PORT ANGELES — An emergency closure of recreational fishing in many rivers and streams at Olympic National Park will end at 12:01 am Tuesday.
The Queets and Salmon Rivers will remain closed to recreational fishing until further notice.
Recreational fishing within Olympic National Park will reopen in the following river systems:
Ozette River
Bogachiel River
Dickey River
Quillayute River
Hoh River
South Fork Hoh River
Quinault River (upper bridge downstream to park boundary)
Additionally, recreational fishing will reopen in the following creeks:
Cedar Creek
Goodman Creek
Kalaloch Creek
Mosquito Creek
On Oct. 6, the rivers and creeks listed above were closed to recreational fishing to protect several fish populations during ongoing severe low water flow conditions. Learn more about this temporary closure here. Recent rainy weather has restored water levels in rivers and creeks, allowing salmon and other fish greater access to spawning areas.
“We are happy to welcome back recreational fishers to reopened creeks and river systems at Olympic National Park,” said Acting Deputy Superintendent Kevin Killian. “We appreciate the public’s cooperation and understanding during this fall’s historic drought and the resulting closures.”
The Queets and Salmon rivers in Olympic National Park remain closed to recreational fishing until further notice due to higher than expected in-river harvest levels. Fisheries biologists have conservation concerns based on expected lower numbers of natural Chinook returning to spawning grounds; the continued closure to recreational fishing in the Queets and Salmon Rivers will provide added protection to Chinook salmon making their way to spawning areas in the national park.
