Two Chinook Limit In Marine Area 1, Ilwaco Beginning Saturday August 29th

Anglers allowed two chinook salmon
off Ilwaco beginning Saturday

OLYMPIA - Starting Saturday, Aug. 29, anglers fishing ocean waters off Ilwaco can keep up to two chinook salmon as part of their two salmon daily limit.

With that change, anglers will be allowed to keep two chinook per day off Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) and Westport (Marine Area 2). Anglers fishing off La Push (Marine Area 3) and west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line off Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) can keep one chinook per day as part of the two salmon limit as well as two additional pink salmon.

Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said the department previously limited anglers off Ilwaco to one chinook per day to ensure that the fishery would remain open for the entire season.

"We have enough chinook remaining under the guideline to allow anglers two chinook per day off Ilwaco without much risk of having to close early," Milward said.

Through Aug. 23, anglers fishing in Marine Area 1 had caught 45 percent (7,118 fish) of the 15,750 chinook guideline for the area.

Ocean salmon fisheries are currently scheduled to continue through Sept. 30 in all four marine areas.

Fishery managers will continue to monitor the ocean salmon fishery throughout the season, and announce any other changes on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/

Additional information on the ocean fishery, including minimum size limits and area catch guidelines, is available in WDFW's Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/