Salmon Season Suspension Off Neah; La Push King Limit Reduced

THE FOLLOWING ARE RULE CHANGE NOTICES FROM THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Editor’s note: On July 1, 2022, WDFW sent out a corrected version of the Marine Area 4 “Action” statement. Previously it stated the suspension began July 4 west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, contradicting information elsewhere in the rule change notice, but it has been updated to July 5.

Marine Area 4 salmon fishing suspended

Action: Closes salmon fishing beginning July 2 east of Bonilla-Tatoosh line, and beginning July 5 west of the line. 

Species affected: Salmon.

Locations, effective dates, and rules:

Marine Area 4 west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line:

Effective immediately through July 4, 2022: Salmon daily limit 2, including no more than 1 Chinook. Chinook min. size 24″. Coho min. size 16″. Other salmon species no min. size. Release wild coho.

Effective July 5, 2022, until further notice: Salmon: Closed.

Marine Area 4 East of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line:

Effective July 2, 2022, until further notice: Salmon: Closed.

Reason for action: A significant portion of the Chinook quota for Neah Bay has been harvested. By suspending salmon fishing in Marine Area 4 east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line and subsequently west of the line, a portion of the Chinook quota is being preserved to allow reopening the area later in the season when more coho are present.

Additional information: The catch quotas for recreational fisheries North of Cape Falcon in 2022 are 27,000 Chinook and 168,000 marked coho, with an Area 4 Chinook guideline of 6,110 and Area 4 coho quota of 17,470.

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Chinook daily limit reduced in Marine Area 3

Action: Reduces the Chinook portion of the salmon daily limit to 1 fish.

Species affected: Salmon.

Location: Marine Area 3.

Dates: July 4 through Sept. 30, 2022.

Rules: Salmon daily limit is 2, including no more than 1 Chinook. Chinook min. size 24″. Coho min. size 16″. Other salmon species no min. size. Release wild coho.

Reason for action: Modification of the Chinook daily limit in La Push is to ensure that the Chinook quota in the area is not consumed quickly as more Chinook move through the area, and as fishing effort is likely to increase due to salmon closures in Marine Area 4.

Additional information: The catch quotas for recreational fisheries North of Cape Falcon in 2022 are 27,000 Chinook and 168,000 marked coho, with an Area 3 Chinook guideline of 995 and Area 3 coho quota of 4,370, and a late-season Area 3 Chinook quota of 125.