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Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Cap.Silver on September 04, 2012, 07:10:13 AM

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Title: Emergency retention rule for king salmon
Post by: Cap.Silver on September 04, 2012, 07:10:13 AM

Anyone in the "KNOW" why there was implemented the release all chinook rule in areas 9 and 10 ? We got a nice hatchery king but had to toss him back ,so it got me thinking why you can keep salmon hooked from pier ,but not from boat ....and yes there was nothing on the WDFW site (even it was 3 days old news :yike: )only on the phone recording  from the WDFW ..... I wonder if someone got caught with fish ....are we relly that far that every day you go fishing you have to call uncle Sam and ask " CAN I ,PLEASE ? " what are you thoughts on this ..... how long before we cannot fish for king alltogether ?  :dunno:

Title: Re: Emergency retention rule for king salmon
Post by: Fish4Fun on September 04, 2012, 07:51:45 AM

This was posted back on August 17th and was in all of the papers plus the WDFW News line

The popular fishery for chinook salmon will close early in two areas of central Puget Sound after a month of soaring catch rates.

Starting Monday August 20th at 12:01 a.m., anglers fishing in marine areas 9 and 10 will be required to release any chinook salmon they catch under a new rule issued by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The closure – 12 days earlier than scheduled – does not affect fishing for other salmon species, including coho, sockeye or pink salmon. Various piers in the two areas will also remain open to chinook retention.

State fishery managers said the early closure was necessary to hold encounters with wild chinook salmon within allowable limits. Although standing rules for the fishery require anglers to release all wild chinook, not all of those fish survive the encounter.

“Catch rates for hatchery chinook have been running two to three times higher than last year, and encounters with wild chinook are also way up,” said Pat Pattillo, WDFW salmon policy coordinator. “It’s a shame to close this fishery early, but we have a responsibility to protect wild chinook salmon in state waters.”

As of last Sunday, anglers fishing in marine areas 9 and 10 had caught 8,728 hatchery chinook, compared to 5,006 at the end of last year’s fishery. Those fishing areas include waters off Seattle, Edmonds, Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend.