Editor's note: the above video was first created in February 2019, when the officials were still forecasting fisheries.
Many areas of the Puget Sound and Hood Canal will be closed to Chinook salmon fishing during the 2019-20 fishing season to protect salmon stocks, but anglers will be able to fish for more coho salmon.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty tribal co-managers finalized 2019 salmon fishing seasons during the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting Monday.
The restrictions come after low salmon returns in Stillaguamish, Nooksack and mid-Hood Canal. The Southern Resident killer whale population indirectly benefits from these restrictions, because there will likely be less boat noise and less competition for the fish.
Notable closures:
- San Juan Islands (Marine Area 7) in August
- Deception Pass (Marine Area 8-1) in December and January
- Port Gardner (Marine Area- 8-2) in December and January
- Admiralty Inlet (Marine Area 9) in January
The Columbia River will also be closed to summer Chinook and sockeye salmon. However, it will be open to coho fishing in the fall, with the area from Buoy 10 upstream to the Hwy. 395 Bridge opening August 1.
There is good news though.
“We expect some good opportunities for fishing in the ocean this summer,” Kyle Adicks, the salmon policy lead for WDFW, said.
All four marine areas off the Washington coast will be open daily starting June 22 for coho and Chinook salmon.
Check here for the complete list of 2019 fishery summaries. More details will come in June when the 2019-20 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet will be published.