chieftain is an interpretation of a typical early 19th century coastal trader. Launched in 1988, she specializes in hands-on living history education programs for young people.

OLYMPIA – Starting May 1, anglers fishing for salmon or steelhead on the Columbia River and most of its tributaries downstream from Chief Joseph Dam will be required to use barbless hooks.

The new regulations, adopted today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), expand on a similar rule currently in effect on the stretch of the Columbia River that constitutes the border between Washington and Oregon.

The new rules extend the ban on barbed hooks another 250 miles upriver on the Columbia River and to dozens of its tributaries, including the Cowlitz, White Salmon, Klickitat, Snake, Yakima and Okanogan rivers.

Anglers fishing those waters will still be allowed to use single, double-point or treble hooks, so long as the barbs have been filed off or pinched down.

Jim Scott, assistant director of the WDFW Fish Program, said the new rule will contribute to ongoing efforts to minimize impacts on wild stocks while maintaining opportunities for anglers to harvest abundant hatchery fish.

“Anyone who’s ever fished with barbless hooks knows they are easier to remove from a fish’s mouth than a barbed hook,” Scott said. “That’s important in fisheries where anglers are required to release wild fish unharmed.”

Fishing regulations requiring the release of wild salmon and steelhead are common in the Columbia River Basin and other Washington waters, especially in areas wild salmon and steelhead are protected by state and federal laws. In those cases, only hatchery fish marked with a clipped adipose fin and a healed scar may be retained.

“Anglers fishing for salmon and steelhead in Puget Sound and ocean waters have been required to use barbless hooks for years,” Scott said. “The new rule on the Columbia River is consistent with our state’s longstanding commitment to sustainable fisheries.”

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, a nine-member citizen panel that sets policy for WDFW, endorsed the barbless-hook requirement as part of a broad-based policy designed to support the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.

That policy, adopted in collaboration with the Oregon commission in January, also set the stage for gradually shifting non-tribal commercial gillnets to off-channel areas of the river and developing new, more selective types of commercial fishing gear.

Before taking action, Washington’s commission held a series of public hearings on barbless hooks and other provisions of the policy in the winter of 2012. WDFW also conducted public meetings on barbless hooks during the 2013 North of Falcon process, where statewide salmon-fishing seasons were set earlier this month.

With only a few exceptions, the rule requiring the use of barbless hooks will be in effect on rivers and streams where a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement is required in addition to a current fishing license.

Those waters are clearly marked in WDFW’s 2013-14 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet, now available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ . The paper version of the pamphlet will be distributed to recreational license dealers around the state by early May.

Columbia River Bait offers live bait for Tuna, Salmon, Sturgeon and Bottom Fish.

Call for opening date: 503-741-0597

OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers have approved a morning razor clam dig that will run April 24-30 at Twin Harbors beach and some of those days at three other ocean beaches.

Two beaches – Long Beach and Mocrocks – will be open to morning digging for four days and Copalis will be open for three days during the seven-day period. No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed the clams on those beaches are safe to eat.

Digging dates, along with morning low tides, at the four beaches are as follows:

• April      24, Wed., 6:10 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
• April      25, Thurs., 6:54 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors
• April      26, Fri., 7:38 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks,      Copalis
• April      27, Sat., 8:24 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks,      Copalis
• April      28, Sun., 9:11 a.m., -1.7 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks,      Copalis
• April      29, Mon., 10:01 a.m., -1.5 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Mocrocks
• April      30, Tues., 10:55 a.m., -1.0 ft., Twin Harbors

To participate, diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2013-14 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

State resource managers are cautioning clam diggers and other beachgoers to avoid disturbing western snowy plovers, which nest on the state’s coastal beaches from April through August. The small white birds are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as threatened and by the state as endangered.

Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, said snowy plovers – and their eggs – are extremely vulnerable at this time of year because the birds nest in the dry sand.

“We urge clam diggers to be careful when driving on the beach or walking through the dunes,” Ayres said. “Under state law, all vehicles are required to travel along the extreme upper limit of the hard sand. When in doubt, follow the path marked by multiple tire tracks.”

He also asks that diggers avoid signed upland beach areas at Long Beach and Twin Harbors, which are closed to protect nesting western snowy plovers.

At Long Beach, the closed areas are located north of the Oysterville Road from the state park boundary north to Leadbetter Point. At Twin Harbors, the closed areas are located from just south of Midway Beach Road to the first beach-access trail at Grayland Beach State Park.

PORTLAND, Ore. – State and tribal co-managers yesterday agreed on a package of salmon fisheries that meets conservation goals for wild salmon populations and provides fishing opportunities on healthy stocks.

Washington’s 2013 salmon fishing seasons, developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribal co-managers, were finalized yesterday during the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) meeting in Portland. The regulations cover salmon fisheries in Puget Sound, Washington’s ocean and coastal areas and the Columbia River.

In developing salmon seasons, the first priority for state and tribal fishery managers is to meet conservation goals for wild salmon, said Phil Anderson, WDFW director.

“This comprehensive package of salmon fisheries is consistent with ongoing efforts to protect and rebuild wild salmon stocks,” Anderson said. “Meeting those goals is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Washington’s salmon fisheries, which are important to the economy of many communities throughout the state.”

Conservative harvest management by the tribes and state is making a substantial contribution to the recovery of wild salmon, but protecting and restoring salmon habitat is essential to rebuilding these populations, said Lorraine Loomis, fisheries manager for the Swinomish Tribe.

“Salmon habitat continues to be lost and damaged at an alarming rate, and this trend shows no signs of improvement,” Loomis said. “Every year it is increasingly difficult to develop fisheries that meet the needs of Indian and non-Indian fishermen while still protecting weak wild stocks. Conservative fisheries, such as those developed for this year, must go hand-in-hand with protecting and restoring habitat to return salmon to abundance.”

As in past years, recreational salmon fisheries in 2013 will vary by area:

Columbia River: The Buoy 10 fishery will be open from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31. The fishery will be open for chinook and hatchery coho Aug. 1 through Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.  From Aug. 1 through Sept. 1, anglers will have a daily limit of two salmon, only one of which may be a chinook.  From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, anglers can keep six fish, only two of which can be adults, and only one of which can be an adult chinook. From Sept. 2 through Sept. 30, anglers will have a daily limit of two hatchery coho, but must release chinook.

The mainstem Columbia River from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam will be open for chinook and hatchery coho Aug. 1 through Dec. 31. Anglers will be allowed to retain one adult chinook as part of their two-adult daily limit. From Sept. 6 through Sept. 30, chinook retention will be prohibited downstream of the Lewis River, except anglers will be allowed to retain hatchery chinook from Sept. 6 through Sept. 12 from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Warrior Rock. Beginning Oct. 1, one adult chinook may be retained throughout the lower river, from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam.

The sockeye and hatchery summer chinook fishery on the mainstem Columbia River below Bonneville Dam will be open from June 16-June 30, with a daily limit of two adult salmon or steelhead, or one of each.

Fishery managers also implemented a permanent rule requiring anglers to use barbless hooks when fishing for salmon and steelhead on the Columbia River and most of its tributaries.

Washington’s ocean waters: The PFMC yesterday approved a recreational chinook catch quota of 48,000 fish, slightly lower than last year’s quota of 51,500. The PFMC, which establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast, also adopted a quota of 74,760 coho for this year’s recreational ocean fishery, about 5,000 fish higher than last year’s quota.

The recreational salmon fishing season in marine areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) will begin with two short openings for hatchery chinook, May 10-11 and May 17-18. The mark-selective fishery for hatchery chinook in those two marine areas will then reopen June 22 and run seven days a week through June 28. Mark selective fisheries for hatchery chinook will be open seven days a week June 8-June 22 in Marine Area 2 (Westport/Ocean Shores) and June 8-June 21 in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco). In all areas, anglers will have a daily limit of two salmon, except anglers must release coho and wild chinook. The fisheries could close earlier if a coastwide quota of 8,000 hatchery chinook is reached.

Recreational ocean salmon fisheries for chinook and hatchery coho will continue June 22 in Marine Area 1, June 23 in Marine Area 2 and June 29 in marine areas 3 and 4. Anglers will have a daily limit of two salmon in marine areas 3 and 4. Those fishing marine areas 1 and 2 also will have a two-salmon daily limit, but can keep only one chinook per day. The fishery will be open daily in marine areas 1, 3 and 4, while Marine Area 2 will be open Sunday through Thursday. Anglers also will be allowed to retain two additional pink salmon in marine areas 3 and 4.

Coastal bays and rivers: Another year of strong wild coho returns should provide good fishing in many of Washington’s coastal streams, including the Queets and Quillayute rivers, as well as those flowing into Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.

One change this year will allow recreational anglers exclusive access to salmon in the prime fishing area of Willapa Bay (Marine Area 2-1). Waters off Tokeland in the northcentral portion of the bay – known as 2T – will be open for recreational salmon fishing only from 6 p.m. Aug. 15 through 6 p.m. Sept. 15.

Anglers fishing in Willapa Bay also will be allowed to use two fishing poles, with the purchase of a two-pole endorsement, from Aug. 1 through Jan. 31.

Puget Sound: Anglers will have an opportunity to take advantage of an abundant return of pink salmon this year. More than 6 million pink salmon are expected to return to Puget Sound, where “bonus” bag limits for pink salmon will be established in all marine areas, except Hood Canal. The majority of pink salmon – the smallest of the Pacific salmon species – return to Washington’s waters in odd-numbered years.

Most chinook and coho fisheries will be similar to last year’s seasons, although this year’s mark-selective fishery for hatchery chinook on the Skykomish River is scheduled June 1 through July 31 this year. Last year the fishery didn’t open until mid-July.

Salmon fisheries on the Skokomish and Puyallup rivers have not yet been settled and state and tribal co-managers plan to continue negotiations over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, the forecast for sockeye returning to Baker Lake is strong enough to allow a fishery there this year beginning July 10. However, the run size is not expected to be high enough to open the Skagit River for sockeye fishing this year.

Specific fishing seasons and regulations for marine areas in Washington and a portion of the Columbia River will be available in the next couple of weeks on WDFW’s North of Falcon website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/ .

For all the information you need, click on the link below:

http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/Table_2_DRAFT_recreational_salmon_regs_foe_2013_adopted_by_the_Council.pdf

State shellfish managers have approved a morning razor clam dig that will run April 9-14 at Twin Harbors beach and April 12-14 atLong Beach, Copalis, and Mocrocks beaches.

No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin test showed the clams are safe to eat on those beaches.

Digging dates, along with morning low tides, at the four beaches are as follows:

• April 9,      Tues., 6:39 a.m., 0.0 ft., Twin Harbors
• April 10,      Wed., 7:19 a.m., -0.3 ft., Twin Harbors
• April 11,      Thurs., 7:57 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors
• April 12,      Fri., 8:34 a.m., -0.4 ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
• April 13,      Sat., 9:11 a.m., -0.2, ft., Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks
• April 14,      Sun., 9:49 a.m., +0.1, ft.,Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks

By law, clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

“We take those rules seriously,” said Capt. Dan Brinson, of WDFW’s enforcement program. “We encounter some harvesters during virtually every dig setting aside small or broken clams in the hope of finding larger ones to take home. That’s a waste of the resource and violators will be cited.”

Potential penalties for violating the rule range up to a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail, he said.

Brinson also reminds diggers that all diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2013-14 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach, noting that licenses effective for 2012-13 expired at midnight March 31. Licenses are available online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-320-9933) and from license dealers around the state.

OLYMPIA- The popular sport fishery for spring Chinook salmon on the lower Columbia River has been extended through April 12 under an agreement reached today by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon.

During that period, the recreational fishery will be closed April 9 to accommodate a possible commercial fishery.

Harvest levels by sport fishers have been running well below expectations, prompting the two states to add six days to the initial recreational fishing season, previously set to continue through April 5.

Through March, anglers had caught just 1,500 adult spring Chinook salmon, about 25 percent of the 6,100-fish harvest expected by this point in fishery, said Ron Roler, Columbia River Policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

“The season definitely got off to a slow start, but the bulk of the run is starting to move in,” Roler said. “River conditions are excellent – low and warm – so we will be monitoring the fishery closely to make sure the catch doesn’t exceed the established guideline.”

Guy Norman, WDFW southwest regional director, said fishery managers from both states will watch the catch throughout the extension period and close the fishery earlier if necessary.

“We want to keep the fishery open through April 12 – and perhaps even longer – but we have to hold the catch within the guideline, ” Norman said. “The situation can change very quickly in April when the fish start moving upriver in large numbers.”

Norman noted that fishery managers will also meet in May to consider whether potential changes in the run size will allow a late-season opening.

After three years of strong spring Chinook returns, this year’s fishery is based on a projected run of 141,400 upriver fish, about 25 percent below the 10-year average. By comparison, approximately 203,000 fish destined for areas above Bonneville Dam returned to the Columbia River last year.

Upriver fish make up the bulk of the catch, although spring Chinook returning to the Willamette, Cowlitz and other rivers below Bonneville Dam also contribute to the fishery.

Sport fishing for salmon and steelhead is currently open on the lower Columbia River from the mouth upriver to Beacon Rock, and to bank anglers up to the fishing boundary below Bonneville Dam. The daily limit below Bonneville Dam is two adult hatchery-raised fish and no more than one adult Chinook.

Anglers fishing the main stem Columbia River are required to use barbless hooks and release any wild, unmarked salmon, steelhead or cutthroat trout they intercept.

Salmon fisheries above Bonneville Dam are not affected by today’s action by the two states.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife now has a new set of “Fish Washington” logos designed to help symbolize the state’s many great fishing opportunities.

WDFW tallied more than 1,800 votes on new logo design via the department website and Facebook page.  Now, with a few tweaks based on public suggestions, the winning set of logos has been chosen. The logos selected depict trout and bass with backgrounds of Washington state waters and wilderness.

“Fish Washington” is a new effort by WDFW to inform anglers about fishing opportunities in Washington via a variety of communications platforms.

“The goal is to involve all anglers in the excitement of Washington fishing, some of the best fishing in the nation,” said Chris Donley, WDFW inland fish program manager.  “And, over the next 18 months, we will be seeking additional ways to support Washington state fishing, including anglers just entering the sport, lapsed anglers who want to renew old hobbies, and the avid angler searching out new opportunities.”

The public can view the new logo set here:  http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/logos/ .

The “Fish Washington” webpage, available on WDFW’s website, http://wdfw.wa.gov , provides details on where to fish for specific inland and marine fish species by county and marine area, and will increasingly add new tools and information on fishing tips and techniques.

“Fish Washington” currently focuses on lowland lakes and marine areas within Puget Sound, but in the future the website will feature information on rivers, streams and high lakes fishing opportunities, Donley said.  “Future updates will also include fishing calendars by species and month, maps, and photographs of each of the access areas,” he added.

The “Fish Washington” web effort was launched in April 2012, and has already drawn some 130,000 unique visitors. “The popularity of our web effort speaks to the importance Washington anglers and prospective anglers place on fishing,” Donley said.  “With the new tools we are introducing, we hope to build upon the strong outdoor heritage that fishing represents in this state.”