Coho Fishery West Of Neah Bay Closed

The ocean coho salmon fishery just west of Neah Bay closed Friday after just a four-day run, because the catch quota of 7,100 is expected to be nearly exhausted, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t head for Neah Bay this weekend to catch salmon.

Coho fishing will continue through the weekend at Neah Bay inside the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, east of Tatoosh Island. Coho for that fishery will come from an additional quota of 4,800 the department announced as a result of a recent Canadian decision to catch fewer U.S. fish commercially this year off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

If that second quota is not consumed by midnight Sunday, an additional day of fishing could be added later, the department said.

None of the coho taken in the weekend add-on fishery may be landed east of the Sekiu River.

After the weekend, a pink-salmon fishery will continue through Sept. 4 along the entire Strait of Juan de Fuca. That fishery is open now around Neah Bay, and opens today east of the Sekiu River.

So far, catches of pinks have been good, the department said, and they are expected to increase through the season.

Meanwhile, a special Elliott Bay chinook fishery opens at noon today near Seattle for Green-Duwamish River hatchery fish. It closes at 9 p.m. Sunday. Subsequent weekend openings are possible.

The open area is east of a northsouth line from Alki Point to Four Mile Rock. The rock is located about halfway between Pier 90 and West Point. Limit is two salmon per day.

Keith Wolf, a biologist with the department in Olympia, said managers expect sportsmen to take about 300 chinook in the weekend Elliott Bay fishery. He said 3,000 had been set aside for a Muckleshoot tribal net fishery scheduled for Wednesday near the mouth of the Duwamish.

After that, the sport and tribal fisheries will be managed week-toweek, he said.