July 01, 2009
Contact: Annette Hoffmann, (425) 775-1311, ext. 120
Aaron Bosworth, (425) 775-1311, ext. 101
Chinook salmon retention ends
Sunday on the Skykomish River
OLYMPIA – Starting Sunday (July 5), anglers will be required to release any chinook salmon they catch on the Skykomish River, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
The new rule, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, prohibits the retention of chinook from the Lewis Street Bridge in Monroe upstream to the Wallace River, the only portion of the Skykomish River currently open to salmon fishing.
The rule change does not affect fishing for hatchery steelhead and other gamefish on the Skykomish River.
Low Chinook returns to the Wallace River Hatchery prompted WDFW to close the river to chinook retention to help ensure enough salmon make it back to the hatchery to meet spawning goals, said Annette Hoffman, regional fish program manager for WDFW.
If it later appears spawning goals will be met at the hatchery, WDFW may re-open the fishery, said Hoffman.
Anglers can check for updates on the department’s website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.
