Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — A vote to cancel the 2017 Memorial Day Halibut Derby was made by the Port Angeles Salmon Club board of directors last week.
A severe reduction in open fishing days, including a closure during Memorial Day Weekend, forced the club’s hand.
Directors discussed a one-day derby but opted against that idea due to high expenses.
The annual halibut derby was founded in 2001 more than a decade after the club held its last salmon derby in 1988.
The halibut event attracted as many as 937 anglers in 2005 but has seen interest wane in recent years.
An average of 560 anglers has competed in the derby over the past three years, and the club has sustained losses of $5,000 each year.
The directors noted the impact of canceling the derby on Port Angeles businesses as an estimated 200 to 300 anglers typically attend from out of town and beyond the North Olympic Peninsula.
