The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 31-April 6, 2012 in Seattle, Washington to address issues related to salmon, Pacific halibut, groundfish, coastal pelagic species, and habitat matters.
Please visit the “Current Council Meeting” webpage for the meeting notice and agenda details.
Action: Close recreational lingcod fishing in deepwater portions of Marine Areas 1 and 2 year round, except as allowed in Marine Area 2 on days open to fishing during the primary, all-depth halibut season.
The coordinates of the closed area are as follows:
47°31.70’ N. lat 124°45.00’ W. lon
46°38.17’ N. lat 124°30.00’ W. lon
46°38.17’ N. lat 124°21.00’ W. lon
46°25.00’ N. lat 124°21.00’ W. lon
Effective date: March 17, 2012
Species affected: Lingcod
Location: Marine Areas 1 and 2
Reason for action: This rule is intended to protect yelloweye and canary rockfish, two species managed under rebuilding plans by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The closure will reduce the amount of yelloweye and canary rockfish that are incidentally caught when anglers are fishing for lingcod in deeper water. This rule conforms to measures approved through the Pacific Fishery Management Council and federal rules adopted by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a variety of new sportfishing rules and increased the number of multiple-season hunting permits for deer and elk issued each year during a public meeting here Feb. 3-4.
The commission, a nine-member citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), adopted new fishing rules for the 2012-13 season that will:
Summaries of those and other rule changes, as adopted, will be available on the department’s website athttp://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/ by mid-February. Public comments on the proposed changes were taken by the commission during meetings in December and January.
Now that the big January storm has passed, early signs of spring have begun to appear in many parts of the state. The days are getting longer, spring chinook salmon are moving up the Columbia River, and bluebirds have been spotted in several areas.
Then again, many lakes in eastern Washington are still iced over, and the winter whitefish season is reaching its peak.
“Winter isn’t prime time for most fisheries, but the action should start to pick up this month,” said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “For example, the spring chinook fishery in the lower Columbia River started getting pretty darn good around Valentine’s Day last year.”
State fishery managers also point to several other good fishing opportunities available this month:
Rather count birds for science? All it takes is 15 minutes of your time to contribute to the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual survey of birds sighted throughout North America. From Feb.17-20, birders of all levels of experience are invited to count the number of birds they see in a 15-minute period and enter their tally, by species, online at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc . Participants can conduct their count in their own backyards, in a neighborhood park or anywhere they choose.
The snow cover remaining in many parts of the state has also made it easier to spot large animals – particularly deer, elk, and moose, said WDFW wildlife biologist Woody Myers. He suggests watching for those animals near forest cover early in the morning and late afternoon.
“Look, but keep your distance,” Myers said. “It’s important to avoid disturbing animals that are under stress from limited food sources, cold temperatures, and snow cover.”
At WDFW’s Oak Creek Wildlife Area, more than 400 elk and 150 bighorn sheep are on display daily when they congregate to feed on alfalfa hay and pellets near the area headquarters 15 miles northwest of Yakima. The elk usually feed from 1-3 p.m. daily, while the sheep dine in mid-morning.
For more information about these and other opportunities to enjoy Washington’s great outdoors, see the Weekender Regional Reports posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/weekender/ . These reports are updated throughout the month to provide current information about recreational opportunities around the state
Starting Sunday (Aug. 14), anglers fishing off Westport and Illwaco will again be restricted to one chinook salmon as part of their daily limit of two salmon off the state’s southern coast.
State fisheries managers increased the daily limit to two chinook last week, but a sudden surge in the recreational catch prompted a return to the one-chinook rule in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) and Marine Area 2 (Westport), said Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),
“The number of anglers fishing out of Westport this week increased dramatically and their success in catching chinook was better than any week in recent history,” Pattillo said. “While we’re reluctant to go back to one chinook a day, this change is necessary to keep this fishery open for a full season.”
Pattillo noted that the new chinook catch limit will apply only to marine areas 1 and 2. Anglers fishing off La Push (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) can continue to catch and keep two chinook as part of their daily limit – which also allows them to keep one additional pink salmon per day in those areas.
Prior to last week’s decision to increase the chinook limit off Westport and Ilwaco, WDFW found that catch rates were lagging well behind last year’s pace, Pattillo said. But that changed abruptly this week, when the number of anglers fishing those areas jumped 30 percent over the same period last year.
“We couldn’t ignore that much of a change in the fishery,” he said.
Ocean salmon fisheries are currently scheduled to continue through Sept. 18 in marine areas 2, 3 and 4, and through Sept. 30 in Marine Area 1.
Fishery managers will continue to monitor the ocean salmon fishery throughout the season, and announce any other changes on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ .
Additional information on the ocean fishery, including minimum-size limits and area catch guidelines, is available in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations .
CORRECTION: Removes reference to the spring chinook salmon opening on the lower Yakima River. That opening has not yet been set.
Fishing options sprout in May for trout, shrimp, lingcod, halibut
This is the time of year when new fishing opportunities start popping open like daffodils in the afternoon sun. On various dates in May, shrimp and lingcod fisheries open in Puget Sound and halibut seasons get under way there and off the coast.
But none of those fisheries draw bigger crowds than the lowland lakes trout-fishing season, which opens April 30 statewide. With 300,000 anglers predicted to turn out that day alone, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has been busy stocking 20 million trout in lakes and ponds from the Olympic Peninsula to the Palouse.
Millions more trout, ranging from eight-inch “catchables” to five-pound jumbos, will be planted during the season, which runs through October, said Jim Uehara, WDFW inland fish manager.
“We stock lakes with trout for the whole season, not just opening day,” Uehara said. “Trout fishing should be most productive in lowland lakes through June, and then again in September. Fishing should be good in the higher-elevation lakes, and those stocked with kokanee, right through the summer.”
For most anglers, a valid 2011-12 fishing license is required to participate in any of these fisheries, now that 2010-11 licenses have expired. The exception is young people under age 15, who fish for free in Washington state.
Licenses and permits are avaiIable online , by phone (1-866-246-9453) and from sporting goods stores and other retail license dealers around the state. A list of license vendors is available online and from local WDFW offices.
Key dates for fisheries opening in May include:
Fishing regulations and other information about fisheries scheduled or under way around the state are available in Weekender Regional Reports and in the 2011-12 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet posted on WDFW’s website.
Meanwhile, anglers should be aware that Catch Record Cards for last year’s fishery are due to WDFW by April 30. Card holders are required to report their catch of salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and halibut, whether they caught fish or not. The completed cards should be mailed to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish Program, Catch Record Cards, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia WA 98501-1091.
FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
December 22, 2010
NOTE: The department issued a news release announcing its decision to make this change on Dec. 7.
Barbed hooks allowed on Columbia River
Action: Allow the use of barbed hooks for recreational fishing.
Effective dates: Jan. 1, 2011 until further notice.
Species affected: Salmon and steelhead
Location: Columbia River, from the mouth to McNary Dam
Reasons for action: Washington’s sport fishing rules in this area of the Columbia River are not similar to Oregon’s. To avoid confusion for sport anglers, the implementation of the barbless rule will be delayed.
Information Contact: WDFW Region 5 Office, 360-696-6211, TeamVancouver@dfw.wa.gov
COLUMBIA RIVER COMPACT/JOINT STATE ACTION NOTICE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife April 20, 2010
The Columbia River Compact met today and took the following actions:
1. The commercial fisheries in Youngs Bay, Tongue Point, Blind Slough/Knappa Slough and Deep River are closed until further notice.
2. The recreational fisheries in Youngs Bay, Tongue Point, Blind Slough/Knappa Slough and Deep River ar closed until further notice but no later than June 15.
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