Hatchery Fish Returns Help Ocean Salmon Season

Strong returns of hatchery coho salmon this summer to the mouth of the Columbia River will give saltwater sport fishers a reprieve from past meager seasons.

The hatchery returns could be the best since 1991, biologists say.

Ocean salmon seasons set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council recently are geared to keeping sport, commercial and tribal fishers on the water while complying with federal laws to protect weak wild stocks, said Phil Anderson, spokesman for the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department.

Anglers who take time to understand the numerous seasons for specific Puget Sound and coastal areas, can keep their line in the water virtually all year.

Highlights of this year’s opportunities include:

* The Pacific coast from ports such as Westport and Ilwaco, where sport anglers will have the opportunity to catch 75,000 marked coho and 12,500 chinook.

* The Columbia River, where large runs of marked hatchery coho are expected to return. A healthy run of fall chinook from the Hanford Reach and other upriver areas also is expected to return.

* The Strait of Juan de Fuca, where fishing for fin-clipped hatchery coho will be the rule.

* Elliott Bay, which will have chinook fishing opportunities in August.

Winter blackmouth (immature chinook) fishing in Puget Sound.

Sport fishing opportunities also will be available throughout Puget Sound, Anderson said.

This year’s forecast for returns of all Puget Sound coho stocks is just 45 percent of last year’s preseason forecast. All wild coho runs, including those returning to the Skagit and Stillaguamish rivers as well as those flowing into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Hood Canal are expected to return at low levels.

The following are summaries for the top marine area fishing seasons this year:

Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco): July 10-Sept. 30 (or until a quota of 37,500 marked coho is reached). Open Sunday through Thursday; daily limit of two salmon, of which one may be chinook.

Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores): July 3-Sept. 30 (or until a quota of 28,900 marked coho is reached). Open Sunday through Thursday; daily limit two salmon, of which one may be a chinook.

Marine Area 2.1 (Willapa Bay): Aug. 16-Jan. 31; daily limit six salmon, of which two may be adults.

Marine Area 2.2 (Grays Harbor): Sept. 1-Oct. 31: daily limit six salmon, of which two may be adults.

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay): July 3-Sept. 30 (or until a quota of 6,900 marked coho is reached). Open seven days a week. Daily limit two salmon, of which one may be a chinook.

Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point) and Marine Area 6 (East Strait Juan de Fuca): Aug. 1-Sept. 30. Daily limit two salmon, none of which can be chinook. Other seasons are set for October and November.