Marine Area 9 Opens For Chum Salmon Only

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Marine Area 9 will open for chum retention only

Action: Marine Area 9 will open for chum retention only with a daily limit of 2 chum salmon. Opening of the mark-selective chinook fishery in Area 9 will be delayed until further notice. All coho and chinook salmon must be released.

Effective Date: Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, 2015.

Species affected: Chinook, coho, and chum salmon

Location: Marine Area 9 within Puget Sound.

Reason for action: Test fishery data collected during the last two weeks of October in Area 9 indicate a high abundance of juvenile (sublegal-size) chinook salmon and a high risk of reaching the allowable limit of total chinook encounters early in the Area 9 winter mark-selective chinook fishery. Therefore, the opening of the Area 9 winter chinook mark-selective fishery is delayed until further notice. Further, Puget Sound coho run sizes are below pre-season forecasts. Therefore, non-retention of coho will be required beginning Nov. 1. Puget Sound chum salmon runs are predicted to return as forecast, and WDFW biologists estimate minimal impacts to sublegal chinook by opening to chum salmon retention only, with a daily limit of 2 chum salmon through Nov. 30, 2015.

Other information: WDFW will continue to operate the test fishery in Area 9 and evaluate the most recent data on ratios of legal- and sublegal-size chinook encounters. These data will be used to select the most appropriate opening date of the mark-selective chinook fishery in Area 9 that will minimize risk of anglers encountering sublegal chinook.

Information contact: Laurie Peterson (360) 902-2790 or Ryan Lothrop (360) 902-2808

We will see some additional changes to Marine Areas 9, 8-1 and 8-2 in the upcoming month. Make sure you keep up on the emergency regulations.