New Kokanee Rule In Effect

Anglers at Lake Roosevelt can keep two kokanee, regardless of whether the fish have clipped adipose fins, under an emergency rule that became effective on Friday.

Time of the rule change is confusing because law enforcement officials have been emphasizing in recent weeks that changes in Washington’s fishing regulations don’t take effect until May 1.

But anglers must be careful to note that the emergency rule is different from the rule that will be published next month in 2000-2001 fishing regulations pamphlets.

Here’s the sequence of changes for Lake Roosevelt:

The daily catch limit in the current regulations booklet allows anglers to keep a total of five trout and/or kokanee, but only kokanee with missing adipose fins can be kept.

The temporary regulation that became effective Friday allows anglers to keep any two kokanee -with or without clipped adipose fins - within the limit of five trout and/or kokanee.

The standard regulation that will become effective May 1 allows anglers to keep a daily limit of two kokanee in addition to five trout.

Procedural rules prevented the Fish and Wildlife Commission from making all of the changes at one time, said Washington Fish and Wildlife Department spokeswoman Madonna Luers.

The regulation that prohibited anglers from keeping unmarked kokanee was enacted two years ago in an effort to protect sensitive wild stocks of fish in the lake.

However, monitoring research at the lake has determined that a significant portion of kokanee stocks within the lake are from healthy upriver Canadian stocks. Scientists also found that unmarked fish being released by anglers under the previous regulations were dying from hooking-related and handling injuries, Luers said.

Another point of confusion in Washington’s regulation schedule concerns the license and regulations cycle. Anglers need to have their new 2000-2001 fishing licenses starting April 1. But the new fishing regulations enacted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission on Feb. 4 do not go into effect until May 1.

Since the general trout fishing season opens the last Saturday in April, it’s possible for anglers to begin their fishing season with one set of rules only to have the rules change a week later.

Crackdown on crabbers

Washington is cracking down on unmarked or improperly constructed recreational crab gear in North Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.