ANGLERS WILL GET a bonus beginning Friday in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet).
The daily limit will rise to two hatchery chinook per day through the fisheries scheduled end on Sunday, April 15.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s preliminary estimates indicate that the number of chinook retained or released by anglers is at 77 percent of the chinook encounter guideline of 11,053 fish for Marine Area 9.
State fishery managers anticipate that sufficient encounters remain to allow the fishery to run through April 15 as scheduled with a daily limit of two hatchery chinook. The changes to the chinook fishery are consistent with conservation objectives and agreed-to management plans.
Anglers must release coho and wild chinook.
Halibut victory
Wins and losses are a constant presence in the sports pages, but true victories are pretty rare for the recreational angler.
One came last week when Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 6127, improving the management of the state’s halibut fishery, into law.
Beginning next year, a fee of no more than $5 will be imposed for a halibut catch record card when purchased with an annual fishing license, and must be provided at no cost on one-day temporary saltwater fishing licenses or charter stamps. Funds received must be used for monitoring and management of recreational halibut fisheries, including expanding recreational fishing opportunities.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-Sequim) and is intended to provide a more accurate representation of halibut anglers and their catch totals.
Sequim’s Dave Croonquist, a member of the Puget Sound Anglers, the Coastal Conservation Association, was on hand in Olympia to see Inslee sign the bill.
“Thank you to all who have helped in the process,” Croonquist said. “We hope the stand-alone card will give the state solid numbers on how many folks are fishing for halibut in state waters. The standalone card will cost $5 and will be in place for the 2019 halibut season.”
Catch quotas down
Halibut poundage quota totals for recreational anglers in the four halibut catch zones in Washington have been released.
The state’s total sport share for 2018 is 230,650, down 13,017 pounds from 2017, the result of a drop in halibut population surveyed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
Halibut anglers in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound will share 60,995 pounds this season — a decrease of 3,967 pounds from 2017.
Those fishing out of La Push and Neah Bay in the North Coast Halibut Fishery will have a quota of 111,632 pounds — a dip of 3,967 pounds from last season.
The South Coast (Marine Area 2) halibut quota is 44,341 in the primary halibut season and 2,000 for a nearshore halibut fishery — down 3,966 pounds from 2017.
Scheduled halibut fishing dates for Puget Sound/Strait of Juan de Fuca, the North Coast and the South Coast are the same: Friday, May 11; Sunday, May 13; Friday, May 25; Sunday, May 27; Thursday, June 7; Saturday, June 9; Saturday, June 16; Thursday, June 21; Saturday, June 23; Thursday, June 28; and Saturday June 30.
Sufficient quota will be needed to fish all of those scheduled dates.
Columbia River halibut anglers have a quota of 11,182 pounds in all-depth fishery that begins Thursday, May 3.
It runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays until the quota is taken or Sept. 30, whichever comes first.
Nearshore anglers fishing Monday-Wednesday beginning Monday, May 7 will have a scant quota total of 500 pounds.
Licenses expire soon
Anglers and hunters should take note that licenses for the current 2017-18 season will expire at midnight Sunday night.
The cost of 2018-19 fishing and hunting licenses remain the same as last year, and most annual licenses include a Fish and Wildlife vehicle-access pass.
That pass allows people to use and park at more than 700 Fish and Wildlife water access sites and 33 wildlife areas throughout the state.
Licences are available at a variety of vendors including Swain’s in Port Angeles, Brian’s Sporting Goods and More in Sequim, Forks Outfitters in Forks, Henery’s Hardware in Port Townsend and Van Ripers Resort in Sekiu.
They also can be purchased at wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/.
Multi-season tags
Deer and elk hunters have until Sunday to enter their names into the drawing for a 2018 multiple-season tag, which can greatly increase the opportunity for success in the field.
Fish and Wildlife will hold the drawing in mid-April, randomly selecting names for 8,500 multiple-season deer tags and 1,000 multiple-season elk tags.
Winners of the drawing can purchase a special tag allowing them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2018.
Winners who purchase the multiple season elk tag can participate in general elk hunting seasons in both eastern and western Washington.
The deadline to purchase the multiple-season tag is July 31.
Winners may also choose any weapon type when applying for a special hunt permit for deer or elk.
A multiple-season application can be purchased from authorized license dealers, online at fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov, or by calling 866-246-9453. The application costs $7.10 for residents and $110.50 for nonresidents.
