OLYMPIA — A late agreement Thursday between the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty tribe co-managers is expected to salvage the summer salmon season on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.
The co-managers agreed on this year’s salmon seasons after several weeks of extended negotiations.
Anticipated low numbers of salmon — especially coho — returning to Puget Sound made this year’s negotiations challenging.
Agreement on fishing seasons is a key step in obtaining a joint federal permit required to conduct fisheries in Puget Sound waters, where some fish stocks are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Fish and Wildlife closed many Puget Sound-area waters to fishing May 1, after the previous federal authorization to conduct fisheries expired.
“We plan to re-open those waters as soon as we have federal approval,” said John Long, salmon fisheries policy lead for the state.
“We anticipate getting the new permit within a few weeks.”
Under the agreement, anglers can retain two hatchery chinook plus two sockeye in Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca) from July 1 to Aug. 15.
All coho and chum must be released.
“If catch rates and encounters, especially of juvenile chinook, are well above normal the department would have to step in and cut things short, but we don’t expect that, especially for that summer chinook fishery,” Laurie Peterson of Fish and Wildlife said.
“I would say recreational anglers can plan on the full 45-day season.”
Brandon Mason, owner of Mason’s Olson Resort in Sekiu and the area’s volunteer policy advisor to Fish and Wildlife, was happy to hear the news but cautioned the low coho totals will still produce economic distress in Sekiu and Clallam Bay.
“The fact is we got 45 days of hatchery kings, but out here the coho is still 70 percent of our business, so it’s still going to hurt,” Mason said.
He said he plans on promoting a recent emergency rule change by the state that allows American anglers to fish in Canadian waters for chinook and coho, provided they possess a passport or enhanced drivers license, a Canadian fishing license and leave port in Marine Area 5.
The rule change cuts out customs visits for anglers fishing the Canadian side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Area 9 totals
Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) has a hatchery chinook quota of 3,056 fish and the season is scheduled to run from July 16 to Aug. 15.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
